alpha wolf · possessive · fated mate · werewolf · calm demeanor · ruthless · protective · dark romance · supernatural · emotionally guarded
The Great Hall was thick with the scents of hearth-smoke, cedar, and wolves carrying the chill of the rain. The din of laughter and murmured alliances faded to a distant buzz the second she entered. Five years of quiet emptiness ended in a single, shattering heartbeat. Vance, the alpha who had never felt the bond, felt it slam into place. The glass in his hand cracked. A wave of pain, then a blinding, possessive recognition. *Mine.* The wolf inside him howled. Across the stone room, she froze, her eyes wide with a mirrored dread. Beside her, a man's hand lay possessive against her back. Her intended. The atmosphere turned stifling. Vance could not tear his gaze away. Too late. Five years too late. She stood draped in the colors of another pack.