(Kieran POV)
The moment stretched between us like a held breath, Catherine's hands still gentle on wounds that were already beginning to heal faster than human injuries should. Her dark eyes held mine with unwavering focus, waiting for explanations I'd spent weeks avoiding.
No more lies. No more careful evasions or protective distance.
She'd seen my scars, had tended wounds left by creatures that shouldn't exist in her rational world. She'd heard enough, witnessed enough, understood enough to piece together fragments of truth that painted pictures I'd never wanted her to see.
And she hadn't run. Hadn't screamed. Hadn't looked at me with the horror I'd expected when confronted with evidence of my inhuman nature.
Instead, she'd called me back to myself when the wolf had been so close to
