Zane pov
I lean back against the wall in the dim light of the living room, watching Freddie settle back into sleep after his nightmare, his chest rising and falling more evenly now, and River stirs inside me, quiet but insistent, like he’s waiting for me to say what we all know but haven’t put into words yet. Sebastian paces near the window, his steps measured, and Logan sits on the arm of the couch, close enough to Freddie to react if he stirs again, and the air feels thick with unspoken questions, the kind that have been building since that stalker’s message hit us. We’re all alphas, all feeling the pull toward Freddie in ways that don’t make sense, and our wolves—River, Kai, Steel—keep pushing us to acknowledge it, to protect him like he’s more than pack.
“We can’t keep pretending,” I
