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‘So,’ Abby said, leaning over the table, her grin devious, ‘is it true your new man is one of those sexy spectral wolves everyone is chatting about?’

Savvine shook her head. ‘Well, appears themostrolegend is no longer feared.’

Abby waggled her brows. ‘Ever since your father called open slather on metas and enhanced beings, all the singles on the ark ship have lost their minds trying to track one down for themselves. It’s the lure of the forbidden. I gather they’re sensual as hell. Every unattached woman across the flotilla wants tofokkone.’

Elegantly sipping her mist fruit tea, Laleh arched a sculpted brow. ‘Sounds like you’re on the prowl, Abby. Back to Savvine and her new man. So he carried you through open space. Cradled you like a goddess?’

Savvine blinked, setting down her mug. ‘Who’s talking all this shit?’

‘Sweetheart,’ Abby drawled, tossing a braid over her shoulder, ‘when your man single-handedly nukes a synth bot and saves an entire ark ship, the chat apps go wild.’

Savvine groaned, burying her face in her hands. ‘You’re impossible. I only came over to handle Leiko’s promotion and catch up with you two. Is this what I get? It’s an ambush!’

Unfazed, Laleh plucked a piece of her flatbread, dragging it through honeyed ricotta. ‘So, is he as lethal in bed as in battle?’

Savvine choked. ‘Laleh!’

‘What?’ Laleh said with a smirk. ‘You’ve got that hazy, eyes dilated blur on your face. The one that sayshe rearranged my spine and marked me.’

Abby whooped with laughter and slapped the table. ‘That’s it! Oh my void, I knew it. Care to explain your new ink?’

Savvine blushed so furiously her face scorched. ‘Va bene! We’re together, and yes, we’re cheesy like that with matching glyphs. It’s a star wolf claiming mark.’

Her friends gasped.

‘Oh my,’ Laleh breathed. ‘It’s even better than the gossip vines say it is.’

‘Stop,’ Savvine groaned. ‘I’m going to say this once and never again. Xander is amazing, kind, sweet, intense, and brooding, and the man for me, no doubt.’

Laleh leaned in, her smile softening. ‘Tell us more.’

Savvine glanced between them, two women who had stood by her through uprising and exile, and let herself melt a little.

‘He’s smart,’ she confessed. ‘Like, intelligent in ways that catch you off-guard. He’s also attentive. He can dismantle a threat mid-flight, take note that you haven’t eaten, and then feed you. He’s got fire in his blood, but he softens when we’re alone. He’s a lycan warrior in battle, a sensual wolf in the bedroom, and a teddy bear at all other times.’

Abby placed her chin on both hands, eyes sparkling. ‘Does he talk dirty in bed?’

Savvine narrowed her eyes. ‘Are you thirteen?’

‘If you’re referring to my emotional maturity, then, yes.’

Savvine rolled her eyes. ‘All you need to know is that we love each other and are marked, claimed, and knotted for eternity.’

Abby’s expression turned wistful. ‘That’s real, Savv. The kind of romance we only read about before the world fell apart. The sort of passion I dream of.’

Lelah smirked. ‘And he’s hot. Let’s not pretend that’s not half the appeal.’

Savvine sipped herkahawa, trying and failing to suppress the smile that curled her lips. ‘He’s soooo hot.’

They all laughed, voices blending with the mellow hum of music and conversation from the other tables. The café’s lights flickered as the dome adjusted for artificial sunset.

Laleh reached for her pastry, then paused. ‘What comes now?’

Savvine gazed out the window at a maintenance drone tending the garden paths. ‘I’ve taken charge of the Signet air force. I’m training the next gen of pilots and fighters, and we’re building a life together.’

‘What about babies?’ Abby asked with a mischievous glint.

Savvine threw a napkin at her.