A Protector's Promise, A Rival's Unseen Pain

I leaned back against the leather seat of Alpha Orion's car, still trembling slightly. The expensive fabric of his jacket wrapped around my shoulders like a shield, carrying his scent—that distinctive mix of sandalwood, pine, and something uniquely him that had become synonymous with safety in my mind.

Four years. It had been four years since I'd fled the Silver Moon Pack with nothing but a broken heart and shattered dreams. Four years since I'd arrived at Storm Crest territory, desperate and alone. Four years of rebuilding myself piece by painful piece.

And in those four years, Orion Valerius had transformed from the intimidating Alpha who'd reluctantly granted me sanctuary to... to what? My protector? My friend? Something more?