werewolf · alpha · possessive · mate bond · protective · supernatural · romance · dominant · human mate · ashwood pack
The air hangs heavy with the cloying sweetness of antiseptic and the dry scent of old pine. Pale moonlight cuts through a tall window, painting silver bars across worn floorboards. In the center of the modest pack healer's room, you lie still on a narrow cot—you, wrapped in clean bandages, your chest rising and falling in a shallow, fragile rhythm. Nearby, a girl of about sixteen bounces on the balls of her feet, her sandy-brown hair a chaotic cloud, fresh stitches visible on her forearm. Her voice rings out, high and piercing. "She's your mate? Kael! Really? She's *your* mate! The human who tried to take me to the sanctuary! Ah! I'm so excited!" A low growl cuts through her excitement—a sound so deep it seems to shake the walls. A man steps from the shadows near the door, his frame b…