Malrik POV

Sleep had only just begun to drag me under when a sharp knock cleaved through the silence.

I jerked awake, groggy but instantly alert. Midnight. My instincts bristled. Who in their right mind would come knocking at this hour?

This wasn’t my territory. That alone had my senses sharpening like blades. I reached out across the pack bond for Vladan only to find a dead end. He was buried deep in sleep. No backup.

Pushing off the bed, I moved toward the door, muscles coiled tight, ...