Todos os capítulos de Dogtags and Direwolves - Rowan’s Awakening : Capítulo 31 - Capítulo 38

“Fen?”The man’s golden eyes held hers.Behind Rowan, somewhere beyond the Sanctuary, a Direwolf roared again.The sound tore through the forest.Pain.Rage.Fear.Rowan spun toward it.“Fen.”The man reached for her.“Rowan.”She froze.Her name.His voice was rough, barely more than a whisper, but hearing it sent something sharp through her chest.Slowly, she looked back.The stranger was still on one knee. Blood ran from a wound beneath his ribs, darkening the torn fabric at his side. His face had gone pale.“Help me.”Rowan took one step toward him.Then stopped.Something was wrong.Not with his eyes.Those were Fen’s.Not with the strange pull she felt toward him.That felt like Fen too.But outside the Sanctuary—Another roar.Her Fen was calling her.The wounded man swayed.“Please.”Every instinct she’d developed as a medic screamed at her to move.Assess.Control the bleeding.Save the casualty.Rowan stepped forward.The silver feather against her chest burned.She stopped

The horn sounded a third time. This time, the forest answered. Not with howls. With screams. They came from the north—human voices, dozens of them, rising through the trees in a wave of terror. Matthias was moving before the echo died. “Wardens! Form on me!” The clearing erupted. Weapons came free. Packs were abandoned. The younger Direwolves disappeared between the trees as Kael barked commands Rowan couldn’t understand. Arawn swung onto his horse. “The gate is less than two miles from here.” Rowan checked her rifle. “What’s coming through it?” The Keeper looked at her. “Everything that was waiting.” “Still hate your answers.” “Rowan.” Matthias pointed north. “Move.” Finally. A language she understood. ⸻ They ran. Fen stayed beside her. Not ahead. Not behind. Beside. Something about that registered even while Rowan’s lungs burned and branches tore at her sleeves. He had always led her. Or guarded her. Now they moved together.

For several seconds, no one moved.The battlefield had gone silent.Even the creatures stopped attacking.They stood scattered across the blackened clearing, heads bowed toward the enormous figure framed within the gate.Fen remained in front of Rowan.Rigid.Silent.Terrified.She could feel every bit of it.“Brother.”The word seemed to linger in the air.Rowan tightened her grip on her rifle.“You have a brother?”Had.The creature laughed.The sound vibrated through the ground.“Still lying, Fen?”Rowan felt Fen flinch.Small.Almost imperceptible.But the vow gave him nowhere to hide from her.The creature leaned closer.More of his face emerged from the darkness.Human.Or it had been once.Long black hair hung around a face scarred nearly beyond recognition. His features were harder than Fen’s, crueler—but the resemblance was unmistakable.And those eyes.Gold.Exactly like Fen’s.“My name,” he said, looking directly at Rowan, “is Valdrik.”Fen growled.Do not speak to her.Val

For perhaps the first time in Rowan Harper’s life, she had absolutely nothing to say.Fen was human.That fact alone seemed to have overloaded every useful part of her brain.He was still sitting on the blackened ground where the Direwolf had disappeared, one hand wrapped around Rowan’s wrist.And he was—Rowan abruptly looked away.Very human.Very male.Very naked.“Oh, for God’s sake.”Fen released her.“What?”His voice did it again.Deep.Rough.Real.Rowan stared determinedly at a tree.“Clothes.”Silence.Then—“I don’t have any.”She closed her eyes.Of course he didn’t.Behind her, someone coughed.Arawn.Definitely a laugh disguised as a cough.Rowan pointed without turning around.“Not one word.”“I said nothing.”“You were about to.”“I was thinking several things.”“Think quieter.”Fen laughed.Actually laughed.And damn him, that was worse.Rowan had heard amusement through their bond before.She’d felt it.But hearing the sound—Warm and low and unmistakably human—sent