The pack house felt too quiet, too still, as if the very walls held their breath, waiting for something to happen. Jeffrey sat at the head of the long wooden table in the dining room, staring at the untouched plate of food in front of him. The others had already come and gone, leaving him alone in the silence that gnawed at his insides. His hands trembled slightly as he gripped the edges of the table, trying to ground himself, trying to hold on to the remnants of his sanity.
Kenneth’s absence was like a black hole, pulling him in deeper each day. He had been trying to keep it together, to remain strong for the pack, for the kids, but every moment without his mate was a fresh wound. Each breath hurt. Each minute dragged like an eternity.
And then there was her.
Hannah had returned, weavi
