Frank
The air clung to my skin as I walked back to the packhouse. My muscles were still tense from the run. The rhythmic pounding of my paws against the forest floor had done little to clear my mind. No matter how fast I ran, I couldn’t outrun my thoughts.
My frustration lingered, tangled with something deeper. Something I didn’t want to acknowledge. The way Katie had looked at me earlier, the way she had laughed with the others, it shouldn’t have bothered me. And yet, the gnawing feeling in my chest refused to subside.
I slowed my pace as I approached the clearing near the packhouse. My sharp senses scanned the surroundings. The scent of pine and damp earth filled my nose. But another scent drifted toward me. It was familiar, warm, and utterly distracting.
Katie.
Her scent was distin
