The suite balcony doors were open to the cool night air. I stood at the railing in nothing but Damien’s black shirt, the hem brushing my thighs, staring out at the dark forest that stretched toward the treaty grounds. Dawn was five hours away. Five hours until I walked back into that clearing and faced Soren with my mother’s life and Priya’s future hanging in the balance.
My hands tightened on the metal rail. The silver wolf inside me was quiet now, coiled and watchful, the bond with Damien a steady golden thread in my chest. Stronger than it had been even after the claiming. But the anxiety was still there — a low, electric hum under my skin that no amount of training had erased.
Arms slid around me from behind. Damien’s bare chest pressed to my back, warm and solid. His mouth found the
