Chapter 32. Breaking and Binding

By the time Kaelen reached Joanne’s cottage, his lungs burned with each breath. He didn’t slow. Didn’t knock. Didn’t wait for Noah’s pounding footsteps to catch up. He slammed through the door like a storm and nearly dropped to his knees at the sight.

Mira lay half-curled on the bed, twisted in damp sheets, her skin slick with sweat, her body trembling like something fractured from the inside. The glow under her skin had grown brighter—no longer a faint shimmer but a violent, silver fire streaking down her arms, pulsing with every breath. Her fingers twitched, curled as if trying to claw free from something beneath her own skin.

Joanne stood over her with grim determination, replacing cloths soaked with cold water. Her voice was clipped, but steady. “It’s happening,” she said without looking up. “The seal’s either failing—or her wolf’s trying to tear through it.”

Kaelen didn’t answer. He crossed the room in two strides and dropped to his knees beside the bed. One h