Caelan POV:
Morning settles over my territory like a held breath.
I wake before the pack stirs, the land is still, the kind of stillness earned through trust and consistency. I lie there for a moment longer than necessary, eyes open, listening to it.
The bond is there immediately. A steady presence, a low constant hum beneath my ribs, patient enough to wait me out if I let it.
I don’t, experience has taught me better.
I rise, pull on shorts, and step outside into the cool morning air, the chill sharpening my focus as it brushes over bare skin. The sky is pale with early light, the forest still clinging to shadow, dew darkening the ground beneath my feet.
I consider shifting, I don’t. Instead, I start to run.
In human form, the effort is honest. There’s no instinctive efficiency to l
