Even wolves tremble before a storm.
Katheris's warning hung over us like a death sentence. Your mate could be your downfall.
Through the bond, I felt Darius spiraling. Not into rage this time. Into doubt. Questioning himself. Questioning us. The sensation was cold, pulling at me like an undertow.
And that terrified me more than any physical threat.
"We need to prepare," Darius said that evening. His voice was controlled. Too controlled. Like glass stretched too thin. "Katheris didn't come here just to issue warnings. She came to assess. To decide if we're a threat worth eliminating."
We'd gathered in a private meeting room, the air stuffy despite the cracked window letting in cool evening air that smelled of rain. Darius, me, Caleb, Celeste, and a few of Darius's most trusted packmates. Wolves who'd been loyal to him since childhood. The lighting was dim, casting long shadows across their worried faces.
