Sally's POV
The phrase keeps echoing through my thoughts like a broken record.
Heat cycle.
I can barely wrap my head around it. I'm human, yet my body seems to be doing something that defies everything I understand about myself. I clutch the coffee mug tighter, hoping its warmth will ground me, but nothing can quiet the storm raging in my mind. Not when Karl's gaze burns into me like I'm prey he wants to devour, and Ajax's wolf lurks so close to the surface I can practically sense it prowling. Sean and Philip appear less affected, though I wonder if that's because our bond remains incomplete or because they weren't present during that intense moment upstairs.
All four of them watch me expectantly, waiting for some kind of response. Before I can even form words, Warren's voice slices through the thick atmosphere.
"Mum!"
He rockets into the kitchen clutching Lego pieces, his smile so radiant it momentarily banishes all thoughts of heat cycles and supernatural bonds.
