Chapter 14

[Killian]

I walk out of her apartment building like I'm shedding a skin I never meant to wear.

The morning air bites, sharp and clean, but it does nothing to scrub her scent from my lungs. Vanilla and something warmer, something that clings to the back of my throat and makes my wolf pace like a caged animal.

Liam's car idles at the curb. Black, tinted, anonymous. He doesn't get out to open the door. He knows better. I slide into the back seat and slam it harder than necessary.

He hands me a paper cup—black coffee, no sugar, scalding. Exactly how I take it. No questions. No small talk. That's why he's lasted this long.

I lean my head against the cool leather and close my eyes. I tell myself to catalog the day ahead: board meeting at nine, lunch with the Thorn delegation, contracts to sign that will bury three rival packs under debt they'll never crawl out of. Routine. Control. Power.

Instead, her voice loops behind my eyes.

Do you always have to leave like this? Like you'r