Ghian Life couldn’t stop simply because his mate was away, unnatural as it felt, it was also necessary. Not simply to rope the Leopards into their plans to be rid of the humans, but for Aalyan’s—and therefore Ghian’s—happiness. There was no need of a soulbond to see the way Aalyan had flourished with the work, as if he’d been keeping all his passion bottled up inside him and now that he could show it, he could move once again, light and free. If there hadn’t been work, Ghian would have invented it for him. Fortunately, if one thing was true about running a pack, it was that there was never an end to the problems and improvements needed to keep everyone happy and healthy. Before Aalyan, the humans had been just another problem they’d been forced to put off. Telez and Ghian had discussed

