Lola’s POV

The moon hung low and heavy, casting silver light through the whispering pines. The forest was still, but my heart was anything but.

Kael stood across from me, just beyond the training ground where the pack’s warriors had long since gone to rest. The night air was cool, the faint scent of pine mingling with the faint musk of his presence.

For a moment, we just looked at each other.

No words. No pretenses.

The weight of everything, expectations, fears, anger, hope, hung between us like a fragile thread.

He took a step closer. The warmth from his body pushed back the chill creeping into my bones.

“Lola,”...