Calla woke to silence. The kind of silence that pressed against the skin, heavy and watchful, as if the world itself were holding its breath. Moonlight still spilled through the tall windows, pale and lingering, long past dawn. Her body felt different. Not sore. Not weak. Changed.
She lifted her hand and watched the faint silver glow ripple beneath her skin, responding to her attention like a living thing. It no longer surged wildly. It waited.
Patient.
Obedient.
Dangerous.
Beside her, Adrian slept. That alone startled her. The Alpha Don rarely slept deeply — not without guards, not without instinct clawing at the edges of his consciousness. But now his breathing was slow and even, his arm draped across her waist with possessive certainty. She could feel the bond humming between them,
