The forest had changed.
Where once the trees trembled at the sound of hooves and shadowed beasts, now they bowed low reverent and protective. The wind whispered not just of blood and teeth but of warmth, of bond, of a Queen who burned brighter than any moon.
Tamlyn Grenoy once just a mortal herbalist, now Queen of the Wild stood barefoot at the edge of the glade, watching the mist curl over the ferns. Her hair was longer now, heavy and tangled with small braids woven by forest spirits. Her body was fuller, hips curvier, her breasts softer with the touch of time and love.
Behind her, she felt his presence before she heard him. Ruellan moved like thunder made flesh. Always quiet, but impossible to ignore.
Her Beast King.
Her mate.
“Should I be worried,” his voice rumbled low as he came up behind her, “that you’re out here looking like that, in nothing but one of my shirts?”
She smiled. His shirt hung off her shoulder, far too large, and she wore nothing beneath. The morning air kissed h
