(Kieran POV)
Catherine's laughter drifted up from the music room like absolution I didn't deserve. Light, genuine, unmarked by the careful calculations that had governed every sound Lydia had ever made in my presence. The contrast was so stark it made something deep in my chest clench with longing I'd thought I'd buried in that rose maze decades ago.
When was the last time I'd heard laughter like that within these walls? When had anyone found joy in this place rather than simply enduring whatever safety it offered?
The answer was simple: never. In twenty-seven years of isolation, I'd created a sanctuary that protected but never truly welcomed, sheltered but never embraced. Everyone who lived here did so out of necessity rather than choice—even the pack members who'd sworn loyalty did so
