Because if he claims her now, he steals her choice. But if he waits, he'll go mad and a mad wolf is vulnerable. Easy prey for enemies circling his territory. His father would never take back a banished heir turned feral. The council would vote to put him down before letting him anywhere near Beacon Hill.
Kai pushes harder, faster, trying to outrun thoughts that won't stop spiraling.
A familiar scent cuts through the trees.
He barely registers it before a massive black wolf tackles him from the side. They go down in a tangle of fur and snarls, rolling through underbrush. Kai's instinct fires. He twists, snaps at the other wolf's throat, pins him in the dirt.
Jackson.
Jackson bares his teeth at Kai, which makes Kai rake his claws through Jackson’s fur. Not deep enough to tear muscle, bu
