Damon POV
The door shuts behind me with a quiet finality.
I stand outside the cabin for a breath longer than I should, jaw tight, staring at the shadows shifting between the trees.
I should move. Should check patrol lines. Should prepare for the meeting. But all I can think about is her.
Rayna.
The way she stood there, chin up, even when her pulse was racing like a rabbit’s. The way her scent lingers inside that room now - sharp and soft all at once.
The pull is real. Too real.
I grit my teeth, flexing my hands at my sides.
I’ve felt things like this before. Attraction. Hunger. But this... it isn’t just heat. It’s instinct clawing at the edges of control.
My wolf stirs under my skin, restless. Whispering the same thing over and over again: “Closer. Touch. Keep her.”
“That’s not
