Chapter 130

Dane My claws dug into the earth, pinning the squirming figure beneath me, stopping its movement by the sheer weight of my wolf. My snout was inches from their throat, my hot breath huffing against their skin, deep in my chest a growl threatened to erupt. The woods were alive around the wind hissing through the pines; an owl's low hoot cutting into the night my focus was razor-sharp, locked on the hooded shape I'd chased down. Their scent was sharp, unfamiliar, laced with sweat and something else—guilt, maybe. I bared my teeth, ready to tear answers out if they didn't come willingly. "Who are you?" I snarled, my voice a rough scrape through my wolf's maw. The figure stiffened before shimmering like sunlight on water. Fur retracted; limbs stretched and transformed while moments passed, revealing a man lying below me—not the unknown I had expected but a familiar face. I narrowed my eyes as I looked him over: sharp cheekbones, graying hair pushed back, a faint scar curling under his jaw.