Page 104 of Wolf's Reckoning
He’d known.
He’d scented it, felt the tether,walked back into this Hollow knowing exactly what he was—and saidnothing.
Rage rose fast and hot, clashing hard with the pulse of desire thudding low in my belly. My body wanted him. My wolfcravedhim.
ButI? I wanted to rip him apart. I staggered to my feet. My wolf howled in my chest, a mix of grief and euphoria.
I wasn’t sure if I was going to kiss him—or kill him.
But I was going to find out.
Chapter 25
Wolfe
Feet pounded across the dirt,fury laced in every step.
I didn’t turn. That energy—untamed, sharp as a blade, and twice as personal—could only belong to one wolf.
She didn’t call my name. That wasn’t her way. She stormed into view like the Goddess herself had set her alight. Eyes blazing. Cheeks flushed. Breathing ragged.
And fuck, she smelled like?—
Mine.
Every step she took forward, my wolf howled in triumph. But I stood still. Grounded. Steady. Because one of us had to be.
“You knew,” she spat. Not a question. An accusation.
I met her gaze without flinching. “Knew what?”
“You knew.” Her body was shaking with adrenaline. “You knew you were an alpha, and you said nothing?”
The tic in my jaw jumped. “What would you have done if I had?”
She froze. Her hands clenched at her sides. “That’s not your choice to make.”
“You’re wrong,” I said softly. “It was no one else’s choicebutmine.”
She stepped closer, chest rising and falling. Her scent hit me like a hammer to the chest—heat and pain and everything primal between.
“You came here knowing you were an alpha,” she hissed. “You came here and—what? Stood back. Watched. Played games.”
“I came here to make sure that a girl I once knew wasn’t treated like a hunk of meat at a trading market,” I said, voice low. Controlled. “I stayed because an alpha named me his successor.” I fixed her with a hard glare. “You know?”
“Yes,” she hissed. “I feel it,” she spat with rage. “You did this?” she demanded, like I had summoned it from thin air.
“No,” I said, stepping closer. “Neither of us gets to make this choice, you know that.”
That stopped her. Just for a second. But her eyes still burned.
“You kept it from me.”
“I didn’t owe you an explanation,” I growled, stepping into her space. “Not when you looked at me like I was the mistake that ruined your life.”
She shoved me. Hard. Hands flat to my chest. I didn’t move. I let her rage crash over me like a wave hitting stone. Let her spit the fire that had been burning her alive.
“I hate you,” she said. “I hate you for this. I wish I never met you. That I’d never let myself—” Her voice cracked.
