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And it found the answer. Her.

I move between them instantly.

"Inside."

Her eyes widen.

"Rhett—"

"Now."

Something in my voice makes her stop. Not fear. Trust. For once. She backs toward the door.

The entity surges again. I feel the pressure hit before I see it. Like standing against a storm. My muscles tense. My wolf pushes harder. I give it more. Claws. Strength. Not enough to lose control. Enough to fight.

The thing bends. Not breaks. Bends. Then retreats into the trees. The distortion collapses.

The yard becomes normal again. Except for the evidence. The sensor. The broken branches.

The frost spreading across the grass where it stood.

I stand there breathing hard. Half-shifted. Carys stares at me from the porch. Not afraid.

Not exactly. Confused. A thousand questions written across her face.

Sayer stands behind her. His expression is different. Not confusion. Recognition.

"You can see it," he whispers.

"What?"

He points at me.

"The thing inside you."

Silence. Carys slowly turns.

"Rhett?"

I force myself back. The shift retreats. The claws disappear. The enhanced senses fade. But there is no hiding what she just witnessed.

Not anymore.

The entity is gone. But it learned something tonight. So did we.

"It isn't trying to get into the house."

Carys steps closer. I meet her eyes.

"It was checking our defenses."

"Why?"

Because the answer is worse than not knowing.

"Because it was figuring out how to get past them."

The wind carries the sound of distant Halloween music from downtown. A cheerful song. A celebration. A reminder.