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I watched Sabrina sleeping beside me, her dark lashes casting delicate shadows on her cheeks.

Something fundamental had shifted inside me.

My enhanced hearing picked up the gentle rhythm of her heartbeat, steady and calm.

Outside, a fox slipped through the underbrush.

My wolf cataloged the sound automatically, dismissing it as non-threatening.

The territory around the cabin had been marked as mine long ago, my scent warnings clear to any creature with the sense to heed them.

But now, as I inhaled deeply, I realized the markers had changed.

My scent was now intertwined with Sabrina’s, creating something new and powerful.

It was the unmistakable marker of a mated pair’s territory.

My wolf, usually prowling restlessly beneath my skin, was content and silent when she was around.

The sensation was so foreign that I nearly gasped aloud.

For years, my inner beast had been a source of constant vigilance, always alert for threats, always prepared to defend.

Now it purred with a bone-deep satisfaction that left me reeling.

I carefully traced the curve of her shoulder with my fingertips, afraid she might vanish if I touched her too firmly.

The mate bond between us pulsed like a living thing, warm and vibrant.

I could feel her emotions now, a gentle echo alongside my own.

It was contentment, security, and beneath it all, a fierce protectiveness that matched my own.

Mine , my wolf rumbled. Ours to protect. Ours to cherish.

The weight of that responsibility should have terrified me. Instead, it settled on me like a crown I’d been born to wear.

For so long, I’d defined myself by what I wasn’t. I was not weak like my father, not manipulative like Victoria, not a pawn to be sacrificed for the Song pack’s advancement. I’d built walls around myself so thick and high that I’d forgotten what it felt like to let anyone see beyond them.

Yet Sabrina had walked through those barriers as if they were nothing more than fog.

I pressed my face into her hair, breathing in her scent. The chronic pain that had been my constant companion flared briefly before subsiding to a dull throb, as if even that ancient wound recognized the healing that had begun.

“I never thought I’d find this,” I whispered against her skin, the confession easier in the hushed stillness of dawn with her still drifting in sleep. “Never thought I deserved it.”

She stirred slightly, instinctively pressing closer to me. Through our new bond, I felt her happiness ripple, responding to my touch even in sleep. The sensation nearly undid me.

For the first time since I’d left the Song pack, the hollow ache of isolation that had been carved into my chest was filled. Not just with Sabrina, but with the possibility of family, of belonging, of a future where I wasn’t perpetually braced for betrayal.

It terrified me. It exhilarated me. It felt like coming home to a place I’d never known existed. I tightened my arms around her, a silent vow forming in my heart. I would protect this bond with everything I had.

Morning arrived in thin beams of light filtering through the cabin’s wooden slats.

For the first time in years, I woke without the immediate stab of pain in my side.

Sabrina’s head rested on my chest still, her arm draped across my torso.

The buzzing of my phone pulled me from this unexpected peace.

I carefully extracted myself from Sabrina’s warm embrace, her soft breathing uninterrupted as I slipped outside to answer.

The moment I stepped away from her, the pain returned, sharper than before, as if punishing me for the brief respite.

Reeve’s message hit me like ice water. “The Roberts Mine CEO is dead. Victoria’s making her move.”

My stomach plummeted. I clenched my fists, staring at the screen. This was no coincidence. Victoria’s fingerprints were all over this. I could feel it in my bones.

When I stepped back inside, Sabrina was beginning to stir awake, her eyes fluttering open slowly. Her hair was mussed from sleep, her lips still slightly swollen from our kisses.

“What’s wrong?” The remnants of sleep vanished from her voice when she saw my expression.

I sat beside her, handing her the phone. “Roberts is dead. Victoria’s behind it.”

Her face paled as she read the message. “This is bad, Logan. She’s trying to take control.”

“We need to act fast.” My jaw tightened with resolve. “She’s not going to stop until she gets what she wants.”

Sabrina reached for my hand, her grip strong and certain. “We’ll stop her.”

As we prepared to leave the sanctuary of the cabin, I paused at the threshold, my hand braced against the doorframe. I turned to face her, suddenly needing her to understand.

“Last night… it meant something to me.” The words felt clumsy, inadequate for what I was trying to convey. “This wasn’t just a one time thing for me.”

Her smile reached her eyes, warming them like sunshine. “It meant something to me, too.”

The drive back to town passed in comfortable silence. The threat of Victoria loomed larger than ever, but my thoughts kept circling back to Sabrina, her strength and her compassion, and the way she’d somehow slipped past every defense I’d built.

When we arrived at the clinic to check on Marshall, I noticed the old wolf was sitting up in bed, and some color had returned to his weathered face. A rush of relief washed through me as Sabrina immediately switched into doctor mode, reaching for her stethoscope.

“Your complexion’s better,” she observed, pressing the cold metal disc against his chest. “Deep breath for me.”

Marshall complied, his knowing gaze moving between us as Sabrina conducted her examination.

I could feel his assessment, sharp and perceptive despite his illness.

He’d always been able to read me, even when I first arrived in town.

In many ways, he’d filled the void my father had left by simply being the kind of man I’d needed to see. Strong, principled, patient.

“The fever’s down,” Sabrina announced, checking his chart with efficient movements. “And your white count is stabilizing.” Her fingers pressed gently along his lymph nodes. “Swelling’s reduced too. How’s the pain?”

“Still there, but not trying to tear me apart from the inside anymore,” Marshall replied, his voice stronger than I’d heard it in days. My wolf relaxed slightly at the improvement in his condition.

As Sabrina continued her exam, checking his pupils and lung sounds, Marshall’s eyes locked with mine. “Something’s happened,” he stated rather than asked, reading my tension. “I can smell it on you.”

I nodded grimly. “Roberts is dead. Someone’s making their move.”

Marshall’s weathered face hardened. “Convenient timing, wouldn’t you say?” Though he didn’t know Victoria or her schemes, Marshall had always possessed an uncanny ability to sense when larger forces were at work. “This mine business stinks worse than a wounded coyote.”

“You don’t know the half of it,” I muttered, thinking of Victoria’s ruthless ambition. “It’s complicated. Family business.”

Marshall’s eyebrows rose at that. He knew enough about my past to understand what those two words meant coming from me. “Your family business has a way of becoming everyone’s problem, son.”

“I know,” I admitted. “This town, the pack territories surrounding it. It’s all being threatened.”

“And how do you plan to handle it?” Marshall asked, not demanding an answer, but guiding me toward finding my own solution. It was how he’d always approached our conversations, from the day I’d arrived in Angel Spring, a lone wolf with too many scars and not enough trust.

Sabrina finished writing her notes in Marshall’s chart before joining the conversation. “We have evidence of the contamination,” she said. “If we can prove who’s responsible—”

“You’ll need more than paper trails,” Marshall interrupted gently. “People with power don’t leave obvious tracks.”

I rubbed my jaw, feeling the stubble there. “You’re right. We need a direct connection between the mine operations and what’s happened here.”

Marshall nodded, relaxing back against his pillows.

Though still weak, the improvement in his condition was undeniable.

His eyes weren’t as glassy, his breathing less labored.

The veins in his neck, which had been dark and prominent just days ago, had faded to their normal appearance.

Whatever Sabrina had done was working, at least temporarily.

“You’ve done good work, Doctor,” Marshall said to Sabrina, his tone warm with approval that made my chest tighten. He’d never been easy with praise, making it all the more meaningful when offered. “This town hasn’t had proper medical care in a long time.”

“Thank you,” Sabrina replied, her cheeks flushing slightly. “But we need to stop the source, or this will just keep happening.”

“You two make a good team,” he remarked, a faint smile playing on his still-pale lips. Marshall’s gaze shifted between us again, a knowing glint in his eyes that made me want to look away. He saw too much, always had.

I glanced at Sabrina, chest swelling with a pride I’d never felt before. “Yeah,” I agreed softly. “We do.”

“About damn time you found someone worth fighting alongside,” Marshall added, his voice lowering so only my shifter hearing could catch it. “Instead of fighting alone.”

“Now,” Marshall continued, speaking normally again.

“You two better get moving. Whoever’s behind this won’t wait for you to build a perfect case.

” He reached out, catching my wrist in a surprisingly strong grip.

“And Logan? Remember what I taught you about hunting wounded predators. They’re at their most dangerous when cornered. ”

I nodded, covering his hand with mine briefly. “Rest. Get stronger. We’ll handle this.”

As we prepared to leave, Marshall called after us: “Doctor Wu?”

Sabrina turned back. “Yes?”

“Whatever you’re doing for me is working. I can feel my wolf healing.” His eyes, so much like the timber wolves that roamed these mountains, held fierce determination. "Use that. The evidence isn’t just numbers on paper. It’s lives.

She nodded. “I will.”

Outside the clinic, I paused, taking in Sabrina’s focused expression. The sunlight caught in her dark hair, highlighting strands of deep amber I hadn’t noticed before. The mate bond between us hummed steadily, a constant awareness of her presence that both grounded and exhilarated me.

“Marshall’s looking better,” I observed. “Your treatment is working.”

“For now,” she qualified, but I could feel her satisfaction through our bond. “But it’s just managing symptoms. If we don’t stop the contamination once and for all…”

She didn’t need to finish. We both knew what was at stake. It was not just Marshall’s life, but the entire shifter community of Angel Spring. My territory. My responsibility.

And now, with Sabrina by my side, I finally felt equipped to face it.

As we walked to my truck, I instinctively placed my hand at the small of Sabrina’s back. “Victoria won’t stop until she gets what she wants,” I said. “But neither will we.”

Sabrina’s eyes met mine. Through our bond, I could feel her resolve matching my own. “No,” she agreed, reaching up to brush her fingers against my jaw. “We won’t.”

My wolf practically purred with satisfaction. For the first time in years, I wasn’t facing a fight alone. We’d build our case against Victoria and the Roberts Mine. We’d protect what was ours.

But today, in this moment, I allowed myself to savor the certainty that had replaced a lifetime of doubt. Sabrina was my mate, my partner, my future. And nothing, not Victoria, not the Song pack, not all the forces they could muster, would take that from me.