Karl’s fingers drummed against the edge of the carved wooden table, the sharp metallic rhythm echoing the restlessness he felt.

He had been pacing the halls of his private chambers for almost an hour. When Rey finally arrived, the faint sound of her steps echoing in the polished stone corridors. His wolf had been restless all evening, senses straining for her presence, and when he caught her scent mingling with the faint trace of danger, his temper flared, not with anger, but with a deep, possessive hunger.

She had escaped danger, yes but she had returned. And that was all that mattered.

The moment she entered the room, he stepped...