I stayed by the window, arms crossed over my chest, watching the scene unfold outside. The evening light was fading, throwing long shadows across the yard. The air smelled faintly of wet earth, faint smoke from the fireplaces, and the lingering musk of the wolf in its pen.
Emily was there, loose strands of her hair catching the last slivers of sun as she leaned against the fence, talking and laughing with Gage, Arlo, and worse, Asher. They were all relaxed, smiling, joking. She had that effect, I realized again, that magnetic pull that made everyone around her want to please her, want to follow her lead.
It wasn’t right. Not the way Asher’s eyes softened when she laughed, the way the twins hung on her words like she was some kind of lifeline. My stomach twisted, an unpleasant mix of frus
