Lorenzo
The lodge was quiet at dawn, but inside me there was no peace.
The fire still burned too hot.
Her whisper replayed in my head with every breath, as vivid as if she still stood before me, trembling and furious.
I trusted you.
The words had been fragile, broken, dragged out of her like blood from a wound. But once spoken, they had lit the bond brighter than ever.
And gods, I savored them.
Not for the victory they hinted at.
Not for the pack’s reaction.
But for the rawness of it. The truth. The way it cracked through her like lightning through stone.
But it wasn’t enough.
Because truth spoken in defiance was still defiance.
I wanted surrender.
Not a whisper torn from her throat, but a vow she gave freely. One that bound her not because the pack demanded it, not because I
