The meeting dragged on as they discussed patrol schedules and defense strategies, and Laura found herself offering tactical suggestions that drew from her warrior training, and to her surprise Dante actually listened, his eyes tracking her as she moved around the map table, occasionally nodding and implementing some of her ideas without the territorial posturing she'd expected from an Alpha.
As the hours stretched, pack members gradually filtered out until only Laura and Dante remained in the war room, and the tension that had been building all evening shifted into something different, something that had nothing to do with border threats and everything to do with the electricity that sparked whenever they were alone together.
"You don't have to stay," Dante said without looking at her, h
