Page 35 of The Last Sanctuary

The wolf seized her neck in his jaws.

Chapter Fifteen

Raven froze. Not swallowing, not breathing, not moving a millimeter. Terror stopped her heart in her chest.

The wolf’s teeth pricked the flesh over her jugular. His powerful jaws would pulverize her neck, her spine. Those jaws could crush the breath from her body.

He could kill her in a heartbeat, without even trying.

She considered stabbing him with her knife, but that would cause him to bite down on instinct. Either way, she was dead.

She was completely helpless. There was nothing she could do but remain still and count the eternal seconds in her mind, willing herself not to panic, to lock her terror somewhere deep inside.

Five seconds passed. Ten. Twenty. Forty-five. A full minute.

Finally, the wolf released her throat.

She gasped for breath. Still, she kept herself completely motionless. A single bead of blood dripped down the side of her neck.

The wolf stepped back and stared at her with his yellow eyes. He didn’t growl or yelp or bare his teeth. He simply watched her, his gaze shrewd and assessing.

What was she supposed to do now? He wanted something. Expected her to do something. But what?

Her mind raced, scrolling through her conversations and observations of her father, all the things he’d taught her about wolf biology and behavior.

It was a test.

This whole night was a test, from the circling to bumping into her to nipping her shoulder and leg. By seizing her throat—one of the most vulnerable parts of the body—he displayed his power and authority as alpha. He had demonstrated his ability to kill her if he wished.

Now she had to prove that she understood him. Raven dropped the knife and rolled onto her back, exposing her belly in submission like she’d seen the lower hierarchy timber wolves do. In this way, she was showing him she knew that she was weak and defenseless. That she recognized he was the one with the power, not her.

This wasn’t an attack. It was a request for trust.

“I get it,” she whispered. “You’re in charge. I respect you as the leader above me.”

Again, he stood over her, leaned down, and took her throat in his jaws.

She lay there, every muscle taut. She stared glassy-eyed at the patches of star-spangled sky through the black branches. Her heart beat in her throat, pulsing against his jaws.

The wolf squeezed her neck harder.You know what I’m capable of,he seemed to say. He was purposefully choosing not to harm her, proving that she could trust him back.

“I understand,” she forced out. “I… I trust you.”

He let go of her neck and stepped back.

He watched as she pulled herself to a sitting position, breathing hard. She rubbed her throat. It was tender, slick with hot saliva. Apart from the shallow puncture, she was unharmed.

Relief and astonishment tangled in her stomach. He could’ve easily killed her, but he didn’t. A true alpha wasn’t the one who used unnecessary brute force. He was the one who chose not to.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you, Shadow.”

His ears flicked toward her, like he was listening. His tail wagged gently.

Shadow trotted away, then paused and glanced back over his shoulder. He took a few more steps, then glanced back at her again.

An invitation.

He wanted her to follow him.