Kaelen’s POV
The phone buzzes against the table—barely a sound, just a muted vibration skittering across the polished surface—but it might as well be a thunderclap. My instincts snap awake before my mind catches up. I look down, see the message, and my chest tightens as if a fist has closed around it.
Rogues sighted at city perimeter. Possible infiltration.
Everything inside me narrows to a blade’s edge. The noise of the diner fades into a distant hum, the chatter of other people flattening into nothing. I register every scent around me instead—the grease from the grill, the sweet syrup someone spilled on a nearby table, Celestine’s floral perfume drifting from across our booth. Each scent sharpens as my wolf pushes forward, alert and bristling.
“Kaelen?” Celestine’s voice floats towa
