We didn’t return to the Blood Howlers clubhouse. It was too exposed. Instead, Ryker led us to a hidden safe cabin deep in the northern woods — a reinforced log structure with steel shutters and an underground bunker. The ride there was silent except for the roar of engines and Leo’s occasional soft whimpers against my chest.
The moment we were inside, I laid Leo down in the secure back room with the nanny and locked the door. Then I turned to Ryker.
He was leaning against the kitchen counter, shirt gone, deep claw marks across his chest still seeping blood despite my earlier binding. The rebound from the curse had left him pale and breathing hard.
“Sit,” I ordered, voice sharp with surgeon’s authority.
Ryker obeyed, but his golden eyes never left me as I approached with my medical kit.
