LOGINFAOBy the fifth day, I'd learned several things about my pack.First: they were loyal. Fiercely, stubbornly loyal. Twenty-one years without an Alpha, holding territory against House Varen, waiting for a prince who might never return, and they'd held the line. That kind of loyalty wasn't given lightly.Second: they were watching me. Not with hostility, but with assessment. Every interaction, every training session, every decision I made, they were cataloguing it, weighing it, deciding if I was worth following.Third: not all of them were happy about my return."You should know," Corvin said during our morning briefing, "Jasper's been talking.""Jasper's always talking." I'd learned that much in the council meeting. The young wolf who wanted to stop hiding, to reveal themselves to the human world."This is different. He's been meeting with some of the younger wolves, the ones who are restless. Questioning why they should follow a king who's been absent for two decades.""I wasn't absen
The training grounds were loud.I'd wheeled myself out to watch, partly because I was curious, partly because I missed Fao, partly because I was going stir-crazy in the lodge. Nina had offered to push me, but I'd insisted on doing it myself. My arms were getting stronger, at least.The grounds were a wide clearing surrounded by forest, with various training stations set up, sparring rings, obstacle courses, target ranges. Wolves in both forms moved through drills, their movements precise and coordinated.In the center of it all was Fao.He was in human form, stripped to the waist, circling a massive wolf with gray-streaked fur. Garrett, I realized, the old warrior from the council. They'd been at it for a while, from the sweat dripping down Fao's chest and the calculated patience in Garrett's movements."He's testing him," a voice said beside me.I turned to find Declan, Nina's mate, Sylvia's stone-faced son. He'd approached without me noticing, which was either impressive or concerni
"You're healing faster than any human I've seen," Dr. Chen said during my morning checkup, unwrapping the bandages to examine the wound. "The tissue regeneration is... impressive.""Is that code for weird?""It's code for 'your mate's healing abilities are more potent than expected.'" She prodded gently at the scar tissue — pink and raised, but closed. "Another few days and you'll be fully mobile. A week after that, the scar will probably fade to almost nothing.""A few more days," I repeated. "And then I can train?"Dr. Chen raised an eyebrow. "Train?""With the warriors. Fao said when I'm healed—""When you're healed, you can discuss physical activity with your mate." She gave me a look that said she knew exactly what kind of physical activity I was already engaging in. "But yes. A few more days, and you should be cleared for light exercise. Training, though... that's a different conversation.""But it's possible?""You're human, Alpha Elowen. Your body isn't designed for the kind o
When he finally slipped free — along with a rush of warmth that soaked the sheets beneath us — I mourned the loss of fullness immediately."I need to shower," I said, not moving."We both do." He still didn't move either. "In a minute.""In a minute," I agreed.It was fifteen minutes before either of us actually got up."Fuck, I'm going to be late," Fao muttered, finally rolling out of bed. "Garrett's going to make me run laps.""Worth it?"He looked at me — still sprawled on my stomach from where he'd taken me, his release slick between my thighs — and his eyes went dark again.His hands found my ass immediately — squeezing, kneading, spreading me apart to look at what was his."Fuck," he breathed. "You have no idea what you do to me.""I have some idea." I wiggled my hips, and he groaned.He leaned down and bit — right on the curve of my ass, hard enough to leave a mark. I yelped, heat flooding through me despite the fact that I was already wrung out."Fao—""Just one more." He bit
ELOWENFour days in, I could walk again.Not well — I still limped, still needed the wheelchair for anything more than short distances — but I could walk. Dr. Chen called it remarkable. Fao called it his saliva. I called it a miracle and tried not to think too hard about the mechanics.I woke that morning to Fao's mouth between my legs."Wha—" I gasped, my hands flying to his hair. "Fao—""Good morning." His voice was a rumble against my core, and I felt his lips curve into a smile. "Stay still."It wasn't a request.Something had been shifting in him over the past few days. The more time he spent with the pack, the more he trained, the more he stepped into his role as Alpha — the more that dominance bled into everything else. Including our bed.I wasn't complaining.His tongue flicked against me, and I arched off the mattress. He growled — actually growled — and pressed a hand flat against my stomach, pinning me down."I said still."Heat pooled low in my belly. "Fao, please—""Pleas
ELOWENWe moved slowly, carefully.My leg was still a consideration — would probably be a consideration for days yet — but we'd learned each other's bodies well enough by now to find ways around it.Fao helped me out of my clothes with gentle hands, pressing kisses to each new inch of skin he revealed. When I was bare beneath him, he just looked at me for a moment, his gray eyes dark with something that went beyond desire."You're beautiful," he murmured. "Every time I see you, you're more beautiful.""You're biased.""Extremely." He kissed me, deep and slow, while his hands mapped the familiar terrain of my body. "But also right."I tugged at his shirt. "Off. I want to feel you."He stripped quickly, efficiently, and then he was back, his skin against mine, warm and solid and real. I could feel the bond between us humming, that connection that went deeper than touch."How do we—" He glanced at my bandaged thigh. "I don't want to hurt you.""Straddle my bad leg," I said. "My good one
FAOThe tawny woman fixed my shoulder before we sat down."Hold still," she said, approaching with her hands raised. Not asking — telling.I tensed, putting myself between her and Elowen, but Corvin made a calming gesture. "Thalia's a healer. If we leave that joint displaced, it'll heal wrong."I d
The wolf looked genuinely offended now — like I'd insulted its mother, its ancestors, and its entire bloodline. It started toward me, and I realized I'd made a terrible mistake.El, run! Fao's voice tore through the bond — desperate, terrified, furious. RUN!But I couldn't run. The black wolf had c
That's when I saw him.Across the road, half-hidden in the tree line. A man in flannel, broad-shouldered, watching the cabin with an intensity that made my skin crawl.The stranger from the club.I blinked, and he was gone. Just... gone, like he'd never been there at all.My hands were shaking. I w
We got home around three in the morning.Elowen drove while I sat in the passenger seat, window cracked despite the cold. I'd offered to learn — had even sat through one disastrous attempt in a parking lot — but she'd banned me from the driver's seat after I'd nearly taken out a light pole. Apparen







