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Just like she did in the past.
The vicious assurance sliced through my chest.
She’d...loved me.
And I’d loved her violently in return.
Pressure gathered around my heart.
I wanted to grab her, touch her, push her down and lay claim to her. Instead, I selected a blind, wriggling puppy and unlatched it gently from Kiu.
Swallowing back the sudden intensity of what I’d felt, I held up the pup to Runa. It whimpered, but Kiu merely watched me. She didn’t growl or bite. She trusted me. Just like I needed Runa to.
“These pups are fed milk. Just like the fawn used to drink from his mother.” With a quick kiss, I placed the whimpering pup back against its littermates. It immediately latched on, its whining turning to greedy grunts. “Your fawn needs milk, Runa.”
Her eyes widened as she kneeled beside me. “But a deer’s milk is not the same as a wolf’s.”
“No, it’s not. But it will give him strength while you teach him how to eat what deers eat.”
She shook her head, eyeing Kiu. “Why would she accept a youngling that isn’t her own?”
“Because I’ve asked. And the pack looks out for one another.”
She bit her bottom lip. “You speak with such confidence.”
“Because I am.” Stroking Kiu’s muzzle, I looked at the wolf. “She’s always been the most peaceful. The most kind. I trust her. She’ll accept the fawn.”
Kiu raised her head, her gaze glowing in the gloom, locking onto Runa and the bundle in her arms. Shifting a little so she could reach better, Kiu rested her chin on Runa’s knees, her nose nuzzling the fawn.
I expected Runa to tense again. To wrench the deer away from the sharp canine teeth, but a full-body shudder went through her—just like it had when the wolves touched her belly. Her eyes snapped closed, and she swayed toward Kiu.
The back of my neck tingled as a breeze whipped through the cave, playing in Runa’s hair before leaving as quickly as it’d arrived. Kiu whined under her breath, and Runa exhaled heavily as if sharing a silent conversation.
A conversation that went beyond my skills at conversing and into a realm where spirits spoke, not words.
Finally, Runa opened her eyes, nodding at Kiu.
The usual amber of her gaze glowed faintly around the edges—a ring of gold before it vanished as she blinked.
“I always love it when you glow.” I grinned, kissing her deep. “When the bliss between us transcends our mortal skin and—”
I gasped, grasping at the memory as it wriggled away like a slippery fish.
Without another word, she bent forward, placed the tiny deer amongst the squirmy bodies of Kiu’s pups, and rested her hands on her thighs. “Thank you,” she breathed.
The wolf licked her lips as her giant head flopped back onto the fur-littered cave floor. A soft puff of contentment fluttered her muzzle as her horns scraped against the stone.
I sat still while the fawn blinked at his strange new siblings, then wedged himself amongst them, nuzzling amongst Kiu’s soft underbelly for something to drink.
Runa sucked in a breath as he latched on, his little white tail wagging fast with happiness.
I grinned at the sight of a spotted herbivore nursing in a nest of furred carnivores. It reminded me of my own situation. Runa believed she belonged with the Nhil. I believed she belonged with me. Regardless of what clan we came from or what memories we couldn’t remember, right now, all that mattered was...we’re together.
My eyes drifted to her, and my heart tripped.
Her face was slack with love and awe, and the golden ring that’d glowed so brightly around her amber eyes blazed once again as she sat in the gloomy cave, watching her fawn and pups.
My body hardened, swelling swiftly, tightening with need.
I couldn’t stop it.
The longer I studied her, the more I wanted her.
I wanted her so much I almost leaned over and touched her—almost did what Aktor had done and taken something she hadn’t consented to give me.
Soaring to my feet, I clasped my hands between my legs and backed away. “I, eh, I’m leaving for a little while.”
“You are?” She turned to face me, the gold in her eyes vanishing as worry replaced her awe. “Where are you going?”
“I’ll be back.” I kept moving toward the cave exit. “Stay with Kiu. I won’t be long.”
I turned and ran before she could ask any more questions.
* * * * *
I returned after dusk had fallen, entering the cave crowded with wolves.
Females and juveniles yipped and tussled while Salak oversaw the organised chaos before they left for a night of roaming.
The alpha met my gaze as I passed through the cave, my arms full of things he wouldn’t understand. I paused as his lips pulled back from his teeth, snarling once in question. Diverting my path, I went to him, scanning the fur-filled space, looking for Runa.
