Ethan felt it the moment he woke.
The pressure.
It sat beneath his skin like a second heartbeat—too loud, too fast, demanding attention. His wolf paced restlessly inside him, claws scraping against restraint, a low warning growl vibrating through his bones.
Fourteen days.
That was all the Council had left him with.
Ethan stood at the edge of his penthouse balcony, the city still half-asleep beneath a pale morning sky. He hadn’t slept much. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Amelia’s face—unaware, unguarded, trusting him with something he hadn’t earned the right to hold.
Not yet.
The comm unit on his wrist buzzed.
Once.
Twice.
He ignored it.
It buzzed again—longer this time.
Ethan exhaled slowly and answered. “Speak.”
“The Silvercrest Council has convened an emergency sessio
