🐺 BOUND BY BLOOD AND SILVER

Chapter 3: The Cold Comfort of Friction

The warmth of Logan’s palm against her jaw was a drug, but the sudden memory of the hunters

back in her realm sliced through the haze of desire. Seraphina placed her hands firmly against

his heavy chest and pushed, turning her head away."Don't," she breathed, her voice trembling.

"You don't know what I am. You don't know the danger I bring."Logan’s hand lingered for a

fraction of a second before he smoothly withdrew it. He stood up, the loss of his physical

proximity leaving her feeling instantly cold. His amber eyes darkened with a mixture of

frustration and intense possessiveness, but he gave her space."I know you cut me with silver

magic, and I know my wolf is screaming at me to lock this door and never let you leave," Logan

said, his voice a low rumble. He grabbed a heavy wool blanket from a nearby chair and draped

it over her shoulders. "Rest. The silver-laced wound on my shoulder is already healing, but you

look ready to collapse."He turned on his heel and walked out into the freezing night, needing the

bitter mountain air to cool the fire burning in his blood.Meanwhile, five miles away at the primary

Silver-Ridge estate, a different kind of forbidden tension was brewing.Inside the pack’s medical

wing, Beta Marcus stood with his back pressed against the heavy steel door. His posture was

rigid, his heart hammering a frantic rhythm. Standing directly in front of him, her fingers gently unbuttoning his blood-stained shirt to check for patrol injuries, was Chloe.Chloe was human.

She was the pack's resident physician, brought in under strict non-disclosure agreements, but

under pack law, a Beta taking a human mate was a direct threat to the bloodline's

strength."You're reckless, Marcus," Chloe whispered, her warm fingers brushing against the

dark hair on his chest as she cleaned a minor scratch. Her touch was electric, a stark contrast to

her gentle, professional demeanor. "If Logan or the elders find out you're spending your nights in

my quarters instead of patrolling the eastern border..."Marcus caught her wrist, his grip firm but

careful not to hurt her fragile human frame. He pulled her flush against him, his head burying

into the crook of her neck, inhaling her scent of vanilla and antiseptic."Let them look," Marcus

growled softly against her skin, his lips brushing the sensitive column of her throat, making her

gasp. "Logan is missing tonight anyway. Something is shifting in this territory, Chloe. But right

now, I don't care about the pack. I only care about this."He lifted her onto the edge of the

examination table, his large hands anchoring her hips to his as the heavy silence of the medical

bay swallowed their forbidden whispers.