Rowan stood at the window of his study long after the candles had burned low.
The mountains were black against the stars. The training yard was empty. His went back to Aria, she would be asleep now or maybe not. He gave her a room without fully understanding why he did so.
He understood now.
There was no single moment when the truth struck him. It had gathered slowly, like water filling a basin. The way his chest tightened when she took a hit during training. The way he had carried her from the border, her body limp and broken in his arms, and felt something crack open inside him. The way his pulse quickened every time she walked into the yard and the way his wolf stirred inside of him.
He pushed himself away from the window and mind linked Lois to know where he was.
Lois was in the t
