Page 117 of Wolf's Reckoning
I hit him like a landslide, dragging him off the pup and rolling into a snarl. My claws extended mid-motion, raking deep across his back as he twisted, jaws snapping. He was strong.
But I wasfurious.
The bond was still burning under my skin, and I used it—channeled the rage and betrayal andpowerinto every strike.
He’d kissed me like I was oxygen—and left like I was smoke. He’d branded me as his—and walked away before I could decide if I’d acceptallof him.
And Goddess help me, it made me fight harder.
I took down the rogue. Heard the sickening crunch as his skull cracked under my final blow. My lungs were heaving, my legs shaking, but I didn’t stop. I turned—just in time to see Wolfe’s giant wolf tear through the clearing like vengeance made flesh.
He washuge.
Beautiful.
Terrifying.
When he passed me, brushing against my side with a growl thatfelt like a command, my wolf whimpered—and obeyed. Not out of fear. Out ofrecognition.
But I wasn’t done yet. I wasn’t going to let the pack see me cower, not even under the weight of fate.
Wolfe might be alpha.
He might be my mate.
But I was stillthe daughter of the Hollow, and I’d earn my place at his side with blood and fury—not because the mate bond demanded it.
I heard a pained shriek and turned to see the last of the intruders being taken down by Wolfe’s mighty strike.
The fight was over as quickly as it began, and the clearing stank of blood, piss, and wet fur.
Bodies littered the ground—some breathing, some not. The rogue pack had been relentless, vicious in a way that wasn’t about hunger or territory. This had been a message—and not one we could afford to ignore.
Injured wolves whimpered and snarled as our people moved through the wreckage. Wolves shifted to heal their injuries, but some were too broken to force the shift; they’d need their alpha’s help. Every nerve in my body screamed, but I kept moving, jaw tight, claws still half-shifted at my sides.
Not because I was afraid.
Because I was angry.
I came to a stop in the middle of it all, panting, sweat cooling on my spine. My vision was still sharpened. His presence hadn’t faded. If anything, it had settled—low and steady—like a drumbeat behind my ribs.
Wolfe.
His name was a pulse.
I could feel him at my back without turning. The scrape of his presence against my senses was too specific to mistake. Not just pack. Not just alpha. Mine.
I hated that it comforted me. Hated even more that it thrilled me.
A Hollow wolf limped past, dragging a wounded brother toward the pack hall. My legs felt like iron, but I moved, forcing one foot in front of the other. I was still in command. Still needed. And I couldn’t break down. Not yet.
“Rowen.”
I froze. His voice wasn’t gentle. It was gravel. Roughened by battle and smoke, by too many truths left unsaid. I didn’t turn.
“Are you hurt?” Wolfe asked, closer now.
“No.” The lie slid too easily from my throat. I was hurt. Just not in ways a healer could fix.
