Three slow knocks, as deliberate as a heartbeat, reverberated through the estate. All the wolves in the hallway froze. The pack was never this motionless. Hackles raised, claws flexed, breath caught.
Thorn changed position and moved half a step ahead of me. The gentle rasp of his growl vibrated against my chest as he held me close, his body turning into a wall of muscle and heat. With amber light blazing through smoke like fire, his eyes were fixed on the door.
He whispered, "Stay here," but his arm remained slung around my waist as though he didn't think I wouldn't disappear if he released it.
The door opened with a creak.
A figure stepped inside, cloaked in gray, the hood casting shadows over his face. The scent hit me first—not Korrin, not the acrid bite of smoke and shadow—but some
