DAVE
Claimed Territory
Steam curls through our bathroom like restless spirits as I lean against the shower wall, letting scalding water beat against muscles that still ache from yesterday's stupidity. The blessing left new pathways through me—silver traces beneath skin that pulse with each heartbeat, reminders of power pushed past safe limits. My wolf prowls beneath the surface, agitated by the cocktail of healing strain and pregnancy hormones that have turned me into something more primal than I've been since the coma.
The shower door opens. Kat steps in without invitation, gloriously naked and gleaming with early morning light. Her scent hits me like a physical blow—mate and cubs and that particular sweetness that means her body's changing, adapting, becoming something more to carry o
