I pressed my face into her hair, breathing in her scent.The chronic pain that had been my constant companion flared briefly before subsiding to a dull throb, as if even that ancient wound recognized the healing that had begun.
“I never thought I’d find this,” I whispered against her skin, the confession easier in the hushed stillness of dawn with her still drifting in sleep.“Never thought I deserved it.”
She stirred slightly, instinctively pressing closer to me.Through our new bond, I felt her happiness ripple, responding to my touch even in sleep.The sensation nearly undid me.
For the first time since I’d left the Song pack, the hollow ache of isolation that had been carved into my chest was filled.Not just with Sabrina, but with the possibility of family, of belonging, of a future where I wasn’t perpetually braced for betrayal.
It terrified me.It exhilarated me.It felt like coming home to a place I’d never known existed.I tightened my arms around her, a silent vow forming in my heart.I would protect this bond with everything I had.
Morning arrived in thin beams of light filtering through the cabin’s wooden slats.For the first time in years, I woke without the immediate stab of pain in my side.Sabrina’s head rested on my chest still, her arm draped across my torso.The buzzing of my phone pulled me from this unexpected peace.I carefully extracted myself from Sabrina’s warm embrace, her soft breathing uninterrupted as I slipped outside to answer.The moment I stepped away from her, the pain returned, sharper than before, as if punishing me for the brief respite.
Reeve’s message hit me like ice water.“The Roberts Mine CEO is dead.Victoria’s making her move.”
My stomach plummeted.I clenched my fists, staring at the screen.This was no coincidence.Victoria’s fingerprints were all over this.I could feel it in my bones.
When I stepped back inside, Sabrina was beginning to stir awake, her eyes fluttering open slowly.Her hair was mussed from sleep, her lips still slightly swollen from our kisses.
“What’s wrong?”The remnants of sleep vanished from her voice when she saw my expression.
I sat beside her, handing her the phone.“Roberts is dead.Victoria’s behind it.”
Her face paled as she read the message.“This is bad, Logan.She’s trying to take control.”
“We need to act fast.”My jaw tightened with resolve.“She’s not going to stop until she gets what she wants.”
Sabrina reached for my hand, her grip strong and certain.“We’ll stop her.”
As we prepared to leave the sanctuary of the cabin, I paused at the threshold, my hand braced against the doorframe.I turned to face her, suddenly needing her to understand.
“Last night… it meant something to me.”The words felt clumsy, inadequate for what I was trying to convey.“This wasn’t just a one time thing for me.”
Her smile reached her eyes, warming them like sunshine.“It meant something to me, too.”
The drive back to town passed in comfortable silence.The threat of Victoria loomed larger than ever, but my thoughts kept circling back to Sabrina, her strength and her compassion, and the way she’d somehow slipped past every defense I’d built.
When we arrived at the clinic to check on Marshall, I noticed the old wolf was sitting up in bed, and some color had returned to his weathered face.A rush of relief washed through me as Sabrina immediately switched into doctor mode, reaching for her stethoscope.
“Your complexion’s better,” she observed, pressing the cold metal disc against his chest.“Deep breath for me.”
Marshall complied, his knowing gaze moving between us as Sabrina conducted her examination.I could feel his assessment, sharp and perceptive despite his illness.He’d always been able to read me, even when I first arrived in town.In many ways, he’d filled the void my father had left by simply being the kind of man I’d needed to see.Strong, principled, patient.
“The fever’s down,” Sabrina announced, checking his chart with efficient movements.“And your white count is stabilizing.”Her fingers pressed gently along his lymph nodes.“Swelling’s reduced too.How’s the pain?”
“Still there, but not trying to tear me apart from the inside anymore,” Marshall replied, his voice stronger than I’d heard it in days.My wolf relaxed slightly at the improvement in his condition.
As Sabrina continued her exam, checking his pupils and lung sounds, Marshall’s eyes locked with mine.“Something’s happened,” he stated rather than asked, reading my tension.“I can smell it on you.”
I nodded grimly.“Roberts is dead.Someone’s making their move.”
Marshall’s weathered face hardened.“Convenient timing, wouldn’t you say?”Though he didn’t know Victoria or her schemes, Marshall had always possessed an uncanny ability to sense when larger forces were at work.“This mine business stinks worse than a wounded coyote.”
“You don’t know the half of it,” I muttered, thinking of Victoria’s ruthless ambition.“It’s complicated.Family business.”
Marshall’s eyebrows rose at that.He knew enough about my past to understand what those two words meant coming from me.“Your family business has a way of becoming everyone’s problem, son.”
“I know,” I admitted.“This town, the pack territories surrounding it.It’s all being threatened.”
“And how do you plan to handle it?”Marshall asked, not demanding an answer, but guiding me toward finding my own solution.It was how he’d always approached our conversations, from the day I’d arrived in Angel Spring, a lone wolf with too many scars and not enough trust.
