Shay didn’t shift back, instead curling up at Brielle’s side, inserting herself between me and Leigh to get to her friend. Brielle’s tremors were beginning to slow, and she curled one of her hands into Shay’s fur, gripping it tightly enough that it had to pull, but Shay never made a sound, only rested her canine head in the crook of Brielle’s elbow. Worried wolf eyes met mine briefly before flicking away.
If I hadn’t already known that Brielle was a woman of worth, the deep loyalty she inspired in her friends would have proven it, no question.
In wolf society, strength was respected. The strongest line ruled, the strongest wolf was Alpha, and only the strongest survived. But here was my mate in a moment of extreme vulnerability, and they hadn’t attacked. They’d protected.
But how strong
