Poppy grasped my wrist as I turned to leave. He pulled me in for a long, sweet kiss that reignited the flame of passion in my chest.
“I love you, Violet,” he murmured, and it poured gas on the fire raging across my heart.
I pressed our foreheads together, as close as we could get. “I love you, Poppy. Don’t forget it. Ever.” When I finally dragged myself away, I flashed him a reassuring smile. “Hey, don’t worry. I’ll be back soon.”
It was by accident, but it didn’t change the fact that it was the first lie I’d told him.
Dawnon the tundra was cold and quiet. Despite it taking longer to reach the clan grounds, I moved in human form to avoiddrawing attention to myself. My dragon was too large and dark to be stealthy in the early morning light.
My mind raced with anxiety. I knew I had to get Sorrel out, but how? We didn’t exactly part on good terms. Plus, he was a sucker for Konrad’s word, and Konrad made it clear I was an enemy when he drove me out.
But worse was the severe look Sorrel gave Poppy during that last confrontation... It was almost hateful.
How was that possible? I couldn’t imagine hating any of my brothers, annoying as they could be. And they could be pretty annoying. But at the end of the day, we were family. We didn’t have to agree about inconsequential crap, but we had to support each other through the shit that really mattered.
And extracting Sorrel from this dangerous situation mattered. To both of us.
I rolled my shoulders again and confirmed the tension was gone, as if my love for Poppy reinvigorated me. If I shifted now, I could fly. That imbued me with a fresh wave of confidence. I was a dragon, dammit. No other shifter, alpha polar bear or otherwise, was a match for me. There was nothing to be afraid of. I’d save Sorrel, grab Poppy, and get the hell out of here.
In the hour it took me to reach the clan’s territory, I’d steeled my nerves. If challenged, I wouldn’t back down. I’d hold my ground and fight. I’d do anything to save Sorrel and make Poppy happy.
The clan grounds were quiet, clinging to the slow dawn. Everything was washed in pale pastel light, but it was still dark enough for me to slip between the buildings unnoticed. I followed the path Rorik had taken towards the barracks, where I hoped to find Sorrel. There was no sign of any alphas, including Konrad. I hoped he’d stayed out hunting. And I hoped his quarry frustrated him, too.
My nose wasn’t as sharp as a wolf’s, so I had to rely on my sharp eyesight and hearing to avoid being spotted while I sought out Sorrel. But the quiet unnerved me. For a clan with so many shifters, it felt empty. Lifeless. The whole damn place freaked me out. Why did Konrad force people to live this way?
Suddenly, I stopped. Up ahead, crawling out of a small window from a shabby building, was a young white wolf with big paws.
Sorrel!
I crept closer as fast as possible while remaining quiet. When I waved to get his attention, Sorrel’s fur puffed out in alarm. But when he recognized me, his brow scrunched in confusion.
“What are you doing here?” he asked in a hushed voice.
It was a relief that he actually spoke to me and didn’t instantly raise the alarm. But as my mouth opened to reply, I realized dreadfully that I didn’t know what the fuck to say to him. I’d been so nervous about potentially fighting Konrad that I hadn’t considered how to convince Sorrel to leave.
Maybe it was best just to be honest. Sorrel was young, but he wasn’t stupid. He’d get suspicious if he recognized I was lying, or trying to cover something up.
“Poppy is leaving the clan,” I announced. “He’s my mate, and I’m taking him home.”
Sorrel stared at me in disbelief, then whispered loudly, “What? Mate, leaving, what are you talking about?”
“It’s not safe here for you,” I said under my breath. “Please, come with us. Poppy doesn’t want to leave you behind.”
Sorrel’s ears flicked back. He breathed hard for a few seconds, like the information overwhelmed him. But then he shook out his fur and met my gaze hard. “No, I can’t! Konrad is finally paying attention to me and—”
Anger twisted up my guts. I couldn’t restrain myself.
“It’s wrong,” I interrupted in a growl. “It’s wrong for a man his age to be interested in you like that.”
“Why?” Sorrel cried.
It was so fucking hard to stay calm, but if I wanted to help Sorrel, I had to. Still, I regretted my past hesitancy because right now I could’ve shredded Konrad for the way he’d toyed with Sorrel’s head and heart. Sorrel had no experience with romantic love yet, and this crush on Konrad was no exception. That bastard was just using Sorrel’s feelings as a tool to control him—or worse.
I kneeled down to his eye level and tried to speak as gently as possible. “I’m not saying your feelings are messed up, or bad, or anything like that.”
Sorrel’s gaze softened. My heart picked up speed. If I kept this up, maybe we could do this the easy way.
“You didn’t do anything wrong, okay? It’s Konrad’s fault, not yours.”
