The moment I was guided upstairs, I collapsed onto the bed, muscles stiff and sore from the long day. Asher crouched beside me for a few seconds, brushing a strand of hair from my face. “Sleep.” He murmured, voice low, firm. “You’ve earned it. No excuses.”
I let myself melt into the mattress, grateful for the brief reprieve. The soft hum of the packhouse around me, footsteps in the halls was oddly comforting. But even as I drifted, part of me remained alert, thinking of the massive wolf in the pen.
Downstairs, the night watch began in earnest. The twins, Gage and Arlo, took shifts near the pen, Emily perched nearby on a chair, legs tucked under her, blanket wrapped around her shoulders. She wasn’t silent, not exactly, but her presence carried weight. Even without saying much, the twins w
