Asher's POV
The moon hung heavy above the treetops. Casting silver beams through the thick canopy. I padded through the underbrush. My paws brushed against damp leaves. The whole forest seemed to be holding its breath—too quiet like something unseen was listening.
The wolf inside me stretched beneath my skin, free from the weight of duty. Out here, Asher wasn't Alpha. Not the grieving widower. Not the leader everyone expected to keep holding the pack together.
Just... Asher.
Nights like this kept me from suffocating. The smell of pine wrapped around the air—familiar, steady. My wolf slipped through the shadows, revelling in the solitude. No eyes watching. No questions hanging in the dark.
I could’ve stayed like that for hours—untouched by the world I carried on my back.
Then the scen
