Chapter 5

Claire's POV

I left Blackridge with two bags and a signed mate bond dissolution agreement.

For four years, I'd spent my life trying to be the Luna Ryan wanted, desperate to earn a love he'd never truly given me. That was over now.

My first priority was finding a place beyond Silverpine territory where I could start over. Then I would find a specialist who could help me reconnect with my wolf. I didn't know if the damage was temporary or if I'd lost her for good, but I refused to accept that I had no way to get her back.

I had a life to rebuild, a wolf to heal, and for once, I could put myself first.

I was still getting used to the thought when a growl sounded from the trees.

Five wolves emerged from the darkness, their eyes fixed on me. Rogues.

I turned toward my car, but two had already circled behind me. The others spread out, cutting off the road.

Damn it.

I raised my fists as the first rogue lunged. I dodged its jaws and drove my elbow into its muzzle. It staggered back with a snarl. I kicked another wolf in the ribs before it could reach me, then scrambled toward the road.

For a moment, I thought I might make it.

Then a third wolf slammed into my side.

Pain shot through my still-healing body. I hit the ground hard, and before I could get up, the others closed in.

I reached for Elara.

Nothing.

I tried again, searching for the familiar presence of my wolf, but there was only silence. I hadn't felt her since the night I'd lost my baby.

A rogue seized my shoulder in its jaws. I cried out and struck its muzzle, forcing it to release me, but another caught my leg. I fought to keep them off, refusing to give up even as my strength drained away.

There were too many.

One of the wolves raised its paw, claws poised to strike.

A thunderous growl shook the clearing.

Every rogue froze.

A massive black wolf emerged between the trees, his golden eyes fixed on the pack surrounding me. His aura swept through the clearing, heavy enough to make the rogues hesitate.

Then he attacked.

He moved with terrifying speed, knocking the first wolf aside before it could turn. Another charged him from behind, only to be thrown into the undergrowth. The remaining rogues tried to surround him, but he gave them no opening.

Within moments, they were retreating into the forest.

The black wolf stood between me and the trees, watching until the last rogue disappeared. Then he turned toward me.

I tried to push myself upright, but my arms gave way.

The wolf approached. His golden eyes swept over my bleeding shoulder before meeting mine.

Light rippled across his dark fur as he shifted into human form.

I caught a glimpse of a tall, broad-shouldered man, his features sharp and striking. He crouched beside me, his expression tightening when he saw how badly I was hurt.

"What are you doing out here?"

I knew that voice. Or perhaps I was too exhausted to make sense of anything anymore.

"Don't take me back to Blackridge," I managed. "Please."

His expression changed slightly.

Before he could answer, the darkness swallowed me.

When I woke, the first thing I noticed was the softness beneath my body.

I was lying in a large bed, surrounded by clean sheets that smelled faintly of pine. My shoulder had been bandaged, and the room was warm and quiet.

I had no idea where I was.

Then I saw the man standing beside the bed.

He was dressed now, wearing a dark shirt with the sleeves rolled to his forearms. His black hair was slightly disheveled, but there was nothing disordered about the way he held himself. He watched me with the calm confidence of someone accustomed to being obeyed.

Those golden eyes.

The memory came back all at once.

Alpha Luca of Moonhaven Pack.

Ryan's cousin. The man I'd met on my wedding day, moments before I was supposed to become Ryan's wife.

Four years ago, I'd mistaken him for Ryan and stumbled straight into his arms. He'd caught me before I hit the floor, and for one brief moment, I'd forgotten why I'd entered the room.

Then Ryan had appeared.

The look on his face when he saw me in Luca's arms had been unmistakable. He'd pulled me away and warned Luca to stay away from both of us, making it clear that the two men were anything but friends.

I hadn't understood their hostility at the time. I only knew that Ryan despised his cousin, and Luca seemed entirely unbothered by it.

Now, after four years, Luca was the one who had saved my life.

I opened my mouth, but he spoke first.

"Long time no see, sister-in-law."

His tone was almost polite. The faint curve of his mouth, however, suggested he knew exactly how much I disliked that title.

I stared at him.

"Sister-in-law?" I repeated before I could stop myself.

"Would you prefer I call you Claire?"

"I'd prefer you not call me anything that connects me to Ryan."

Something flickered in his eyes. He glanced at the bandage on my shoulder, then back at me.

"Then I suppose you'll have to tell me what happened between you two."

"That's none of your business."

"Fair enough."

He said it so easily that I couldn't tell whether he was genuinely conceding the point or simply choosing not to argue.

I shifted, intending to sit up.

The sheet slipped slightly.

I caught it before it could fall any farther, then went completely still.

Something was wrong.

I looked down.

The sheets covered my body, but beneath them, I felt bare skin where there should have been fabric.

My heart lurched.

I lifted the edge of the blanket just enough to confirm my suspicion.

I wasn't wearing any clothes.

Then I snapped my gaze toward Luca, clutching the sheet against my chest.

"Why am I naked?"

His eyebrows rose slightly.

"Good morning to you, too."

"Luca."

This time, I put enough warning into his name to make it clear I wasn't joking.

He glanced at my bandaged shoulder.

"Your clothes were soaked with blood. I had to get them off to treat your wounds."

"You could have called someone."

"And left you bleeding while I went looking for someone else?"

I opened my mouth, then closed it.

He had a point. An irritatingly reasonable one.

Still, that didn't explain why he looked so composed while I sat in his bed, half-convinced I was about to die of embarrassment.

"Could you at least turn around?" I demanded.

A faint smile touched his lips.

"Of course, sister-in-law."

He turned toward the window.

I tightened the sheet around myself, my face burning.

And judging by that infuriatingly calm voice, he was going to make sure I remembered every second of it.

I had a feeling my new life was about to become much more complicated than I'd planned.