The return journey passed in a blur of frustrated energy and racing thoughts. By the time he reached his own property, the mate bond was pulling at him with renewed intensity, as if it disapproved of the distance he’d placed between them.
Rune shifted back to human form in the shadow of his porch, the transformation leaving him naked and breathing hard under the moonlight. His skin still tingled with the memory of the shift, but it was nothing compared to the electric awareness of his mate’s presence that seemed to have taken up permanent residence in his consciousness.
He gathered his discarded clothing and padded through his front door on bare feet, his mind already racing ahead to tomorrow’s possibilities. How could he manufacture a reason to see her?
She’s a new resident in my town. It’s perfectly reasonable for the sheriff to check on her welfare.
The rationalization felt thin, but it would have to suffice.
Rune’s king-sized bed had never felt so vast or so empty. He stretched out across the cool sheets, his naked frame taking up only a fraction of the space that suddenly seemed designed for two.
She’s three miles away. Safe.
But even with that knowledge, sleep felt impossible. His wolf paced, dissatisfied with the distance and the lack of resolution. The mate bond hummed with constant awareness, a low-level current that made relaxation impossible.
Nothing will touch her while she’s in my territory.
The vow formed in his mind with absolute certainty. Whatever challenges lay ahead—Birch’s territorial ambitions, pack politics, the revelation of his supernatural nature—none of it mattered compared to keeping her safe.
Even if she never chooses me. Even if the mate bond means nothing to her.
But as sleep finally began to claim him, Rune allowed himself one moment of selfish hope. Maybe, just maybe, the universe had finally decided to give him something worth loving again.
FIVE
ELECTRA
Sunlight crept through the unfamiliar windows of Electra’s new bedroom, painting golden stripes across the hardwood floor. She blinked awake in her old queen-sized bed surrounded by a curious mix of her sleek Hartford furniture and the rustic pieces she’d impulsively ordered online to match the cabin’s aesthetic. Her modern glass nightstand looked oddly sophisticated next to the reclaimed wood dresser, like a city girl trying too hard to fit in at a country fair.
Which is probably exactly what I am.
The thought came with a mixture of grogginess and something that might have been excitement. Despite the restless night—punctuated by vivid dreams of steel-gray eyes and the memory of that massive black wolf staring at her through the window—she felt more awake than she had in months. The creative energy that had sparked last night still hummed beneath her skin.
She sat up and looked out her bedroom window, half-expecting to see that black wolf again. That wolf had been enormous last night, far larger than any she’d researched for her novels. And the way it had looked at her—not with the vacanthunger of a predator, but with something almost... intelligent. Aware.
You’re being ridiculous. It was just a wolf. This is their territory, not yours.
Still, the encounter had left her with a strange mixture of unease and fascination. She’d spent years writing about mysterious creatures that existed only in her imagination, and now she was living among their real-world counterparts. Maybe this was exactly the fresh perspective she needed for her next book.
The ideas were already percolating, begging to be captured on paper before they dissolved into morning routine. She was reaching for the notebook on her nightstand when a sharp knock echoed through the cabin.
Electra froze. The sound was authoritative and deliberate. This knock belonged to someone who expected to be answered.
The rest of my boxes, maybe?
She glanced down at her pajamas—a black tank top that had seen better days and cotton shorts that barely qualified as decent. Her hair was doing that thing where it defied gravity on one side while lying flat on the other, and she was pretty sure she looked like a total train wreck.
The knock came again, more insistent this time.
Screw it. If it’s the delivery guys, they’ll survive seeing me this way.
Electra got out of bed and padded barefoot across the cool hardwood to her dresser. She grabbed a hair tie and quickly put her hair up in a messy bun and made her way to the front door.
When she finally pulled the door open, she forgot how to breathe.
Sheriff Rune Hale stood on her porch like he’d materialized from one of her fantasies. His black uniform was crisp, the fabricstretching across his broad shoulders, and the morning light caught in his black hair that fell across his forehead.
But it was the way he looked at her that made her stomach flip. His gaze swept over her sleep-rumpled appearance with an intensity that felt almost physical. She watched his pupils dilate as he took in her bare legs, and when his eyes snapped back to her face, there was a heat there that made her cheeks flush.
