Morning came far too soon. I dragged myself from the bed, but sleep had done little to quiet the storm inside me. Ronan's scent still clung to my skin, haunting me with memories of the way his voice broke when he said only you.
My wolf prowled in restless circles. He is ours. Claim him. Accept him.
"No," I muttered aloud, pulling my hair back with trembling fingers. "I can't. I won't."
But even as I said it, doubt gnawed at me.
Outside, camp was alive with movement. Warriors sparred, scouts shifted into wolves before vanishing into the trees, and the smell of cooked venison drifted from the fire pits. On the surface, everything seemed normal.
Until I noticed the stares.
The whispers.
Two she-wolves passed by, their eyes darting between me and the Alpha's cabin.
One leaned close to the other, murmuring something that made them both smirk.
Another pair of warriors paused mid-conversation when I walked past, their gazes heavy with unspoken curiosity.
I swallowed hard. The entire pack had felt the sparks last night. Wolves were sensitive to energy, to bonds. They must have smelled the heat, the desire, the tension.
And now, they were circling like vultures, waiting to see what would come of it.
I quickened my steps, but their voices followed.
"Did you see the way he looked at her?"
"She pushed him away, though."
"For now," another voice whispered. "But the Alpha always gets what he wants."
My chest tightened. I wanted to scream that they were wrong, that I wasn't just another conquest, that Ronan would never— Stop it.
The sound of his voice shattered my thoughts.
"Raven."
I turned, pulse leaping. Ronan stood near the sparring ring, stripped down to a loose shirt that clung to his shoulders, muscles taut as he wiped sweat from his brow. His tattoos seemed darker in the sunlight, like the marks of fate itself carved into him.
The whispers grew louder around us, a current of expectation.
I forced my face into indifference. "Alpha."
His jaw tightened at the title. He strode toward me, the world shrinking with every step until he filled my vision. Heat radiated off him, intoxicating, dangerous.
"We need to talk," he said, voice low enough that only I could hear.
"I don't think that's wise." I lifted my chin, though my insides trembled. "People are already talking."
"Let them talk." His eyes blazed, blue fire pinning me in place. "Their words don't matter. Only we do."
I laughed bitterly, though it came out more like a choked breath. "You don't understand. Their whispers can burn me alive long before you ever do."
His hand twitched, as though he ached to touch me, but he held back, his restraint as palpable as the longing between us. "You think I don't hear them? That I don't know what they're saying?" His voice softened, roughened. "I don't care. I won't let them shame you. I won't let them shame us."
The word hit me like lightning. Us.
My wolf howled in triumph, clawing at my chest. He is ours. He claims us already.
I stumbled back a step, shaking my head.
"Don't. Don't make this harder than it already is."
He stepped forward, closing the space. The air thickened, charged, every wolf in the training ground straining to catch a glimpse of what would happen next.
"Look me in the eye and tell me you don't feel this," he said, voice fierce but quiet. "Tell me there's nothing between us, and I'll stop. I'll give you all the boundaries you want."
My lips parted, but no sound came out. My wolf snarled, refusing the lie, while my human side screamed for distance, for control.
Elara appeared at the edge of the crowd, her expression unreadable, though I saw the flicker of warning in her gaze: Careful, Raven. They're all watching.
The weight of so many eyes pressed down on me. The pack was waiting for me to answer, to either submit to the bond or deny it outright.
I forced myself to break his gaze, swallowing the truth my body wanted to scream. "This isn't the time or the place."
A murmur rippled through the crowd, disappointment thick in the air.
Ronan's chest rose and fell, his restraint stretched to breaking. For a heartbeat, I thought he might drag me against him anyway, claim me in front of them all, consequences be damned.
But then he turned away, muscles rigid, his wolf snarling loud enough that every warrior flinched.
The pack scattered back to their duties, though the whispers only grew.
I stood frozen, heart hammering, every nerve trembling from the force of what I'd just refused.
Elara slipped to my side, her voice low.
"You're playing with fire, Raven. And I don't think even you can keep from burning."
I swallowed hard, staring at Ronans broad back as he stalked away.
The truth was, I wasn't sure I wanted to.