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Marshall’s fever broke overnight. Looks like our treatment worked. Get your furry behind over here for a check-up too.

Another followed from my security chief:

Roberts mine secured. Environmental team worked through the night. Vance in custody but not talking.

Sabrina read over my shoulder, joy lighting her face at the news about Marshall.

“Let’s head into town,” she said as she stood and stretched.

Her shirt rode up, revealing a strip of skin that instantly distracted me from my pain.

My gaze lingered, triggering a knowing smirk from her.

“I need to check on my patients and gather more blood samples for my research.”

The clinic bustled with activity when we arrived.

Marshall was propped up in bed, looking weak but alive.

His eyes tracked our entrance. “About time you two showed up,” he rasped, his voice weak but the familiar gruffness returning.

“Juniper says we’ve won.” His gaze moved meaningfully between us.

“Well, at least something good came out of this mess.”

Juniper appeared from the back room, hands smelling of medicinal herbs.

She squeezed my arm as she checked my bandages, her touch gentle despite her gruff demeanor.

“This is healing cleaner than I expected,” she observed, satisfaction in her tone.

“The town’s already talking,” she said, not bothering to lower her voice.

“The big bad wolf and the sunshine doctor. Some match you two make.” Her eyes crinkled at the corners, approval evident despite her teasing.

Sabrina’s cheeks colored, but she didn’t contradict the older woman. Instead, she busied herself checking Marshall’s vitals, her movements precise and professional despite Juniper’s knowing looks. The blush that stained her cheeks only enhanced her beauty, making my wolf preen with satisfaction.

As the day progressed, we worked side by side.

While Sabrina collected blood samples from affected shifters for her research, I coordinated with the environmental team and security.

Our partnership felt seamless now, our movements synchronized without conscious thought.

The town responded to us as a unit, the alpha and his mate, though neither had spoken those words aloud.

That evening, we returned to the mansion.

The familiar routine of coming home together felt both new and right, as though we’d been doing this for years instead of days.

I built a fire while Sabrina prepared tea, the domestic scene striking me with its rightness.

The crackle of kindling and the whistle of the kettle filled the space with comfort I’d never known I needed.

I joined her in the kitchen, leaning against the counter as she handed me a cup of tea. She grinned at me, a satisfied gleam in her eyes.

“I think I’ve isolated a component of the poison,” she said, the excitement blossoming across her face. She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “With enough research, I could develop something that would help everyone affected. Not just a treatment but a cure.”

I pulled her close, my lips brushing her forehead, breathing in her scent. Pride surged through me. Her brilliance was breathtaking. “You’ll do it. I have no doubt.” The absolute certainty in my voice surprised even me. My wolf had never felt such complete faith in anyone before.

Sabrina looked up at me. “About what you said before. About me staying…”

My heart stuttered, the rhythm faltering as my wolf tensed, preparing for rejection. Had I presumed too much? “I meant it,” I said carefully, trying to keep the sudden vulnerability from my voice. “I want you to stay. Forever.”

A slow smile spread across her face, like dawn breaking over the mountains. Her hand came up to cup my jaw, thumb tracing the line of my stubble. The gentle touch sent shivers down my spine. “Good. Because you couldn’t get rid of me if you tried.”

The wolf inside me howled in triumph as I captured her lips with mine. Her body melted against me, fitting perfectly as though designed specifically for this purpose. No more words were needed as we moved to the bedroom, our bodies expressing what our hearts already knew.

Later, as we lay tangled together, with Sabrina’s head on my chest, I stroked her hair, marveling at how completely she’d transformed my world.

The silky strands slipped through my fingers like water, and I breathed in her scent, now mixed with mine in a way that satisfied my wolf on a primal level.

The past was behind me, the future uncertain with Victoria’s inevitable retaliation, but here, with her, I’d found the center of my universe.

“We’ll face whatever comes,” Sabrina murmured, her voice sleepy. Her fingers traced lazy patterns on my skin, avoiding the bandaged areas with care, each touch healing something deeper than flesh. “And I’ll find that antidote, Logan. I promise.”

I tightened my hold on her. For the first time since I had been betrayed by my pack, the gnawing in my chest was gone. What had festered for years was finally starting to heal.

Outside, the wind had calmed, the storm had passed, leaving a clear night sky visible through the window. Stars shone bright over Angel Spring, a town that somehow, improbably, had become home. My territory. Our territory.

I slept deeply, without pain, with my mate in my arms and my wolf at peace.