Ties that bind...

It was midnight by the time I arrived back at the pack house. My chest was heaving from the sprint as I changed back to the human form. I leaned against the doorframe to steady myself.

I was still trying to wrap my head around the strange encounter I just had with the Trinax and the Feral wolves. I walked past the foyer and was about to walk past the living room when I spotted my grandfather and a pack elder — his childhood friend — Elder Mira.

They were standing by the fireplace, deep in a conversation. As soon as my grandfather saw me at the door, his eyes narrowed with suspicion.

"You're late!" he said with disapproval. "I asked you to come home earlier. What's the meaning of this?"

Elder Mira standing beside my grandfather shot me a curious look but said nothing. But I barely registered the irritation in my grandfather's tone. My body was still in a state of shock and I could feel the sweat on my skin cooling in the night air.