Rissa’s POV

The silence after Mark left was heavier than the storm that had shaken the pack house earlier. I stood frozen in the same spot, staring at the door as if he might turn back, even though I knew he would not. My hands trembled as I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to cage the ache pressing harder against my chest.

The room still carried him. That familiar trace of pine and smoke lingered in the air—the scent that had always meant safety. Now it only reminded me of absence. ...