#Chapter 44: Midnight Warning

The soft tapping at my window startled me from restless sleep. For a moment, I lay frozen, unsure if I had imagined the sound. Then it came again—more insistent this time, a deliberate pattern that couldn't be mistaken for wind or branches. I rose cautiously, drawing a silk robe around my shoulders as I approached the window. The tapping came a third time, rhythmic and urgent. Steeling myself, I pulled back the heavy velvet curtains to reveal a sight that sent my heart racing. Kane balanced precariously on the narrow stone ledge outside, three stories above the ground. His powerful form was silhouetted against the midnight sky, one hand braced against the window frame while the other prepared to tap again. Moonlight caught in his dark hair, highlighting the determination in his features. Quickly, I unlatched the ancient iron window lock, allowing him to slide gracefully into my chamber with barely a sound. His movements had the fluid precision of a predator—controlled, silent, de