The clearing stayed so quiet it felt wrong. Even the wind stopped. Even the trees held still like they were waiting to see what happened next.
The girl on the ground lay trembling, her thin arms curled close to her chest, her breath shallow and uneven. Wolves surrounded her in a wide circle, some half shifted, some fully shifted, all growling low enough the ground vibrated.
Jack stood at my back like a wall. Beau flanked my side, chest rising and falling in that barely contained way that said his wolf was ready to rip open the forest.
But the girl’s words echoed louder than any growl.
The pool. Beneath the packhouse.
I swallowed hard. “Fantastic. Basement of nightmares. Why not.”
Sophie crouched beside the girl with slow, careful movements. Her fingers glowed faint blue as she reache
