Chapter 251

Brett's POV He didn't move. That ragged-looking wolf, curled in the corner, just stared at me for the long seconds after I was shoved in and the heavy door clanged shut. Utterly still, like a wild animal assessing a threat or an opportunity, radiating a clear 'don't mess with me' vibe. I froze by the door, the loose chain of the single remaining cuff on my wrist swaying slightly with my uneven breaths, tinking softly against the metal. Time crawled through the stale air. My palms were slick with sweat, but strangely, the instinctive tremor I’d feel facing an enemy was absent. His scent was complex—dust, old blood, cheap tobacco, and something… bitter. But it held no focused, tearing-me-apart malice. Finally, he shifted. Not an attack, just adjusting into a slightly less cramped position against the cold wall. Those eyes, gleaming faintly with a tawny-gold tint in the gloom, remained locked on me. "New?" His voice was low, rough like sandpape