ELENA

The next day, the routine continued: Ryan’s intimidatingly healthy smoothie, Julian’s careful medical check, and the constant, overwhelming presence of my four guardians. Their protection was a warm blanket, but the strange, fleeting curiosity from the night before had burrowed into my subconscious.

Caleb’s excuse about the Rider Wolf carving a 'common Germanic pattern' didn't sit right. My father, a meticulous man who collected antique maps, had always told her the frame was ...