The shift didn’t go unnoticed.
Miles away from the pack house, three Alphas stilled almost in unison as the bond tightened, subtle, deliberate, unmistakable. It wasn’t a surge. It wasn’t a claim. It was settling.
Ethan felt it first, sharp as a blade drawn slowly across his ribs. His wolf lifted its head, hackles bristling, a low snarl curling in his chest before he crushed it down through sheer force of will. Eric’s presence in the bond had deepened, like roots finding water.
His day, Ethan reminded himself, jaw tightening. She chose this.
Still, the instinct screamed. Protect. Guard. Be there.
Instead, he stood watch on the outer patrols, eyes fixed on the tree line, pouring every violent impulse into duty. Alicia had made her will clear. To protest now would be to challenge her aut
