Night fell, and the camp quieted as the wolves settled into sleep.
I heard the shift change at the perimeter, distant conversations trailing off into murmurs. The usual rhythms of a pack at rest—soft breaths, the occasional rustle of fur against canvas.
But I couldn't rest.
I lay in the dark, one hand curled around the knife hilt under my pillow, the other splayed across my stomach.
The baby was restless tonight, kicking like he could feel the knot of tension coiled in my chest.
It's okay, I whispered to him in my mind.
Mama's got us.
We're safe.
Then I heard it.
Footsteps.
Deliberate but hushed, edging toward my tent.
My pulse hammered.
Through the mate bond, Kael snapped alert， lost by, concealed in the shadows, coiled to strike.
The steps halted just outside.
Silence
