Until the heavy crunch of boots on gravel behind us reminded me exactly where I was.
Exactly who we’d left behind.
I looked over my shoulder and found them both—Killian and Derek—walking toward us, side by side, looking like a goddamn war council.
Killian’s eyes found mine first—like always—and softened.
I didn’t need words. He felt it. The way my insides clenched when I realized this was temporary. That I’d have to break it to them, soon, that I wasn’t back for good. Just a visit. A breath. A week and a few days of borrowed warmth before we had to return to the cold.
We reached the pack house, the massive one carved into the side of the mountain with dark stone walls and high wooden beams scorched by dragon fire. It smelled like home.
They’d cleared the private dining room just for
