LOGINELOWENThat night, Fao told me about the scouts.We were in bed, his body curved around mine, his hand resting on my thigh near the healing wound. It had become our ritual, debriefing in the dark, sharing what we'd learned, trying to make sense of it all together."Three times this week," he said quietly. "Testing our borders. Looking for weaknesses.""What does Corvin think?""Corvin thinks they're probing, not preparing. That an actual attack is still weeks away, maybe months." He was quiet for a moment. "Jasper thinks Corvin is wrong. That we should strike first.""And what do you think?""I think Jasper is young and angry and tired of waiting. But I also think Corvin might be too cautious." His arm tightened around me. "I think House Varen is planning something, and I don't know what it is yet."I rolled to face him, wincing slightly as my leg protested. "What about Trevor? Nina said the council is discussing... options.""They are. Sylvia wants him dealt with quietly. An accident
FAOBy 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
First, the bodies. They had to go before anything else.I shifted to wolf form. They were heavy, but I was strong — stronger than any natural wolf, stronger than most men. I dragged them out through the back door, one at a time, away from the driveway. Couldn't risk drag marks on the road where som
FAOI hit the first one before he could draw his weapon.My jaws closed around his arm — the arm reaching for the gun at his hip — and I bit down. Bone crunched. He screamed. I shook him once, twice, then threw him aside like a broken toy.The second one was faster. Smarter. He already had his gun
ELOWENTrevor looked around my cabin like he was appraising a property he was considering buying. His two bodyguards — massive men in dark suits, the kind of muscle money could rent — flanked him on either side."Cozy," he said, running a finger along the back of my couch. "Very... rustic. I can se
WEDNESDAYThe feeling didn't go away.Something was still wrong — I could feel it in my bones, that prickling awareness that someone was watching. Fao felt it too. He did three patrols that night, circling the cabin in wolf form, nose to the ground.He found nothing."He's being careful now," Fao s







