“You came back.” His voice was rough, damaged, like he'd been screaming for hours before going silent. “I wasn't sure you would.”
“Told you I'd check on you.” Daniel's tone was careful. Neutral. “How are you feeling?”
“Better. The pain is... manageable now.” Those amber eyes moved to me, and I watched him catalog my presence. Not suspicious. Just careful, the way prey animals were careful. “I don't think we've met.”
“Michael Harrington.” I stayed near the door, watching. “My son is mated to Daniel's son.”
“Ah.” Something clicked behind his eyes. Understanding, maybe. Or calculation dressed up as understanding. “Family, then. That's... that's good.”
Daniel shifted his weight, uncomfortable with the sentiment. “We need to know who you are. What happened to you.”
The wolf was quiet for a long moment. His hands fisted in the blanket, knuckles going white.
“Rafe,” he said finally. “Rafe Holloway.”
The name came out rough, like he was testing whether it still fit. Whether he was still the person it belonged to.
“What pack?” Daniel asked.
“Ash Hollow. Small mountain pack, Colorado territory.” Rafe's voice cracked on the name. “We kept to ourselves. Didn't bother anyone. Didn't have enemies, or at least we thought we didn't.”
“What happened?”
Pain flickered across his face. Real, visceral, the kind you couldn't fake. “They came for us in the night. Three weeks ago, maybe four. I've lost track.” His breathing went shallow, ragged. “Coordinated attack. Middle of the night. We didn't even have time to shift before they were inside the Alpha's house.”
“Who's they?”
“I don't know.” Rafe's laugh was bitter, broken. “That's the worst part. I don't know who killed my pack or why. Just that they were organized, efficient. They knew exactly where our defenses were weakest, exactly when our patrols would be changing. Someone told them. Someone who knew us.”
He looked up at Daniel, and his eyes were wet. “Alpha Warren went down first. Then his mate. Then everyone who tried to fight back died in less than an hour.”
“And you survived,” I said quietly.
Rafe flinched like I'd struck him. “I ran. Like a coward. I was supposed to be second Beta, supposed to help protect them, and I ran.” His voice dropped to a whisper.
“That's not cowardice,” Daniel said. “That's survival instinct.”
The room went quiet. I watched Rafe's shoulders shake, watched him fight to hold himself together, and felt something twist in my chest. Because underneath the pretty face and the careful words, there was real grief. Real trauma. The kind that left marks you couldn't see.
But there was something else too. Something in the way his eyes tracked every movement, cataloged every reaction, even while the rest of him performed vulnerability. Like he was watching us as carefully as we were watching him.
“How did you end up here?” Daniel asked.
“I don't know.” Rafe shook his head slowly. “I just ran. Forest to forest, avoiding roads, avoiding people. Something was chasing me. I could feel them behind me, getting closer every day. The wolves that attacked my pack, or something connected to them.”
“You're safe here,” Daniel said finally. “For now. Until we figure out what's going on.”
“You believe me?” Hope flickered in those amber eyes. “You believe I don't know what they were talking about?”
“I believe you've been through something terrible.” Daniel's voice was careful, measured. “The rest we'll figure out together.”
Rafe's shoulders sagged with relief. Real or performed, I couldn't tell anymore.
“Thank you,” he said quietly. “You didn't have to save me. Most Alphas wouldn't have. They would have left me to die rather than risk bringing trouble across their borders.”
“We don't leave wounded wolves to die. That's not who we are.” Daniel moved toward the door, paused. “Once Gideonclears you for travel, we're going to go to Ash Hollow. Verify what happened. Look for other survivors.”
“There won't be any.” Rafe's voice went flat. Dead. “I heard them all die. Every single one.”
