-Julien Grayson:
I didn't realize I had moved until my hand pressed hard against the wooden frame of the window, my fingers curling into the rough edges as I leaned forward, my breath shallow and uneven. My heart was still racing from the way Ezra had just walked out without explaining anything, like whatever waited outside wasn't worth words. But it was. I could feel it in the air, thick and wrong, pressing against the house like something alive.
The moment I looked outside, my entire body went still.
There were wolves.
Not just one or two, but a group scattered through the trees, their figures half-hidden in shadows, their presence suffocating. Some of them stood in human form, tall and broad with predatory stances, while others were partially shifted, claws visible, eyes glowing faintly in the dim light. They surrounded the house in a loose circle, as if they already knew exactly where to stand, as if this wasn't their first time doing something like this.
