The tension in the air was thick as the panther shifters hesitated, glancing between each other and the newcomer. The power radiating off of him was unmistakable, an aura of authority that made the alleyway feel smaller, suffocating even. His presence cut through the simmering hostility like a hot knife through butter, and the panther shifters, despite their bravado, backed off warily.
 Seline’s eyes narrowed as she took in the man’s posture—tall, commanding, and with an unspoken strength that seemed to fill the space. There was no question that he was dangerous. He had the kind of aura that made people stand a little straighter, the kind that commanded respect. Her own pulse quickened as she instinctively straightened her back, trying to look unaffected, though the sight of him unsettled her in ways she couldn’t quite explain.
 "Is there a problem here?" His voice was low and smooth, with a hint of an edge that made the words carry more weight than they should have. His gaze swept over the panther shifters, who were already taking a few steps back.
 The wiry one tried to puff out his chest, but it was clear the intimidation didn’t reach him. "No problem," he muttered, voice a little too strained. "Just… didn’t realize you were in charge here."
 The other panther shifter grumbled under his breath and followed the first, retreating into the shadows of the alley without a second word. It was almost laughable how quickly they turned tail. The power this man exuded was more than enough to make them rethink whatever plans they'd had for the evening.
 Seline didn’t waste a moment on them. She took a long drag from her cigarette, the smoke curling in the night air, before glancing over at the man who had stepped in so effortlessly. The silence between them was pregnant with unspoken questions, but she broke it first.
 “They’re just lowlifes. Nothing you need to worry about,” she said dismissively, her tone cool and unaffected. She wasn’t one for gratitude. In her world, you survived or you didn’t, and nothing—least of all a random man who’d scared off some thugs—was going to change that.
 He didn’t respond right away. Instead, his amber eyes flicked to the retreating forms of the panther shifters, then back to her. “Is it that common for so many Others to be gathered in one place?” he asked, a tinge of curiosity threading through his words.
 Seline took another drag from her cigarette, watching the glow of the ember before answering. “In a town like this? Yeah, it’s becoming more common,” she said, her voice flat. "But they come and go. Most of them know not to stir up too much trouble. This town's not big enough for a full-scale war."
 She could feel his gaze lingering on her, though she refused to meet it directly. His question hung in the air, though, an obvious sign that he wasn’t just a passerby. His curiosity about the gathering of Others—shifters, warlocks, and anything else that didn’t fit into normal human society—wasn’t something she could dismiss easily. Arrow Brooke had always been a haven for the supernatural, a place where the odd and the strange were quietly accepted, but the constant influx of shifters in recent months had started to make things feel… unstable.
 The man seemed to consider her words for a moment before stepping back, his broad frame blocking most of the alley as he looked down at her, the faintest hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "I’m new here," he said simply, his voice low, but there was a weight to it that made it feel like there was more to his statement than he was letting on.
 Seline didn’t respond immediately. There was something about his presence that made her skin itch in a way it hadn’t in years. Something primal. She didn’t like it. She was used to being alone, to the kind of loneliness that came with the burden of her past. She was used to being in control of her surroundings, able to read a room or an alley within seconds. But this man… he was different. He disrupted everything.
 As if sensing her discomfort, he took a few steps back, giving her space. “I should go,” he said, his voice soft but firm. “But it’s good to know that you can handle yourself.”
 Seline didn’t say anything, just nodded briefly. There was no point in responding. This was her town, her turf. She didn’t need anyone to fight her battles, even if this stranger had just done exactly that.
 Turning on her heel, she walked back toward the door of the pub. But as she reached for the handle, she paused, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. There was something about the way the man was watching her. She could feel his gaze on her, sharp and intense. She hadn’t even noticed how close he had gotten until now. And it unsettled her.
 She stepped inside, her heart pounding just a little faster than usual, trying to shake the sensation off. The door swung shut behind her with a soft click, but her unease lingered in the air.
 Her eyes swept across the room, and she instinctively moved behind the bar, trying to ground herself in the familiar routine. But just as she began to pour herself a glass of water to settle her nerves, her eyes flicked to the window. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw him again.
 He was standing across the street, his presence impossible to ignore even from this distance. He wasn’t alone. Several others were with him—tall, broad-shouldered men and women, each with a kind of predatory grace. Wolf shifters, she realized, her stomach dropping like a stone.
 She didn’t need to see their eyes to know what they were. She could tell by the way they moved, by the way they stood. They were wolves, and the thought of them being here, so close to her, made her mood sour instantly.
 Her hand clenched around the glass in her grip, her nails digging into the smooth surface. She hated wolves. She hated everything they stood for.
 The man who had stepped in to stop the panther shifters was with them, his broad back visible as he conversed quietly with one of the other men. They stood in a small group, speaking in low tones, but the way their eyes flicked over to her every now and then made it clear they were aware of her watching them.
 It was as if she were under some kind of magnifying glass, the heat of their gaze making her skin crawl. She turned away from the window, her fingers trembling just slightly as she placed the glass down on the counter with a little more force than necessary.
 Her mind raced, her thoughts colliding in a storm of frustration. Wolves. Of all things. Of all the shifters that could have made their presence known in her life, it had to be them.
 She didn’t know why the thought bothered her so much, but it did. Maybe it was because they were a reminder of her past, of the pack she had been thrown out of—the pack that had once been home. She had hated them then, and nothing had changed. The wolves were nothing but arrogant, self-serving creatures. And the fact that one of them had come into her life now—without even trying—only made everything worse.
 Seline stood there for a moment, her hands clenched into fists at her sides, her breath shallow. She hated the way her skin felt too tight, the way her stomach churned with a mixture of anger and fear. It wasn’t just the wolves—it was the memory of her past, the part of her that she’d buried for so long, that was now rising to the surface again.
 She exhaled sharply, trying to calm herself, but it didn’t help. The sensation of being watched, the knowledge that the wolves were so close, was making it harder to breathe.
 Seline turned away from the bar, her mood souring with each passing second. She wasn’t going to let them get under her skin. She wasn’t going to let this man or his pack ruin her night. But as she moved to clean another glass, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was coming—a storm she wasn’t ready to face.