Kirk's POV
The soft rustle of the curtain told me Riley was coming back out. Even before I looked up, I felt her presence, a faint tremor in the air, a different scent in the cabin – not just pine and damp earth, but a new, subtle fragrance that was uniquely Riley. My wolf, which had been restless inside me, quieted instantly, a low hum of pure attention.
I kept my gaze fixed on the glowing embers in the fireplace, pretending to be lost in thought. It gave her a moment, a chance to compose herself. I could sense her trying to put her walls back up, to hide the raw feelings that had flared between us. Her wolf, I knew, felt it too, that deep, ancient tug. It had responded to mine, just as mine had responded to hers. It was a recognition, a resonance, that went beyond anything I could exp
