Chapter 26

• Magnus’s POV
• The morning sun poured over the city like molten gold, carrying the faint tang of smoke and concrete. The world smelled alive, but even in its bustle, my senses picked out the familiar scent of Aysel, curled beneath her covers like a small fox, her breath soft and steady. I’d barely returned from my early patrol when the Moonvale Pack’s group chat erupted again, vibrating her phone against the counter in a frenzy of human excitement.
• I poured myself a cup of black coffee, wolf instincts twitching at the echoes of the neighbors’ joy. Humans never failed to baffle me—they shouted across invisible lines of text with the fervor of a pack celebrating a kill.