POV
The air in my study felt like it was dropping to very cold temperatures, and it had nothing to do with the mountain breeze.
I was sitting at my desk, my hands flat against the dark wood, my muscles locked so tight they were starting to ache. Behind my left ear, my crescent birthmark was thumping with a sudden, violent beat. It wasn't the usual heat of her being happy or the sting of her defiance. It was something much worse. Through the locked mate bond, a dark, freezing wave of hatred had just slammed straight into my chest, heavy enough to steal the air right out of my lungs. It felt like a physical weight, a cold iron band tightening around my ribs, vibrating with an ancient, deadly focus that made my inner wolf bare his teeth in my mind.
"The eastern packs are demanding a change
