Page 45 of Wolf Dad Energy

My wolf is restless. Instinct is supposed to help. Warn. Protect. Not pull me toward something I spent years running from.

I park at the cottage property. The house looks exactly like something Carys would choose. That thought annoys me. Because it means I still know her.

The cottage is beautiful. Not perfect. Perfect is cold.

This place has character. A wraparound porch. Overgrown climbing roses. A garden that looks like it was planted with patience rather than decoration.

Warm light glows through the windows.

A home. The word feels strange.

I get out of the SUV. The moment my boots touch the ground, my wolf goes completely still. Not calm.

Alert. Focused.

Something happened here. Recently. The air feels charged. Like the atmosphere before a storm.

I walk toward the front door. I don't knock immediately. I listen. No movement. No voices. No signs of danger. But every instinct I have says something is different.

Then the door opens. And she is there. 15 years is a long time. Long enough to change everything. And somehow…

Not enough.

Carys looks older. Of course she does. We both are.

Her dark hair falls loosely around her shoulders instead of the carefully controlled style she used to wear when she was trying to prove she had everything together. There are faint lines around her eyes. Not from age. From surviving.

Her expression is exactly what I expected. Shock. Then anger. Then something else she quickly hides.

"You."

The word isn't a greeting. I deserve that.

"Carys."

Her eyes narrow.

"How did you get here?"