The next three days blurred into a rhythm of secret training and stolen intimacy.
By day, Elena worked on her photography near the cabin or helped at the mill, learning the layout of Silverpine and quietly observing pack dynamics. By night, she met Luke in the forest clearing, where he pushed her harder with each session.
Her shifts were getting smoother. The pain had lessened to a deep ache, and she could now hold her wolf form for nearly twenty minutes without losing control. She loved the feeling of power in her muscles, the way scents and sounds exploded around her — especially Luke’s scent, which wrapped around her like a claim even in wolf form.
Tonight was different.
They had run farther than usual, weaving through dense pines and across a moonlit ridge. Elena’s wolf was sleek a
