GABRIEL
The moment Clara closed Emma’s cabin door behind her, I felt the shift in the air from across the courtyard. The estate was quiet, blanketed in snow and moonlight, but my wolf—my relentless, impatient wolf—stirred like a live wire under my skin.
She’s hurting, he growled.
We should be with her.
“No,” I muttered under my breath, pacing the length of my office. “We’ll smother her.”
We fix it. We comfort each other. We claim her.
I scrubbed a hand over my face, resisting the pull. “Not like this.”
My wolf snarled in frustration and curled back reluctantly, but his tension pulsed in every corner of my mind.
By the time Clara and Lux walked into my office, they didn’t even need to ask. I was already unraveling.
Clara folded her arms. “You’re pacing again.”
“I’m aware,” I snap
