The morning after the grove, the estate woke up different.
Wolves moved through the corridors with new purpose, eyes flicking to me and Damien as we walked the main hall. Whispers followed us like shadows. “The silver wolf.” “She commanded Theodas.” “The bond is complete.” The bond itself felt like a second pulse in my chest, warm and steady, carrying Damien’s quiet pride and the low thrum of his constant awareness of me. After the claiming and the long night of tangled sheets and whispered promises, the air between us crackled even when we weren’t touching.
He walked beside me now, hand brushing the small of my back every few steps. Not possessive in the way that used to make me snap at him. Possessive in the way that made heat pool low in my stomach and my silver wolf purr.
“You’re st
