Stone came next.
He was tense. I felt it through the bond before I saw it in his body—the tight shoulders, the clenched jaw, the way his eyes darted to every shadow. The transport had been hard on him. Too enclosed. Too much like the rooms in his memories.
"Stone." I kept my voice calm. Steady.
His gaze snapped to me. Gold flickered in his irises.
"I'm here," I said. "You're okay."
He exhaled slowly. Nodded once. Moved to stand on my other side, bracketing me between himself and Cal.
James watched from a few feet away. His expression was carefully neutral, but I felt his attention through our bond. Alert. Watchful.
Gray came out third.
He was smaller than the others, slighter, his movements careful and hesitant. His eyes stayed fixed on the ground as the handler guided him forward, shoulders hunched like he was trying to make himself invisible.
But when he caught my scent, something changed.
His head came up. His nostrils flared.
And then he walked straight toward me.
The handler startled, reaching for his arm, but Gray slipped past him like water. He stopped two feet away from me, trembling, his eyes finally—finally—meeting mine.
"Hi, Gray," I said softly.
He made a sound. Low. Quiet. Almost like a whimper.
Then he sat down at my feet.
Just... sat. Right there on the cold ground, close enough that his shoulder pressed against my leg. His whole body went still. Calm.
I heard Neal inhale sharply behind me.
"Well," Ash murmured. "That's new."
The other ferals came next. Three of them, all in human form, all wearing the same gray sweats. Their handlers kept close, ready to intervene at the first sign of trouble.
One started pacing the moment his feet hit the ground. Back and forth, back and forth, a restless rhythm that set my teeth on edge. His eyes were wild. Unfocused.
Then he caught my scent.
He stopped pacing. Turned toward me.
And whined.
The sound was high and desperate, like a dog begging to be let inside. He took a step toward me, then another, his whole body straining in my direction even as his handler tried to hold him back.
"Easy," the handler said. "Easy—"
"Let him come," I said.
"Miss Orlav, I don't think—"
"Let him come."
The handler looked at Rae. She nodded.
