Chapter 164

Claire

The wind had teeth that night.

It bit through the trees, carrying the scent of rain and distant wolves. By the time I reached the ridge overlooking the old border, Liam was already there, his posture a weapon even when he wasn’t speaking.

He didn’t turn when I approached. The air around him was taut, charged with the kind of fury that didn’t need words to be understood.

“I heard you’ve been burning half the border,” I said quietly. “Impressive. Though not very efficient. It is not going to get you anywhere. And judging by the fact that I, of all people, know you more than anyone else… I am surprised to see that you were foolish enough to believe that it would.”

He didn’t look at me. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“Neither should you,” I replied, stepping closer. “And yet, here were are.”

The silence stretched until I felt it in my bones. When he finally turned, the look in his eyes made the night itself hold its breath.

“You sa