6

Mars Reed POV

Inside the medicine room, Quincy was even more surprised than I was, her eyes wide as she stared at the old alpha.

"Ah? Silas, you must be kidding me!"

Silas seemed to struggle for words before his throat let out a rough, awkward chuckle. "Well, my mate and I are planning a run back to the Elysian Territory. Got some urgent pack business to handle, so I will be counting on you to look after Grant! I trust your healing arts."

"Don't worry, Alpha Walker is out of the woods now. You may just go and handle your border business!"

"Alright."

Knowing Silas was coming out of the door, I quickly ducked my shoulders and slipped into an empty stone chamber to avoid crossing scent paths with him.

I knocked on the heavy oak door the second his footsteps faded down the hall.

"Mars, you are here," Quincy said, turning her back to fetch the thick green jar of soothing ointment for me.

As her fingers searched the wooden shelves, she suddenly paused, her wolf ears twitching as she cautiously asked, "How long have you been standing out there?"

Hopefully, she hadn't caught the raw details of the match between Silas and her.

"Just got here." I forced my voice to stay level, not wanting the sweet healer to feel trapped in an awkward spot. After all, she was always so gentle and warm-hearted to our wolves. It was completely clear that Quincy held no other designs on Grant's bed.

And even if she did, my wolf was in no position to feel jealous or to push her out of the den.

Grant had taken a silver claw straight to the chest to save my life, and it was Quincy's herbs that had pulled him back from the brink of death.

Their high-ranking families had run the western borders together for generations and shared a deep, sacred pack bond.

Quincy indeed came from a powerful, wealthy alpha lineage, but she was not at all spoiled or lofty. Instead, she was just a normal, gentle wolf with an approachable, quiet vibe.

Like right now, she didn't hesitate to drop to her knees on the cold stone, carefully pulling back the hem of my trousers to apply the thick salve to the scrapes on my calves.

She was just as professional as any pack doctor, if not more attentive.

"The skin isn't closing well; there is a bit of rogue dirt causing an infection. Thankfully, the bone scan didn't show any major cracks from the chase. You should try putting your weight down, leaving the support chair behind, and walking around the courtyard to get some strength back in your wolf."

"Okay." I nodded, my skin tingling from the cold herbs before I softly asked, "Did Grant tear his chest open again just now?"

"Did he tell you that?"

"No." I had seen the wet, red blood soaking the edge of his fresh wraps with my own eyes.

Quincy hastily waved her hands, her scent spiking with nerves. "Then don't ask me! I don't know a single thing; his alpha beast threatened me not to say a word!"

I let out a heavy sigh, my chest aching. "I won't let him know you spoke. I'm just sick with worry about his heart."

After all, he had just barely escaped the silver poison, and any sudden rip in his flesh would drive my wolf crazy with fear.

"Alpha Walker is in incredible physical shape, and his beast is healing faster than any wolf I've ever treated. Plus, you can rest easy now; the danger has completely passed."

"That is good to hear. I can finally breathe."

Having received the truth I was tracking, I turned to head back to the alpha's den.

But Quincy suddenly called out to me, her voice soft against the stone walls. "Mars."

"Yeah?"

"I want to ask you something. Honestly."

I turned my head, nodding. "Go ahead."

Quincy hesitated, her fingers twisting her white healer robes before she awkwardly asked, "Do you love Alpha Grant? I don't mean to cross any boundaries. I'm just curious—with an alpha who would throw his entire body in front of a silver blade for you, does your wolf love him just as deep?"

Quincy, who had never found her fated mate, looked genuinely lost in the idea.

But I just let out a soft, sad smile, offering her no real answer.

I always remembered my clock was ticking down, and the contract with the elders was already signed. When my thirty days were up, I would have to take the Reed Walker Twins and vanish from Grant’s life forever. It didn't matter how much my wolf screamed for him.

"When the moon marks someone for you like that, you will understand."

Quincy sighed, wrestling with her thoughts before she spoke in a whisper. "Mars, to be honest with you, I feel like Alpha Grant's beast loves you far more deeply than he loves his own life."

"You are right about that."

I couldn't even deny it—Grant was trapped in the heat of this bond far deeper than I was.

So if Grant, the fierce leader of Walker Enterprises Tower, with all his absolute power and dominant clout, still couldn't bend the pack laws to keep me, what could a broken, nameless wolf like me possibly change?

I returned to the alpha's quarters and, as my hand pushed the heavy wood open, I stopped dead, my breath catching as I saw Grant standing tall right by the window. He was still massive and upright, his shoulders carrying that natural, terrifying pride of a ruling alpha. There he was, staring out into the dark pines of the Ridge Courtyard, completely lost in his thoughts.

Hearing the door click, his ears twitched and he tilted his head slightly.

The once sharp, predatory lines of Grant's face were softened by the exhaustion of the silver fever, giving him a rare, raw look that made my heart throb.

"You're back."

"Why the hell are you out of the furs without permission? Dr. Quincy said you could try walking tomorrow, not today!" I was frantic with panic, my inner wolf whining as I rushed toward him, terrified he would ruin his chest. "You are the most stubborn beast in this entire valley!"

"One day won't make a difference to my wolf." Grant was completely done with being locked in that bed. His skin was practically itching to shift and run.

I stepped right into his space, locking my eyes with his golden stare. "Get back into those furs, right now."

"Just a little longer." Grant's lips curved into a dark, teasing smile at my raw panic, and he stepped closer, his scent thick with dominant arousal. "Give me your hand."

"What?"

Although my wolf was screaming at the sudden heat between us, I reached my hand out.

Grant instantly grabbed my wrist, his thick, calloused fingers locking tight as he yanked his linen shirt up, slamming my palm flat against his hard, ridged abs.

"I am going to lose my conditioning if I just lay around like a pup," he growled low, his bare skin burning hot against my touch. "You loved clawing right here when we were locked in the heat. I have to keep them tight for you."

My cheeks flushed hot, and I tried to pull my hand back, glaring up at him. "Let go! I do not like touching your body!"

"But you did, over and over again last night."

"That is only because you made me ride you, and I... I needed to grip something so I wouldn't fall off!"

The hasty, desperate words tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop them, and the second I realized what I had admitted, my breath hitched. Grant’s massive arms instantly shot out, caging my body flat against the wall, his hard chest pressing right against mine until there was no space left to breathe.

"You..."

"Mars, I need to breed you again."

He didn't even need to speak the words because I could already feel his thick, heavy length straining hard against his trousers, pressing hot and demanding right against my thigh.

"Are you completely insane? It is broad daylight!"

Dr. Quincy or the guards could walk in at any second!

"I'll lock the door."

"This isn't about the locks, Grant!" I gasped, my wolf stirring violently inside me, completely drunk on his raw alpha pheromones.

Seeing me try to wriggle my hips away, Grant’s grip tightened, his large knuckles pressing into the stone wall. His eyes, usually so cold and controlled, were burning with a wild, unbridled hunger to mark me.

"Just once, Mars. I will slide in quick."

"I don't believe a word you say!"

He always took his time, driving his thick knot into me until I was completely breathless, drenched, and begging for mercy by the time his seed filled my core.

Grant let out a dark, husky chuckle, his lips brushing against my ear. He caught the scent of my neck shifting, finding the sensitive spot right where his mark should be—the skin was so soft, smelling of sweet heat, completely irresistible.

And then he sank his teeth lightly into the flesh, tasting me.

I let out a sharp gasp, my knees turning to jelly as his lips slammed onto mine, claiming my mouth with absolute, territorial dominance.

The kiss was a total invasion, a hot, wet plundering of my mouth that left my wolf completely surrendered, unable to fight the bond.

My hands were free, but I dared not push his chest away, terrified of ripping the fresh stitches beneath his shirt.

"Mmph!"

My soft whines were swallowed down his throat.

Only when my chest was heaving for air did Grant finally pull back a fraction of an inch, his dark eyes locked on mine, his voice dripping with pure lust. "I'll be fast. Just let me have you once, okay?"