Another pause. Comfortable this time.
“You gonna be okay?”
“No,” I say honestly. “But I’m not alone.”
Jace gets up slowly, reaches for his discarded shirt. Pulls it over his head with that easy grace of his.
“I should head in.”
“Thanks,” I say.
He pauses, looking down at me. “For what?”
“For letting me be real with someone.”
A small, crooked smile tugs at his lips. The first genuine one I’ve seen from him all day.
“Anytime.” He pauses, shaking his head slightly like he can’t quite believe what just happened. But there’s no regret in his expression, just wonder. “I mean it. If you need… whatever this was. I’m here.” He starts walking toward the sanctuary, then glances back over his shoulder. “Goodnight, Wes.”
I watch him go, waiting until his footsteps fade before I turn back to the garden.
The hunger is still there, but muted now. Manageable. Like a constant ache that’s finally been acknowledged instead of ignored.
I exhale slowly, letting the night air fill my lungs.
That’s when I hear it.
A rustle in the treeline. Soft, deliberate. Not the random movement of wind through leaves.
I go still.
Two glowing eyes blink from the shadows—bright, intelligent, unmistakably wolf. They watch me for a long moment, unblinking and intent.
My pulse spikes.
“Gray?”
No answer. Just those steady, luminous eyes reflecting moonlight.
Then they disappear, melting back into darkness like they were never there at all.
I sit alone in the garden, heart hammering against my ribs, wondering how long he was watching.
Wondering what he saw.
What comes next.
And if he’ll ever look at me the same way again.
Chapter 20
Rhett
It’s been nearly three weeks since we found her in the chamber.
Standing before that massive mirror, hand pressed to the glass, looking more confident than I’d ever seen her. The mist swirling around her feet was more black than silver, moving with purpose instead of fear. She turned when we called her name and smiled like she’d been waiting for us to find her.
She’s been different ever since. Stronger. More certain.
