The courtyard had never been so silent.
Dozens of wolves stood frozen, the Blood Moon’s silver glow bathing every face, every pair of stunned eyes locked on me. The whispers of shock cut the air like knives, disbelief and outrage mingling in the hushed crowd.
And then I felt it.
The bond.
It snapped into place as if it had always been there, invisible until now. My chest burned with it, a pull so strong I staggered where I stood, my wolf instincts urging me toward the tall figure in the center of the courtyard—Kael.
His gray eyes locked onto mine, and the world seemed to fall away. The noise, the crowd, even the moon itself—all faded, leaving only the searing connection that pulsed between us. His wolf stirred behind his gaze, ancient and powerful, and I knew—without words, without lo
