ASH

We weren’t sure what drew us here, but we came, just outside our territory.

The air smelled wrong. The forest felt dead around us—no birds, no rustling leaves, just the sharp, metallic scent of blood.

And something that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

Our pack didn’t wander this far without reason, and as far as we knew, rival packs didn’t hunt here either. That alone felt wrong.

There, on the forest floor. A woman. Naked, her body covered in scratches—like from claws—and bruises, her dark hair tangled. The forest was dense here, with a decent distance between the town limits. There was an odd scent lingering; a rival shifter had been here.

I put my snout to her and sniffed deeply. Something about her scent called to me.

Scooting back, I willed the change to happen. The thick fur retreated, my body reformed, and my paws became limbs again. It happened with minimal fuss now, but it had been hell in those early years when I started shifting.

I sniffed deeply. Something about her scent echoed mine .

I rolled her over, my heart pounding in my chest. When I saw her face, my breath caught—everything inside me froze.

The force of it nearly knocked me off my feet.

She looked so fragile and broken, her innocent face almost angelic.

A bruise bloomed over her eyes, but something about her sent a pulse of heat through my chest, a flare of recognition that made my hands shake.

I scooped her up, cradling her against my chest, careful not to jostle her.

She groaned softly, her breath shallow, and I could feel her heart hammering beneath my hands.

Every instinct told me to protect her. I paused for a moment, studying the slight form in my arms. Her scent didn’t match any I’d known.

Foreign. But something in it pulled at me.

I cradled her to my chest and nodded to Connor.

We walked grimly back to the house. He remained in his wolf form, alert for any potential threats.

We were both hyper-alert. Every crunch of a leaf beneath my feet echoed in the unnatural quiet.

If it were true, then whatever had done this to her could return to finish the job.

My shoulders released when we stepped back into our territory, an invisible line marked by our scent.

I breathed a sigh of relief when we could see our house.

A large, modern home built to blend with the forest. Skylights and large windows invited nature into our living spaces.

Bringing her inside, I paused. The bedroom downstairs had a bathroom connected and was close to the living room.

It felt auspicious to put this woman here.

We had no choice; she had to go to her bed. Claire’s old bed.

I pulled the covers back, placed her down, carefully arranging her head on the pillow and her arms by her side.

I’d prefer to dress her, but everything of Claire’s, our former mate, was gone and would have been too big. I smoothed her hair back from her face. The bruise across her eyes seemed to grow. Connor growled as we noted it. He walked closer to the bed, sniffing at her hair, face, and neck.

Neither of us wanted to leave her, but we needed to talk.

I tilted my head to Connor, who loped ahead of me, graceful in his wolf form.

I sank into the couch, rubbing my face with my hands, her scent distracted me, urging me to return to her.

Connor had changed back and was completely naked. I tossed him the pants beside me.

He cursed. Those were my thoughts exactly. He shucked on the pants.

“You smelled it,” I confirmed.

“Yeah. But it can’t be right. Can It?” He dropped down next to me.

“You mean, can we possibly have a second mate after…Claire?” The words felt heavy, like a stone in my chest. We buried Claire three years ago.

I still couldn’t say her name aloud. We had shared our mate bond—what was meant to be the only bond—and it was a pain I couldn’t ever quite outrun.

The idea that another bond could manifest, that another mate could be possible .

.. It felt like spitting in the face of everything I had lost. I wasn’t sure if I wanted it to or not.

But she was here, and I couldn’t deny her existence or my job to protect her.

“No,” Connor said quietly. “It’s not ‘we’.”

“What do you mean? I smell it. I felt it.”

He exhaled sharply. “I think it’s just you.”

“You feel nothing?” I asked, my voice low.

Connor’s gaze flicked to her, then back to me, as if trying to untangle a knot that wouldn’t loosen. “Not nothing . I feel... something, but it’s not the same. Not a mate bond. Not like I felt with Claire.”

The words hit me like a physical blow. Was it guilt that tightened my chest, or relief?

I didn’t know. Maybe I didn’t want to know.

This wasn’t supposed to be a possibility.

I couldn’t comprehend this. We had shared our first mate.

It had been nearly impossible and had ended tragically.

Second mates were rare—unheard of, even.

This could be almost as devastating as the first time.

“How did she end up here without the pack knowing she exists?” He asked questions we couldn’t answer, but we needed to say them aloud.

For the past three years, we had existed here together, going through the motions of life.

But we hadn’t had a proper conversation in a long time. Not since we’d buried our mate.

This wasn’t just about the mate bond; it was about what brought her here, who—or what —had hurt her. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized that what we were dealing with could be bigger than us.

“Doesn’t matter,” I said, my voice low and steady, though the truth of it bit hard. “Whatever happens, we protect her. That’s the job. It’s what we do.”

I could see him grappling with the same conclusion. However, he had to accept it. Slowly, he nodded, but a lingering cloud of doubt still hung over him. “What if she’s not meant to be ours—or rather, yours?”

I didn't respond immediately because I wasn't certain.

What was clear, however, was that the connection felt right.

Even if it wasn't the same as before, and even if it didn't completely make sense, my attraction towards her was undeniable.

I couldn't just walk away from her after everything I had already experienced.

“I’ll deal with it. Later,” I said, my voice firm. “For now, we get her back to full strength. We find out what happened. One thing at a time.”

Connor didn’t look convinced, but I didn’t need him to be. He just had to follow my lead. “You sure about this?”

I exhaled, leaning back against the couch, rubbing my face. There were a hundred things I wasn’t sure about right now, but this? This I was sure of. “I don’t have a choice, Connor. And neither do you.”

His eyes met mine then, a quiet understanding passing between us. He wasn’t going to like it, but he would follow. He always did.

“I know. Just be careful, Ash.” His voice softened at the end, more concern than anything else. “She’s not like Claire.”

I could hear the unspoken words between us. Claire had been ours , and this woman was different. But as I looked at her, still unconscious, so fragile, I knew one thing for sure.

“She isn’t just another stranger. She’s ours.” Mine, biologically, ours by way of family.

And we would protect her, whatever it took.