I kept spare clothes stashed throughout the forest for after I shifted, sealed in waterproof bags and hidden in hollow logs or buried near landmarks. Sometimes, I forgot where I’d left them. Those were the days I ended up trekking all the way back to the dorm completely naked.
Walking through the base nude did nothing to help me fit in. Soldiers whispered as I passed, thinking their low voices hid the words from my hearing.
They didn’t.
“Fucking freak” was a favorite.
I had spent so much of my life differing from everyone around me it hardly bothered me anymore. I knew why they whispered, and it wasn’t hatred. It was jealousy and fear. Alphas always wanted to be the biggest, the strongest, the fastest, but most of them knew I could tear them apart if it came to it.
Today, at least, only a handful of soldiers noticed me as I headed back to our dorm.
Relief washed through me as I swiped my keycard, entered the code, and stepped inside. The tension I carried eased the moment the door closed behind us, cutting us off from pryingeyes and curious stares.
Rowan was curled up on the couch, knees drawn to her chest, her nose buried in a book. The sight of her loosened the tightness in my shoulders even more. Being near my mate settled something instinctive in me, a quiet sense of rightness that dulled the edge I carried everywhere else.
“Daddy’s home!” Ryker shouted as he burst through the door, throwing himself onto Rowan and tackling her into the couch cushions. He nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck and drew in a deep breath of her scent.
“Fuckkk,” he groaned.
“Hi,” Rowan said softly, looking up at him in surprise.
She leaned into him, not fighting it the way she normally would. We had been depriving her of touch and praise as part of her punishment. Even last night, Cade had restrained himself, refusing to give in to her despite her obvious arousal.
I could smell her need through the walls and hear her desire through the shifter bond. Her thoughts were chaotic, spilling into my mind without her even realizing it. She was not very good at shutting me out yet, and her inner monologue often slipped through.
All night, she had fretted that Cade no longer wanted her. That none of us did. Anger mixed with longing as she lay beside him, furious that he had forced her to stay in his bed but even more frustrated that he hadn't touched her. She wanted release, and she wanted it badly. Unfortunately, she would need to wait longer. That was going to be the second part of her punishment, which we were about to begin.
Rowan noticed me, her eyes widening, pupils dilating. At first, I assumed she was reacting to Ryker’s wandering hands and the quiet, dirty words he murmured in her ear. Then her attention shifted. She lifted her head slightly and drew in a slowinhale.
Scenting me.
Her eyes closed. When they opened again, I recognized the look for what it was. Not arousal, but a different kind of need.
Hunger.
“You smell good,” she said, her nose flaring as she breathed me in again. Her gaze lingered. “Like… a steak dinner.”
The scent of the kill still clung to my skin, and Rowan’s wolf had noticed.
“My wolf was hungry,” I said. “It hunted a direworg while on patrol.”
Her throat bobbed as she swallowed.
“Yours is too,” I added quietly. “She needs to hunt.” I held her gaze. “I’ll take you out tomorrow night. Let you run. Let you kill. Fresh meat will sate her.”
Nerves flashed through the bond, unease rooting itself in her mind. I couldn't tell what unsettled her most, the shift, the hunt, or going into the woods at night.
Maybe it was the idea of giving in to her hunger instead of fighting it.
I pushed the thought aside and shifted my focus. “Ryker, let’s go. We need to shower quickly if you want to start.”
“Start what?” Rowan asked.
“You’ll see, Kitten. We have a surprise for you,” he said, pressing one last kiss to her throat before jumping off the couch.
“I don’t like surprises,” Rowan said, narrowing her eyes.
“Too bad, because it’s going to be so fun,” Ryker replied with devious delight as he raced me to the bathroom, desperate to shower first.
