Chapter 6
909 Words
Morning came soft and gray.
Linda woke before the others.
For a moment she didn’t remember the cougar. The blood. The bond.
Then her chest tightened faintly — that now-familiar pull — like a thread stretched somewhere beyond the walls.
She stared at the ceiling.
Still there.
Annoying.
Persistent.
She rolled out of bed.
If the universe thought she was going to spiral over it, it clearly didn’t know her very well.
The cabin was quiet when she stepped into the kitchen.
Evan was already up.
Of course he was.
He stood at the window, mug in hand, eyes scanning the tree line like he hadn’t slept at all.
“You ever rest?” she asked.
He glanced back. “Sometimes.”
She made tea for herself. “He’s out there?”
“Yes.”
Not dramatic. Just fact.
She took a sip. “Has he left at all?”
“For a few hours.”
“And then?”
“He came back.”
Linda hummed under her breath.
Figures.
The bond tugged again — not painful, just… aware.
She ignored it and opened the fridge.
Behind her, footsteps padded down the hall.
Talia appeared first, hair messy, eyes sharp despite sleep. Mira followed, stretching her arms overhead.
“Morning,” Mira said carefully, watching Linda.
“Morning,” Linda replied easily.
Talia narrowed her eyes. “You slept?”
“Like a rock.”
That wasn’t entirely true.
But she wasn’t giving the bond the satisfaction of commentary.
Mira leaned against the counter. “How are you feeling?”
Linda turned, mug in hand.
“Hungry,” she said.
Talia blinked.
Evan almost smiled.
“No,” Mira pressed gently. “I mean about—”
“I know what you mean.” Linda took another sip. “I’m fine. He doesn’t want it. I don’t want someone who doesn’t want me. End of story.”
It sounded simple.
It wasn’t.
But she refused to make it complicated.
The three wolves exchanged a look.
The bond pulsed faintly again.
Linda set her mug down with deliberate calm.
“So,” she said briskly, “what’s the plan for today?”
The question landed solid and practical.
Mira hesitated. “We thought we might stay closer to the cabin.”
“Because of the cougar?”
“Yes.”
“Or because of him?”
Evan answered this time. “Both.”
Linda nodded once. “Okay. Then let’s make it intentional.”
Talia tilted her head. “Intentional?”
“Yes. If we’re staying close, let’s not pretend it’s accidental. Picnic. Cards outside. Maybe a short loop trail on this side.”
She gestured vaguely left — away from the ridge.
Mira studied her carefully. “You’re not scared.”
Linda met her gaze.
“I was scared of the cougar,” she admitted. “I’m not scared of him.”
That wasn’t bravado.
It was truth.
Nick didn’t frighten her.
He irritated her.
There was a difference.
Outside—
In the trees—
Nick felt the shift in her mood like a change in weather.
Steady.
Calm.
Defiant.
It unsettled him more than anger would have.
He’d expected tears.
Or fury.
Or pleading.
Instead, she was… carrying on.
As if he weren’t the center of the storm.
His wolf growled low in his chest.
She’s strong.
“I don’t care,” he muttered.
But he didn’t move away.
Inside, Mira pushed off the counter. “There’s a clearing down by the creek on this side. Safe. Open visibility.”
Linda nodded. “Perfect.”
Talia smirked slightly. “You’re taking this remarkably well.”
Linda arched a brow. “Should I be throwing plates?”
“No,” Evan said immediately.
“Then we’re good.”
She grabbed bread from the counter and began slicing it.
The domestic normalcy of it felt almost defiant.
“Will he reject it?” she asked casually.
Three heads turned.
Evan answered honestly. “Probably not.”
“Why?”
“Because once it snaps, it’s permanent.”
Linda paused mid-slice.
“So I’m stuck with this… tether?”
“For now,” Talia said gently.
Linda exhaled slowly.
“Fine,” she said at last. “Then he can stew.”
The bond tugged again.
Stronger.
Like it didn’t appreciate that word.
She ignored it.
Mira moved closer. “If it gets overwhelming—”
“It won’t,” Linda said firmly.
She wasn’t denying the pull.
She just refused to let it define her.
Outside, Nick shifted his weight.
The air carried her scent clearly this morning.
Tea
Bread.
Warm skin.
His jaw tightened.
She wasn’t retreating.
She wasn’t leaving.
She wasn’t collapsing.
She was planning a picnic.
It was absurd.
And infuriating.
His wolf pressed forward again.
Go to her.
“No.”
But he didn’t leave the perimeter.
He couldn’t.
Inside the cabin, Linda grabbed a blanket and headed for the door.
“Come on,” she said lightly. “If we’re staying, we might as well enjoy it.”
Mira followed.
Talia followed.
Evan lingered one second longer, scanning the woods.
Then he joined them.
Linda stepped onto the porch first.
The morning air was crisp and bright.
She didn’t look toward the trees.
She didn’t search for him.
She just breathed.
And somewhere in the forest—
Nick watched.
Because whether he wanted it or not—
She wasn’t running.
And that complicated everything.
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