"Kaelen—!"
Riven's voice cut through the tension like a blade.
Kaelen swore under his breath and turned sharply, forcing the pull down with sheer will as he stepped back into shadow.
Riven found Kaelen at the stairwell landing and he knew it the second he saw him.
Kaelen was braced against the wall, one hand pressed flat to the concrete, shoulders rigid, breath uneven. The air around him felt wrong, dense, charged, vibrating faintly with restrained violence.
"Kaelen," Riven said carefully again.
Kaelen's head lifted slowly.
His eyes were silver, not fully gone, not yet but close enough to make Riven's chest tighten.
"Don't—" Kaelen started, then stopped as the curse surged again, sharp and merciless. His jaw clenched hard, muscles locking as the wolf slammed against the control he had forced into place.
Riven moved instantly, gripping his arm. "You felt it again."
Kaelen nodded once, breath dragged in through clenched teeth. "Too strong," he said hoarsely. "Can't—hold it."
