It was only after I managed to untangle myself from their revelry that I thought of Wyn’s heat, and what it might mean for my immediate future. She’d told me not to worry about it. She’d told me it probably wouldn’t take, and I didn’t know if that made me feel better or worse. If I did have a kid, I’d want it to be with someone like her—maternal, caring, and stable. Yeah, she worked a lot, but we’d be a team. And Gods knew I could see myself crawling happily into her bed every night, holding her and our pup close, protecting them from the worst of this fucked-up world.
As I walked back to her cabin, I even let myself admit that I loved her. Hell, I’d probably loved her a lot longer than I knew, and if it was this easy to see a future with her in it, maybe I was even in love with her. Magic matched shifters based on compatibility, and if I let myself consider that the mark on my neck was a sign of Wyn’s wolf claim on me, conscious or not, then maybe this was fate’s way of telling me what to do.
Except…when I got back to Wyn’s cabin, the place was dark. The bed was empty, and the fresh scent of her soap drifted from the shower, indicating she’d gotten up, realized I was gone, and left.
“Fuck,” I murmured and ran my hands back through my hair. My instincts told me where she’d be. In the short time since she’d marked me, my inner wolf had reformed around hers. The tether between us wouldn’t fully solidify until I put my fangs in her skin, too. But I didn’t need that to know.
She’d go to work. She’d lose herself in the med-bay to drown out whatever regret she had about last night. And surely, an overactive mind like hers would analyze everything. She’d think I didn’t want the mark. She’d think I was angry with her, that I’d skipped out in the dead of night like the rumors she’d heard about me.
I took a deep breath and debated what to do. I could go after her the way I’d done the morning after her heat broke. I could bend her over her desk, drag my fangs along her neck, and remind her who she was dealing with. Or I could follow through on my original plan. If she thought she could hide from me, that she could bite me and run, that I wouldn’t chase her to the ends of the fucking earth, she had another thing coming.
I found her in her office. Her sweet citrus scent carried me through the space like mist wrapping around my heart until I stood in her doorjamb and watched her type on her laptop. Her curls were piled up on top of her head, and she chewed on her bottom lip, so seemingly lost in thought, she didn’t realize I was there. I let myself trace the long lines of her neck with my gaze, sweeping over her shoulders and the swell of her breasts and arms. Gods, how I wanted her, even after how many times I’d already had her.
“Still running, little wolf?” I asked.
She jumped and glanced at me, opening her lips to form that perfect O.
“Fen,” she breathed, sounding almost surprised to see me. “What are you doing here?”
I held up the bag of food I’d made and the cup of coffee, taking a few steps inside so I could set them on her desk.
“You didn’t eat this morning,” I said. “I know this because you have nothing in your cabin except spoiled milk.”
“I didn’t— I wasn’t—” She swallowed and glanced down as I started unpacking the pancakes and eggs, placing them in front of her. Her stomach had the decency to growl, proving my point for me. “Fen, you can’t keep doing this.”
“Doing what?” I feigned ignorance. “Making sure our best healer has fuel to get through the day.”
She ran her hands over her face and sighed. “No, just…You can’t keep showing up with food and expecting me to just…”
“Eat?” I scoffed and rolled my eyes. “The audacity of these dominant wolves, am I right?”
“Stop it,” she said, and the ice in her tone made me pause.
You expected this. Let her say her peace. Thaw her out.
“Look, I’m sorry about last night.” She dropped her gaze to the bite on my neck, one I’d decidedly not covered up before coming to find her. “I shouldn’t have done that. It was wrong of me to take that choice from you, to not talk about it first, to bite and mark and not consider your feelings… or your consent.”
I vaguely remembered my wolf telling her to do it. Somewhere in the mix of fucking her, our inner beasts had connected, and mine had wanted it. Encouraged it. Urged her on.
“I know,” I teased and sat in the seat opposite her. “Quite naughty of you.”
“If anyone had done that to me, I’d be furious,” she said and crossed her arms. “It’s a blatant transgression of our rules and…and…and I’ll report it to Kodiak as soon as my shift is over.”
I raised an eyebrow and let her continue, knowing full damned well she wouldn’t be reporting it to anyone. I’d put my mark on her, and this whole thing would be over.
“In the meantime, you can reject it, and let it fade, and we’ll move on with our lives.”
I nudged her coffee toward her and nodded to it. “I added the oatmilk, the way you like.”
“Are you listening?” She balked and refused to acknowledge the food in front of her, despite another angry rumble from her stomach. “Fen, this is serious.”
I nodded. “Very serious.”
She took a deep breath, and I sensed she was steeling herself for the fallout. We weren’t fully mated, not yet. But the first signs of the bond took root in my body. I could feel her hesitation and anxiety like my own, a sinking weight in my chest that tightened and squeezed my lungs.
Silly little wolf. There’s no reason for that.
“Eat,” I said.
