Ellie POV
The next morning was gray and still, the kind of morning where the fog clung low over the packhouse and the world felt muted — as if holding its breath.
I stood near the window of the guest room I used at the Moonstone packhouse, a mug of tea cooling in my hands. The events of the previous day replayed over and over in my mind — Kieran’s sharp words, the flash of restrained anger in his eyes, and Nolan’s quiet, watchful presence.
The contrast between them had left me dizzy.
I had always thought I knew who they were — Kieran, the charming and composed ally; Nolan, the unpredictable and volatile mate. But lately, everything had started to blur around the edges, and the certainties I’d clung to for months were unraveling one by one.
When a knock came at the door, I half expecte
