Caelan POV:
The lake always looks different at night. Daylight makes everything behave more, the land, water, wolves all falling into lines that can be watched and judged. Night strips that away. The lake turns black and endless, the moon fractured across it like something alive.
I’ve always preferred it this way.
Elara doesn’t hesitate, she never does.
She steps past me at the shoreline, tugging her hoodie over her head and tossing it aside like the cold doesn’t concern her in the slightest. The movement is effortless, confident, and the bond hums low in my chest at the sight of her standing there under the moonlight like she belongs to it.
She turns back with that look, the one that says she knows exactly what effect she has and has no intention of softening it.
“You’re staring,” s
