Page 184 of The Moonborn's Curse

Hagan stilled, lowering himself back down, muscles taut.

In the kitchen, the faucet hissed. Threk handed her the soap. Their movements fell into a rhythm—comfortable, practised.

"You okay?" he asked quietly.

Seren sighed. "I don't know."

Threk dried a bowl. "He watches you like a man at the edge of a cliff."

She didn't look up.

"I've seen how wolves court. He's doing it the slow way. He brings food and offers quiet. Leaves notes."

"He's everywhere."

"He's not forcing you."

"No." She bit her lip. "

"I know he's been everywhere," Threk said, eyes soft. "I know it's overwhelming. But... my instincts? They say he's sincere. Really in it, this time."

Seren blinked at him. "You don't think he's just trying to mark territory?"

"I'd smell that a mile away," he said simply. "This isn't dominance. It's... devotion."

She swallowed hard.

"You deserve to be courted like the force of nature you are," Threk said gently. "If I even get a whiff of bad vibes from him, I'll remind him that a bear's hug can be permanent."

Seren laughed, blinking fast. "Thanks, Threk."

"It may not seem like it, but I'm on your side, Seren," he said, nudging her shoulder. "Always."

She glanced back into the kitchen, where Veyr and Ryn were now debating throwing stars.

Chapter 66

The morning light barely crept through the blinds when Seren stirred, her body wrapped in warmth that didn't belong to her blanket.

A weight shifted against her side.

Soft fur. Steady breath. A heartbeat she knew better than her own.

"Gods," she whispered, blinking as she registered the large wolf curled beside her on the bed, taking up most of it—again.

"Really?" she muttered.

The wolf gave a huff, his icy blue eyes cracking open. He blinked at her with unrepentant innocence and then—very deliberately—shifted.

In less than a breath, Hagan was lying beside her, shirtless, his body heat radiating like a furnace.

"I brought breakfast," he said, unfazed.

She stared. "And you thought breaking into my bed was the best way to deliver it?"

He shrugged, sitting up and grabbing a backpack from the floor. "You weren't answering the door. So, I took the initiative."

She just looked at him for a long moment before rolling out of bed and grabbing the nearest blanket to wrap around herself. "What do you want, Hagan?"

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