Dawn broke cold and clear, the sky streaked with pink and gold. Arianna woke in Duncan's arms, the mate bond humming between them like a living thing. She could feel him even in sleep—his heartbeat, his breathing, the steady presence of his wolf intertwined with hers.

For a moment, she let herself stay there, safe and warm. Then reality crashed back in.

Today she would fight Kael. Today she would either reclaim everything or lose it all.

"You're thinking too loud," Duncan murmured against her hair. "I can feel your anxiety through the bond."

"Can you also feel the terror? Because there's a lot of that too."

Duncan shifted to...