Page 45 of Shattered and Saved

After a moment of silence, she said tenderly, “Stay.”

Glancing at her over my shoulder, I agreed, “Okay, I can stay a little longer.”

She shook her head. “No.” I arched an eyebrow, watching closely as she crawled toward me, sitting behind me. As her hands snaked around my torso, inviting me to lean against her, she whispered into my ear, “Move into the alpha suite with me.”

Her sudden invitation made me widen my eyes. Turning to look into her eyes, I wanted to confirm, “Avril, are you sure?”

Resting her chin on my shoulder, she brushed her lips against my neck, humming, “Mm-hmm.”

Letting my head fall backwards, I gave in, “Okay.”

A V R I L

Just to spend more time with Koen, I decided to order breakfast in my room. After we had eaten, I proceeded to make room for his things while he returned to his cottage for the last time to organize them.

Asking him to share the alpha chambers with me permanently wasn’t entirely spontaneous. I had been considering it for a few days, but I had to admit I was afraid of the backlash from the pack. It was one thing for them to know Koen and I were involved, but having him move in with me was far more serious. It would show them that my intentions withhim went beyond carnal desires - and that it could impact them. Now that he had proved himself, I hoped they would judge him fit to stand by my side rather than rely solely on my status in this pack.

While it was clear the Ashen Wolves had begun to respect him after his success in the trials - almost as if he truly were one of them - I could also sense their confusion. Koen’s position in the pack had become ambiguous. Only pack members had ever participated in the trials, and winning meant they were officially part of Azure Smoke. But Koen was a regular wolf, so where did that leave him? Though I was still unsure myself, I had thought of a simple way to resolve the issue, choosing to listen to my heart for once.

I could claim Koen as my chosen mate, making him king consort of the Ashen Wolves.

Maybe fate was too strong to deny. Perhaps our bond was always meant to be restored after we tried - and failed - to escape destiny. Bond or not, the truth remained: I wanted Koen as my mate, and I couldn’t hide it anymore - not from myself, not from him, or anyone else.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t ready to ask him the question yet. My friends supported me, but my uncle was less than pleased with the idea. I still needed to be sure that my actions wouldn’t divide the pack. Things were stable as they were, and I couldn’t risk disturbing the peace I had fought so hard to create with a hasty decision.

Keeping my thoughts to myself, I invited Koen to spend the rest of the morning outside with me. It was a rare day when I didn’t have a lot on my plate, and I wanted to enjoy it for a change. As soon as we reached a more secluded area, far enough from the village, we let our wolves out.

It was always amusing to watch Columbus and Kea interact. As they played together, rolling and swirling across the greengrass, their contrasting coats reminded me of a yin-yang. Good and evil. Dangerous alone but in perfect balance together.

At some point, Col started teasing Kea, nipping at her cheek and neck. She was quick to return the gesture, initiating a play fight. Amidst friendly growls, the two wolves fell to the floor, their teeth constantly grazing at each other’s skins.

A few minutes later, my she-wolf got a little more aggressive. In a quick move, she climbed on top of Col while he lay on his side, and she nipped him a little harder. Then a lot harder, until she was almost biting the spot between his neck and shoulder. Only then did I realize what she was doing.

She was trying to mark him.

I immediately forced her to move away from him, not hesitating to scold her,“What the hell was that, Kea?!”

“What?”She shrugged innocently.“You want to claim him just as much as I do. I can feel it.”

“Not like this - not now!”I barked.“It’s too soon. We can’t. Not yet.”

Frustrated, she was on the verge of arguing when a faint whimper from Col caught our attention. His head tilted in confusion - he didn’t understand why she had suddenly pulled away. Slowly, he crawled back toward her, brushing the underside of her muzzle with his own in a gentle gesture.

It was funny how his personality seemed to change around me. Like this, Col hardly resembled the powerful, intimidating alpha who had stepped in to protect me countless times at Whispering Hills. To my surprise, I realized I loved this softer version of him just as much as I loved the bold, unyielding leader.

In an attempt to reassure him, Kea touched him with her muzzle. However, the unshifting worry in his eyes let me know he wasn’t convinced. My heart beat faster as I realized I wouldn’thave an easy way out of the conversation I’d rather avoid for now.

Or I shouldn’t, had a greater issue not stolen our focus.

Col’s eyes darted to Kea’s front paw, and I noticed that her mark - only visible beneath her fur when active - was glowing.

I barely had time to process it when Theo’s voice echoed in my head.“Avril, we need you at the Banyan,”he said hurriedly. “There’s been a new awakening.”

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A V R I L

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