NATALIA
This was it, I thought. I was caught.
Andrei’s gaze locked onto my back like a brand. Sharp. Searching. His wolf pushed forward, scenting the air, brushing the edges of recognition. My pulse screamed. I couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, couldn’t even breathe.
He took a step toward me.
My legs refused to work.
He opened his mouth—
And the door burst open.
“Alpha.”
A soldier—one of Andrei’s men—stood framed in the hallway, his shirt damp with sweat, boots still dusted from the road. I recognized him by scent alone—he’d been part of Andrei’s personal protective detail for years.
“What?” Andrei barked, his eyes still fixed on me.
The man didn’t seem to notice the tension in the room. “We found a lead. North of the ravine outside Redpine. A healer said she treated a lone wolf las
