LOGINš Fenrir POVI kissed her.Notslowly.Nottenderly.Not the way shedeserved.
š Fenrir POV I held her. One arm locked around her waist. One hand buried in her hair. Her face was pressed into my throat and her body tucked tightly against mine. For a moment, I let both of us just breathe. Alaric was not back. He was still with her. But I had heard what the shadows whispered to torture her. That old poisonāthat she was not good enoughāwas trying to crawl back through something as sacred as claiming her own mate. And by the way her body trembled, I realized she had accepted the possibility of that lie being true. I was livid. My grip tightened before I could stop it. āI am fine,ā she whispered. But of course she was. And I was harmless. I moved. Fast enough to startle her. Careful enough not to hurt her. One moment she was pressed to my side. The next, she was beneath me, caged between my arms and legs, her red hair spread across the pillow, her wide green eyes fixed on my face. Her breath caught. Mine did too. For a different reason. She
š Arria POV I woke slowly. Hazily. Drifting out of a beautiful dream about blue flowers and a man of steel protecting them with his life. Not just any manāmy mate. A soft smile spread over my face. Fenrir had that terrifying ability to make me fall for him a little more every single day. I snuggled closer and brushed my nose over his neck, taking in his scent. It was addictive. And I was sleepy. So when my fingers started drawing lazy patterns over his back, moving lower and lower, it had nothing to do with a conscious decision. It was just the need to feel him. Unhurriedly, I reached the hem of his shirt and pulled it up. At first, it was barely a touch. A whisper of my fingertips over him. But his skin was warm and taut over muscle, and he did not stir, so my palm flattened on his back. Mine. The thought settled deep inside me, and I resumed my absentminded exploration of the hard lines beneath his skin. A work of art. That was what he was. I had seen h
š Arria POV āThen I will have to keep proving myself worthy of such sacrifice,ā he said, warmth hidden under his usual calm. āLetās go to the meadow for a late lunch, and we will do the work later.ā āAre you sure we have time for this?ā He just gave me his usual I-know-what-I-am-talking-about look. āOkay then.ā We took one of the baskets with food I had been given and some water, and we left the house. The walk was easy. We did not talk about poisons or reconstruction. He asked about my day at school, and I told him about it and about one specific child who had proudly shown me a seedling planted upside down and insisted it was simply āthinking differently.ā Fenrirās mouth twitched a few times, but he kept silent and listened with interest. āBy the end, he had almost convinced me it was possible,ā I finished with a smile just before we entered the meadow. Fenrir walked straight toward the far end, where we usually settled ināunder the patterned shade of one particular sycam
š Arria POV I saw the pile of folders awaiting Fenrirās review and signature while he was carrying me upstairs. So, after taking a bath, I went downstairs to help him with the paperwork. He was hunched over the kitchen table, working. It was obvious he was uncomfortable there, but he kept doing it anyway. I did not need to ask whyāhe had started coming the day after I told him his office did not have enough space for both of us and that I would be working from here. It warmed my heart to know he preferred my presence over the comfort of his own working space, but it could not go on like this any longer. I stepped behind the chair he was sitting on and slipped my hands around his neck and over his chest. āWe should think of another way,ā I told him. āThe table is not suitable for someone as big as you.ā He signed the page he was reading, put everything down, and placed his warm palms over my arms. āIt took you a whole week to take pity on me,ā he said matter-of-factly. I sti
š Fenrir POV There was a knock at the front door.Greg.āCome in,ā I invited him.āMorning,ā he started speaking from the door, not even waiting to reach the kitchen. āWe finished for today.āIt was Saturday.No meetings.No reports planned.Still, he was here.That meant news.āMorning,ā I said and raised my head to meet his gaze.He held it for a few seconds, then broke the contact, lowering his head.Guilty.I had triggered him with my command yesterday.I had expected the results today.Had he overdone it?āDid he hurt Arria?ā Alaric rumbled in my mind.āArriaās decision to take the poison is too risky,ā he started. āI know you agreed with it but Iā¦āSo, he thought I had somehow settled with her decision.I had not.But she would have taken everything I said as overprotectiveness on my side.So I had found another way.I used him.Gregory might look easy on the surface, but he was one hell of an opponent.When he believed something, he was relentless.Jokes, punches, or logic,
š Fenrir POV“Who gave it to you?” Arria asked.“A trusted source.”
The pack was left in the hands of the Beta family. Again. And I was left to think about what to do from now on. There was a huge possibility that I would never be truly a werewolf. In fact, according to our history 18th was the last threshold. My parents' obsession with believing I had a wolf w
A year later. Sixteen. The age when a wolf answers. The clearing was filled once again. Torches circled the altar. Warriors lined the perimeter. Children were lifted onto shoulders. My fatherās voice carried across the gathering. āTonight, our future steps fully into her power.ā Cheers erupte
The moment my feet left the edge, the world fell silent. There was only wind. And peace. For one fragile heartbeat, I was free. Like a bird. Then something slammed into me from behind. Arms. Hard. Unforgiving. The impact hurled me sideways instead of down. Wood splintered. Something inside m







