She took my place "The Alpha's decision"

very breath was a quick gasp, a painful reminder of the claws that had torn across her ribs, of the teeth that had slashed into her side. Her eyes swam, distorted by sweat and

a Th

violent, unyielding male whose presence was the whole substance of her existence. They were fated, their connection inscribed by the moon itsel

though her pups had yet to be birthed. She'd been at the vanguard, a flurry of silver fur and snapping jaws, her shouts piercing the darkness as she drove back the invaders. But even a Luna, particularly one as terrible

rowl, she'd withdrawn, a frantic, strategic retreat, drawing some of the rogues away from the ma

seemed like a silent, indifferent judge. The moon, generally a source of strength and comfort, was veiled by dense clouds, placing the forest in a

she detested, but she couldn't help it. Her muscles screamed in protest, each movement a fresh torture. She felt lightheaded, th

ith anxiety, his powerful hands tenderly tending to her wounds. She watched him clutching her tight, relishing her perfume, whispering words

y a stray gust of wind, then stronger. Pack. Relief surged over he

he trees began to thin, giving way to a more controlled section of the forest, the boundary

e her urgent need to reach safety. It was faint, unfamiliar, but clearly a female wolf's fra

exertion and misery, suddenly pounded with a novel form

e a trick of her muddled senses, a hallucination from the b

to the packhouse grounds. It was delicious, nearly overbearing, foreign to the comfy combination

o make out the scene before her. The packhouse stood, welcoming and cheery. And in

small, exquisite figure standing close to him. A she-wolf. Her fur was a delicate, pale grey, almost silver in the moonlight, and her he

ey weren't in danger. The

r flesh and struck directly at her soul. The hum of her mate connection, which had been her anchor, her life force, fli

ra couldn't quite hear, but the gesture, the touch, the serene connectio

ontrast to the clean vision before her. The anguish in her body was nothing compared to the ic

pain. It came from a knowing that chilled her to the co

es, large and innocent, met Lyra's across the black breadth of the clearing.

snarl of protest, the she-wolf opened her lips, and her voi

her gaze still fixed on