The massive wolf hung in the air, frozen mid-lunge, its golden eyes locked on mine. Emily, no, Lydia stood perfectly still, one hand raised, her calm almost inhuman. The air pressed against my skin, heavy, suffocating and wrong.
“Asher.” I whispered, barely able to breathe.
“I know.” He said through clenched teeth. “I can feel it. She’s controlling the air itself. Pressuring their instincts.”
Around us, even the forest seemed to have stopped breathing. The other wolves crouched low, trembling but motionless, caught between instinct and fear.
Lydia’s pale eyes flicked to Asher. “Still trying to play alpha?” She said softly. “You were always predictable.”
Asher’s hand found mine, fingers trembling, and our bond flared like a pulse of heat between our palms.
Not planned, not discussed…i
