Connor’s POV
The smell of wood and damp earth hit me the moment I reached the threshold of the door. Alaric’s small cabin seemed ordinary, too quiet for someone who—if my suspicions were correct—had been in the wrong place at the worst possible time. My jaw tightened. If that wolf knew anything about the attack on Elise, I wasn’t leaving without answers.
I knocked firmly on the door. Seconds stretched on as I waited, my senses on high alert for any movement inside the house. Finally, the hurried sound of footsteps reached my ears. The door cracked open just enough to reveal Alaric’s face. His expression shifted from neutral to tense the moment he saw me.
“Beta Connor,” he said, trying to keep his tone respectful, but his voice wavered just slightly. “What brings you here?”
I studied hi
