She sighed, hands creeping up his torso, nails scraping against his shirt.
She didn’t know what this was. She didn’t understand any of it.
But as his lips found hers, she found her mind growing blank, only one thought able to crystallize.
Need.
Then the door creaked.
Both of them froze.
Layla pulled back, her gaze flitting upwards to Dominic’s, but he was already straightening, shoulders squaring, every trace of softness gone from his face.
Footsteps echoed from the corridor beyond, heavy, deliberate, too familiar.
A voice followed, low and rough with exhaustion. “So this is where you’ve been.”
Layla’s stomach twisted.
Theodore stepped into view.
He looked as though he hadn’t slept at all, eyes shadowed, shirt half-untucked, his hair falling messily over his brow. But it wasn’t the disarray that made Layla’s breath catch; it was the stillness in him. The way he stood in the doorway with his hands in his pockets, watching them like…like apredator.
“Theo,” she started, voice thin.
He didn’t look at her. His eyes were on Dominic. “I came to find my Alpha,” he said evenly, “To debrief on the hybrid we just killed. Didn’t realize I’d be interrupting.”
Dominic’s expression didn’t change, but the air around him did, heavier now, threaded with caution. “You’re early,” he said quietly.
“Couldn’t sleep,” Theodore replied. He took a step further into the room, the floorboards creaking beneath his boots. “Had one too many wounds to heal.”
Layla’s mouth was dry. She wanted to say something, anything, but she couldn’t find the words. The atmosphere hadshifted; the quiet was no longer peaceful. It was brittle, ready to crack.
Dominic moved slightly, placing himself between her and Theodore, not defensive, not aggressive, just instinctive. The movement made her chest tighten.
“The pack’s restless,” Theodore continued, tone casual in a way that didn’t fool anyone. “Word’s got out about the fight. About why we were up there. I overheard some of the Nordan talking. They think ourLunamight have had something to do with the hybrid appearing. They think you’ve lost your head.”
“Let them talk,” Dominic said.
Theodore’s gaze flicked briefly to Layla. It wasn’t cruel, but it held something dangerous beneath the surface. “I’m sure they will.”
The heat rose in Layla’s cheeks. She wanted to look away, but couldn’t.
“Theo—” she began, then stopped when Dominic’s hand brushed her arm, a silent warning.
Her brother’s attention lingered on the small movement. “You’re close,” he said softly, “closer than I expected.”
“That’s enough,” Dominic said.
Theodore smiled without humor. “Is it?”
Layla took a small step forward, “Theo, please—”
He finally turned his full attention to her. The look in his eyes made her heart lurch, a mix of anger, disbelief, and something that looked almost like grief. “You nearly got yourself killed,” he said, “nearly got us killed with you.”
“I needed to do it, Theo. I needed to see.”
“Layla, when will youstop—”
