LOGINAurora’s POVI woke with the bond already feeling tight and strained.Not in a painful way —just alert.Like the world was holding its breath.Rowan was sitting beside me, one hand resting on my knee, posture calm but rigid. Zander stood near the table, arms crossed, jaw clenched, eyes fixed on a map spread across the wood.They stopped talking the moment my eyes opened.That alone told me everything.“Don’t,” I said hoarsely.They both looked at me.“Don’t stop,” I repeated. “Whatever you were saying—finish it.”Zander opened his mouth.Rowan beat him to it. “Aurora, you need to rest.”I pushed myself upright despite the ache still lingering through my body and the bond flaring in protest.“I rested,” I snapped. “I survived my first heat. I can handle a conversation.”Zander flinched.Rowan exhaled slowly. “This isn’t about handling it. It’s about—”“—you two are deciding my future without me?” I finished.Silence slammed into the room.The bond tightened sharply, not from pain—but
Rowens POVMorana’s presence still clung to the air like frost that refused to melt.I stood at the window long after she’d vanished from sight, jaw tight, senses stretched thin. The mountains were quiet again—but it was the wrong kind of quiet. The kind that came after something had been seen.“She wanted us to notice her,” I said finally.Zander didn’t look away from Aurora.“She always does.”Aurora lay curled on the couch beneath a thick blanket, color slowly returning to her cheeks after another wave of heat passed through her. Her breathing had evened, but I could feel the ache still humming in the bond—low, persistent, demanding closeness.My wolf stirred uneasily.Too soon. She is not ready to be without us.“I should go,” Zander said, even as his hand stayed on Aurora’s ankle, grounding her. “Scout the ridge. Confirm direction. Make sure she didn’t leave traps.”Aurora stirred instantly, a soft whimper slipping from her lips.The bond tightened like a vice.Zander froze.“…o
Aurora’s POVI woke slowly.Not the way I used to—jerking awake, heart racing, bracing for danger.This time, I woke because my body reminded me that something real had happened.I was sore.Not painfully—just deeply, thoroughly aware of myself. Of where I’d been held. Of how completely I’d been cared for. Every muscle felt used and warm, like I’d run for miles and then been wrapped in blankets afterward.I breathed out softly.Rowan was behind me, his chest a solid wall of warmth, one arm curved around my waist like it had always belonged there. Zander was in front of me, one leg tangled with mine, his hand resting possessively—but gently—over my hip.Both of them were awake.I felt it in the bond before I opened my eyes.Steady. Watchful. Calm.“How do you feel?” Rowan asked quietly, his voice low with morning and concern.I shifted slightly and winced—not from pain, but from tenderness.Zander immediately stilled. “Hey. Easy.”“I’m okay,” I whispered. “Just… feeling it.”Rowan’s ha
Rowan’s POVShe whimpered softly.The sound nearly broke me.It wasn’t loud. It wasn’t dramatic.It was small—raw—and it went straight through the bond like a blade.Roe surged hard inside my chest, silver fury and instinct snapping to attention.Let me go to her. She needs us.My jaw clenched.No.I forced the thought down, iron-strong.Not until she asks. Not until she’s ready.The bond pulsed again—hot, bright, aching—desire tangled with emotion so tightly it hurt to breathe. My control stretched thin, like wire pulled too tight, vibrating with pressure.This wasn’t hunger.It was reverence mixed with instinct.The kind that makes you want to kneel and shield and worship all at once.I forced my eyes to her face instead of the way the bond dragged at my body.Aurora’s cheeks were flushed, eyes glassy with heat—but she wasn’t panicking.She was looking for us.Trust shone there. Pure. Unbroken.That trust mattered more than anything my wolf wanted.I moved slowly, deliberately, lowe
Aurora’s POVIt didn’t start all at once.At first, it was just warmth.A slow bloom low in my stomach, spreading outward like embers catching beneath my skin. I shifted on the bed, frowning, pressing my thighs together instinctively.Something felt… wrong.Or maybe not wrong.Different.My wolf stirred sharply, no longer drowsy or content.“Aurora,” she whispered.“Listen.”The warmth intensified.My breath hitched.“Rowan,” I whispered, fingers tightening in the blanket. “Something’s happening. You smell so delicious.” And his eyes turn black with desire.They smelt it instantly.The heat surged—hot, urgent, alive.Zander went still like a predator sensing prey. Rowan’s breath stuttered behind me, his arms tightening just slightly at my waist.“You’re heating,” Rowan said quietly, voice low but steady. Not alarmed—focused.My heart began to race.“What does that mean?” I asked, even as my body already knew the answer.The warmth turned molten.Every nerve ending lit up at once. My s
Aurora’s POVI woke slowly.Not because of sound.Not because of fear.But because I was being kissed.Softly at first.A warm brush of lips at my temple.Then another at my shoulder.Then a lingering press just beneath my ear that sent a quiet shiver down my spine.I smiled before I even opened my eyes.Rowan’s kisses were always like this—gentle, reverent, as if he was greeting something precious instead of waking someone up.Zander’s were never far behind.A deeper kiss followed, playful and sure, brushing the corner of my mouth, then my jaw, then lingering there like he was daring me to wake up and catch him.“Morning, little moon,” Zander murmured against my skin.I hummed softly, still half-asleep, shifting closer to the warmth on both sides of me.Rowan’s arm tightened around my waist from behind, his chest solid and warm against my back. His lips brushed my hair, then my cheek.“Did we wake you?” he asked quietly, though his smile was in his voice.“Mm… you were trying to,” I







