AIDEN
Claire texts me just after six.
I want to see you. Are you free tonight?
She doesn't add a reason or soften it with another message. The words stand on their own, direct and deliberate, and something in my chest tightens the moment I read them. My wolf reacts instantly, alert and focused, like he heard her voice instead of reading it on a screen.
Come over, I reply. I'll make dinner.
There isn't any dinner yet, but that feels like a problem I can solve. I move quickly,
She arrives half an hour later. When I open the door, the sight of her steals the air from my lungs anyway.
She's dressed casually, leggings and a top, hair loose around her shoulders.
"Hey," she says.
"Hey," I answer, stepping aside to let her in.
She glances around the apartment as she
