Kael lived across the river for one winter.
Every day, he stacked chopped firewood beside the bridge. He never crossed the line marked out by the guards. I never used the wood myself. It went to the clinic for hot water and cooking.
When spring came, we added two more rooms to the clinic.
Some of the women there had been rejected by their fated mates. Some had been cast out because they couldn't bear pups. Others were simply tired of having an Alpha decide every part of their lives.
I taught them to grow herbs. The healers Leon sent taught them how to treat wounds. Father came to inspect every few days, always claiming he worried about the border. Yet his carriage was always full of food and seeds.
My tomatoes grew better than they had three years earlier.
One morning, Kael stood on
