The Stalker Next Door: 42. Caught Between Wolves

The storm broke without warning.

Mara had felt it simmering for days—the sharpness in the First’s voice, the way the Second lingered closer to the cabin than before. Every touch, every glance, every breath carried the crackle of something about to ignite.

Now it was here.

The First slammed the door behind him, the wooden frame rattling. His eyes burned as he stalked across the floor, his hand clamping around Mara’s arm with a grip that bordered on bruising.

“Enough,” he snarled. “I want the truth.”

Her lips parted. “Truth about what?” she asked, though she knew exactly what he meant, what he was asking, what he wanted. 

His jaw clenched so tightly she thought it might crack. “Don’t play innocent. I see the way you look at him. I hear the words you don’t say.”

Mara’s throat tightened, fear flickering in her belly—but she forced it down, burying it beneath practiced tremors. She widened her eyes, lips trembling. “You think I want him? You