ROWAN
“That’s not the same thing.”
“Isn’t it?” Karin Vale lifted her hand and touched my face, slow and steady, like she was grounding both of us. “You’re not the man who brought me here, Rowan. And I’m not the woman who arrived. We’ve both changed. We’ve grown into something different. But that growth didn’t come for free.”
I didn’t argue. I didn’t need to.
I knew what she was talking about. I had known for a long time, even when I refused to say it out loud.
The Nightfall Pack had suffered under my rule. My need to control every detail. My fear of losing more people after Seraphina. I told myself I was protecting them, but the truth was harder to face.
Wolves had left quietly, choosing other Clanlands where the Alpha didn’t rule through tension and constant vigilance. Others stay
