Chapter 42 We, Us

• I stood there, watching as Zephyr shifted back, his powerful wolf form melting away into smooth, golden skin. The night air was thick with the scent of rain, the storm building just beyond the horizon. His chest rose and fell with the weight of whatever was troubling him, and I could feel the distance he was trying to create.
• "You always hide when you're hurting," I whispered, stepping closer, my voice barely carrying over the soft rumble of thunder in the distance.
• He didn't respond, his gaze locked somewhere beyond me, lost in the night. I reached out, my fingers lightly brushing against his arm. He flinched, not from pain, but from something deeper-something I still couldn't reach.