Kael’s POV

I stayed after patrol. The others left. Mira lingered at the edge of the courtyard.

“Get some sleep,” I told her.

When she left, I went inside. Papers covered the table. I tried to read, but the words slipped away. The bond, silent for years, pressed through the quiet like something waking beneath my skin.

I leaned forward, palms to my temples. Logic said it was memory. Instinct said otherwise. My wolf stirred, restless. Every thought of her face made the pull stronger.

In her ...