Korren felt Rowan Hale long before he saw him.
The land reacted to the Alpha’s approach—prey scattering too early, birds lifting from branches in frantic waves, the subtle tension in the wolves stationed nearby tightening like drawn wire. Rage traveled loudly through the bond Rowan carried, unrestrained and incandescent.
Good.
Korren stood just inside the cabin doorway, fingers laced loosely behind his back, posture relaxed as firelight danced across the scarred wooden walls. The air smelled of fear and pine sap and something new—something awakening.
Holly.
She was stronger than he’d anticipated.
Not fully awakened—no, not yet—but close enough that the wolf inside her had begun to stir in response to stress and proximity. Untamed. Untrained. Dangerous in the way only potential could
