Elle POV
I wake to silence.
Not the soft, breathing quiet of sleep or the comforting hum of wards settling into morning—but an absence. The kind that presses against the ears, too complete, too empty.
For a heartbeat, panic flares.
I sit up too fast, breath catching, eyes scanning the chamber. Blake’s side of the bed is cold. Not recently vacated—empty. His presence through the bond is distant, muted, like a star seen through heavy cloud.
“Blake?” My voice sounds too loud in the stillness.
Nothing answers.
My wolf stirs immediately, golden presence unfolding around my thoughts like a warm mantle.
Easy, she murmurs. Breathe. Feel before you fear.
I close my eyes and do as she says, drawing a slow breath into my chest. The fortress answers—not alarmed, not breached. The wards hum st
