Kaelen's POV
The arm I seize is smaller than I expect. Slender. Too light.
The realization hits at the same moment instinct takes over, a sharp dissonance between what I prepared for and what my hand closes around. My grip tightens automatically, fingers locking in as my wolf surges forward, teeth bared, senses flaring too late. This is wrong. Everything about it is wrong.
I yank the intruder back into the spill of moonlight without loosening my grip.
She stumbles, breath tearing from her lungs in a startled gasp, boots scraping against stone. The hood slips back, fabric sliding over dark hair, and the world tilts violently on its axis.
Celestine.
For a split second, my mind refuses to accept it. The image doesn’t align with the threat I felt, with the tension still vibrating through
