The Lycan's Rejected Mate
Violet:
Dawn came sharply, burning through the trees in periwinkle blues. The air outside the packhouse tasted like frost and pine sap, crisp enough to bite the lungs. Lycans gathered in loose formation across the clearing, their boots grinding against gravel, their low murmurs weaving through the morning like distant thunder. They were restless, and I stood at the edge of them all, exactly where I chose to be.
Alec stepped forward just as the sun broke the treeline. The light caught in his dark hair and traced the hard lines of his shoulders, carving him from shadow into something almost mythic. Silence fell immediately.