I dropped silently from the high stone wall, landing on the balls of my feet in the damp pine needles. I stayed low in the shadows of the timber pillars, my breath making small white clouds in the freezing air. My heart hammered against my ribs—not with fear of Nash's guards, but with the desperate, burning urgency to reach the female I loved.
I slipped through the unlocked side postern, navigating the narrow stone hallways of the pack house from memory.
I reached the heavy oak door of Jill's private quarters at the end of the east corridor. I didn't knock. I pressed my palm flat against the timber, feeling the faint, unmistakable pulse of her mate aura vibrating through the wood.
I lifted the iron latch and stepped inside, shutting the door soundlessly behind me.
A small candle burned
