MasukAyla’s POV
I knew I was in trouble the moment a wave of heat crashed over me, and Kael’s scent of sandalwood filled the air. My thoughts became foggy—barely my own.
All I wanted was release from the excruciating ache between my legs.
I tried to focus on what Kael said, but his words slipped through my mind like mist.
“Kael was trying to explain that you had three choices,” Tala said. “You needed to pick one.”
“
Ayla's POVThree short raps — not Kael's measured knock or Soren's single quiet one.Ryker.I didn't move. Another knock followed, more urgent than the first."Ayla." His voice came through rough, stripped of its usual edge, like he was working hard to sand it down before it arrived. "I know you're on the floor."I frowned at the door."He can smell where you are," Tala said. "You're wolves, remember? No privacy."I dragged myself up, crossed the room, and opened the door.Ryker filled the frame the way he always did — too much presence for the space available, his shoulders taking up more of the hallway than was strictly necessary. His dark hair was a disaster, like he'd run his hands through it too many times since coming upstairs. A small bruise was already forming near his jaw from the scuffle downstairs. His eyes dropped to my face the moment the door opened, and something unfamiliar moved through them—br
Ayla's POVThe door didn't close as hard as I wanted it to.That somehow made it worse.I slid down it until I was sitting on the floor, knees pulled to my chest, staring at nothing while my heart hammered and my face burned. My hands wouldn't stop shaking, and I hated that — hated that one argument downstairs could reduce me to this. Hated that my first instinct was still to run even when I had nowhere better to go."You didn't run," Tala said."I absolutely ran," I snapped."You retreated strategically.""That's the same thing.""It's debatable," she said, entirely unbothered by my tone.I pressed my forehead to my knees and stayed there, breathing.The bond was pulsing in three directions at once—tangled, raw, and aching in a way I didn't have language for. I could feel all of them through it. The hurt. The anger. The guilt sitting underneath both of those things that they still hadn't learned to ca
Soren's POVA loud thud shook the wall between Ryker's room and mine.Then Ryker shouted, "Ow!"I stared at the ceiling for a moment without moving."You okay?" I called, muffling a laugh.There was a moment of silence before Ryker's voice came back, slightly muffled. "No," he groaned, and I couldn't help but chuckle at his clumsiness."Did you break something?" I asked, trying not to laugh."Yes," he hissed, his voice tinged with mock despair. I could picture him sprawled on the floor, shaking his head as he tried to recover from whatever mishap had occurred."Good."Ryker fell silent, and for a moment I thought he just went back to sleep; then his bedroom door opened and footsteps were in the hallway, and a moment later my door swung open. Ryker appeared looking personally betrayed by gravity itself."I think my shoulder's broken," he said, clutching it."You fell three feet; you're being dramatic," I rep
Ayla’s POVI knew I was in trouble the moment a wave of heat crashed over me, and Kael’s scent of sandalwood filled the air. My thoughts became foggy—barely my own.All I wanted was release from the excruciating ache between my legs.I tried to focus on what Kael said, but his words slipped through my mind like mist.“Kael was trying to explain that you had three choices,” Tala said. “You needed to pick one.”“What choices?” I managed to ask.“One, get marked. Two, mate with your mates. Or three, suffer alone through the aching pain.”“No option four?” I bit down hard as another wave hit me.“No, we were too far from any witches or doctors to give you something—”“That’s too bad,” I said dryly. “I wasn’t ready to be marked…”Tala chuckled. “He wasn’t going to mark y
Kael’s POV"She's in heat," Fenrir said. "This time it won't pass on its own."I didn’t want to discuss it then—especially not when it took everything in me to keep him at bay.I knew it would eventually come. I had noticed the changes in her scent over the last couple of days, but I never really took them to heart.Why would I? I thought the change was because she was slowly accepting us.Besides, there were so many other things that needed my attention.But when we got there, I finally understood what was happening.Over the last couple of days, there had been moments when her lovely berries' scent became stronger and even overpowering in small, warm doses.I knew it was only a matter of time.Ayla didn’t even notice the first waves; Soren and Ryker were oblivious to it. Their senses were good, but not as sharp as mine.I reminded myself I needed to keep control, so I busied myself with o
Ayla's POVThe walk back from the lake felt warmer than it should have.Ryker had been complaining since we left the water's edge, dragging the fishing gear behind him with the energy of someone who had genuinely suffered."I almost died," he said, for the fifth time."You were standing in waist-deep water," Soren said."It was freezing.""You deserved it."Ryker pointed at him. "You laughed.""You screamed.""I did not scream."Kael walked ahead carrying most of the fish without comment, entirely removed from the argument the way he always was when he'd decided it wasn't worth entering.Tala hummed softly. "This feels nice."She was right, and I was slowly running out of ways to argue with that.The cabin wrapped warmth around us the moment we pushed through the door. Snow melted from our boots, smoke and cedar were thick in the air, and the fire was still going from the morning.Ryker
Ayla’s POVThe forest is quieter this morning, as if everything is holding its breath, watching me flee from this miserable pack.I ignore the feeling and keep moving.I’ve only taken the basics—the clothes on my back and the money I saved from working at the coffee shop. It isn’t much, but at leas
Ryker’s POVI’m awake before I should be and groan out loud as my eyes flicker open. My head still spins from too much eggnog last night.I press my hand against my head, trying to stop the feeling. I lie there for a second, staring at the ceiling, trying to figure out what pulled me out of a soundl
Ayla’s POVThe closer I get to the packhouse, the louder the world becomes again—voices carry through the trees, followed by laughter and music. It sounds so bright against the darkness and quiet outside that it leaves a coldness under my skin.Every sound inside the packhouse hits my ears wrong; it
Ayla’s POVAlpha Jack and Luna Ria don’t stand in my way when I get up and head toward the door a second time. They know it’s time for me to leave.With one last silent nod, I exit the packhouse and slip into the cold.It’s dark now, the wind howling through the trees in the distance.I head toward







