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She leaned against Gaya and smiled as the crowd surged to its feet once more.

Their people had been shaken but were not broken, and now, they had a worthy leader to shepherd them to Pegasi.

30

Wolf Axis

XANDER

TheSombra’sCommander prowled from the mess back toward his cabin on the lake, hands buried deep in his jacket pockets.

The simulated evening light on his ship’s arboretum deck glimmered over the water, casting soft reflections of copper and violet across its glassy surface.

Couples strolled hand in hand along the edge of the lake, laughter echoing like distant chimes.

Children chased glowing moths.

Elders sat on benches, speaking in soft tones.

Emotion clenched in Xander’s chest.

For some reason, tonight, a day after his release from the hospital, the loneliness bit deeper.

The woman he missed had been gone too long, even if it had only been a few days.

His boots crunched over the gravel as he rounded the final bend toward the executive quarter, where the lake grew still and the paths emptied.

His private cabin rested in shadow, tucked beneath the boughs of a willow tree, its windows dim.

He was unzipping his jacket as he stepped onto the front porch when he froze.

His neural node fired a warning.

A ripple of heat shivered across his skin.

A signature scent filled his nostrils.

One so familiar and intimate, it jolted him to his core.

His lips curled into a slow, knowing half-smile.

‘Well, well,’ he muttered, pushing the door open with anticipatory ease.

The interior was dark, calm, quiet, fragranced with cedar, clean linen, andher.

He flinched at the sound of a soft click.

A lamp near the hearth blinked on, spilling a halo of light.

She sat in his armchair, legs crossed, her black jacket unzipped just enough to reveal the curve of her breast, a shadow of enticing skin in a deep vee.

Her face, half in luminosity, the rest in silhouette, was unreadable. Her hair coiled over one shoulder.

Her thighs were long and lithe, one knee crossed over another.

However, her eyes burned with sensual heatfor him.

‘Took your damn time, soldier.’