est. Her breath was shallow, her hands trembling against the armrest of the chair. She wanted

on, Declan's calm yet commanding presence-it was all too much. And yet the memory of those glo

the air, this one clo

ient, a clunky brass mechanism that took a few forceful turns before it clicked into place. She quick

as silence fell once again. The house creaked and g

e heard it-

nding of her heart. But as she strained to listen,

"It's probably just an animal," she whispered to herself,

ainst the hardwood floor. The scratching grew more del

d room. At first, she saw nothing-just the shadowy outline of cabinets a

by the curtains. The dim light from the moon highlighted its sharp feature

oulder colliding with the wall. The sound must have al

he windowpane. And then, with a sharp, unnatural moti

e turned and bolted down the hallw

do? What

ne, only to realize she'd left it in the car. She cu

ention-a loud crack followed

lized the creature had broke

e as a weapon. Her eyes landed on the heavy brass candlestick sitting on the

as it stalked through the house, i

tightly as she tried to control her breathing. She could hear i

wling s

nce was

andlestick. The sound of heavy breathing came from just arou

lack fur glistening in the dim light. Its glowing yellow eyes locked onto

lun

ll her might. The metal connected with the creat

the door, her bare feet skidding on the slick floor. She fumbled w

et it open, the cr

o her arms as she screamed. The weight of it pinned

he yelled, thra

g inches from her face. Selene closed

denly, the we

g with fury. He was fully shifted now, his towering wolf form bristling wi

flickering between Selene and Rowan. And th

es a blur of fur and claws. Selene scrambled to her feet, pressin

fought with a desperation that made it unpredictable. They crashed int

rushed to Rowan's side. Together, the two brothers overp

he rogue leapt through the openi

wall, her legs threateni

his chest heaving with exertion. Lachlan stepped for

e," Rowan growled, his vo

er fear morphing into anger. "Unt

y, let's all take a breath.

olved into exhaustion. She slid down the wall, h

n said, his vo

burning with unshed tears. "Wha

e first time, she saw something r

he said quietly. "And it'