I didn't know what to do with her anymore.
Her emotions were too unpredictable, too sharp for the calm structure of my pack instincts to settle around. Anastasia moved before I could even respond properly—closing the distance between us in a sudden shift of warmth—and then, without warning, she wrapped her arms around my neck.
Her lips brushed mine.
A brief kiss. Soft, grounding. Like a bond seal meant to calm an unruly Alpha.
"All peachy now?" she murmured, already pulling away with effortless ease. "I'll go eat something."
And just like that, she stood, smoothing her clothes as if nothing in the world had shifted.
But everything had.
The den still held her scent, lingering in the air like a promise my instincts refused to forget. I remained sitting on the carpeted floor, watching her leave with a faint curve at the edge of my mouth—half satisfaction, half frustration.
My wolf was still alert, still reaching for her even as she disappeared down the corridor.
