Page 90 of The Ashpaw: Part One

And then he nearly choked.

“No…”

“Aye,” Alastair confirmed. “She shifted last night. She is…”

“Lying,” he hissed. “There’s no other explanation for it.”

“Oh, for the gods’ sakes…” Eidan grumbled. He stood, taking Fern with him, then gently set her on her feet and turned her around. “Look at her. Smell her. Do you really think any wolfkin could fake this?”

His hand wrapped under her chin and brought her face up to see Darion’s.

He still looked so angry, pupils wide and nostrils flaring, and Fern had to struggle not to close her eyes.

And then he took a step forward, the movement strained as though something held him back.

And then another.

Finally, their toes met, and though it hurt to see the hatred burning in him, it slowly ebbed away as he breathed her in. The tension in his shoulders lessened. His body leaned towards her.

“Omega,” he finally conceded, his tone softer. The fire was gone. He swallowed audibly, his hand reaching out to touch her.

Not to strike, but to caress, and she leaned forward to meet him.

“I—”

“Have been punishing her for nothing,” Eidan snapped, bringing her back.

And yet they still reached for each other.

“We’re lucky there was no permanent damage,” Alastair said. “But Darion… this bias you hold against her nearly cost the clan an omega.”

“Omega or not, she was always an innocent wolfkin!” Eidan yelled. “Any Solvekh who’d been abandoned for ten years would have needed time to adjust, but you set her expectations so high it was as if you’d meant for her to fail, only so you could punish her.”

Tears welled in Fern’s eyes. Eidan’s words were kind, but they did not comfort.

“Well?” Eidan asked, fuming.

Her breath caught in her chest as Darion stepped forward again. “You are right. I… misjudged her.”

The room waited for more, but after a few moments, it appeared that was the end of it.

It was almost worse than his rage, his quiet reduction of all the pain and anguish of the past month into a simple… misjudgment. A wrong assumption.

As though it hadn’t almost cost her her life.

“Darion, we will speak more on this later. For now, I will need you to renounce your bond so she may be properly mated.”

“Renounce?” he asked slowly, tilting his head. His gaze drifted to Fern, inspecting her like he was really seeing her for the first time.

“Aye, an unmated omega is a dangerous temptation for a clan of wolfkin in want of heirs. Eidan is the obvious choice…”

Eidan stood taller beside her, shielding her from Darion’s sudden interest in her form.

“But Reinn has also expressed his interest in her, and perhaps offering him the omega would further solidify our new truce with the Ironcoats.”

Reinn said he wanted her? When?

Earlier, her wolf preened. You were too busy rubbing up on them to remember.