The day came faster than expected.
My wolf was restless—pacing, growling, clawing beneath my skin. He'd waited too long, suffered too much, and today… he'd finally see her again.
We didn't stop to rest.
What took us three days before, we crushed in two.
The wildlands looked the same—but everything felt different. I wasn't limping. I wasn't bleeding. I wasn't broken.
I was Alpha now.
And I was here for her.
The moment I stepped into the clearing, I felt her.
She was inside the cabin, quiet and still. Meditating… or maybe resting.
Through the open window, I saw her.
Asha.
And the sight of her nearly knocked the air out of me.
Time had worked on her like old wine—slow and rich and dangerous.
Her hair had grown longer, wilder. Her skin glowed even in the shadow of the room, kissed by moonlight and herbs. Her curves… sharper now, more defined. And even seated, she looked like a goddess carved in quiet power.
But I saw it too—
The dark circles under her eyes.
The weight she carried.
The healer still giving too much of herself to everyone but her.
Still so beautiful.
Still so herself.
And then—on cue—she opened her eyes.
Those same blue orbs.
Piercing. Dazzling. Endless.
The kind that could trap you with one look and make you pray to never be free.
For a moment, she was confused.
Blinking. Processing.
Like she couldn't trust what she was seeing.
Then… realization hit.
Her breath caught—
And she ran.
Right into my arms.
No words. No hesitation. No fear.
She just melted into me, soft and warm and heartbreakingly real.
And gods…
She was so damn soft.
I wrapped my arms around her tightly, burying my face in her hair as my heart thundered inside my chest.
She still smelled like home.
She still felt like peace.
And I wasn't letting her go again.
Her voice was softer now.
Quieter than I remembered.
It trembled—not from fear, but exhaustion.
She spoke about the rogue attacks—how they'd gotten closer, how she had to start hiding patients in the cellar, how two cabins nearby had been burned down just last week.
She tried to sound strong, to shrug it off like it was just another day in the wilds.
But her voice cracked at the edges.
And that—
That was the opening I needed.
While she was still talking, still explaining, I leaned forward just slightly, eyes locked on her.
"I came to visit," I said. Calm. Intentional. "To tell you I'm Alpha now."
She looked up, blinking.
I gave her a small, soft smile.
"But now that I've heard all this… these attacks, this danger…"
I paused, voice tightening.
"I can't leave you here, Asha. Not like this. My conscience would tear me apart. Rhen wouldn't let me rest."
She opened her mouth to argue, but I raised a hand gently.
"You won't lose anything. Not your space. Not your calling."
That flicker of resistance faded slightly in her eyes.
I stepped closer, grounding my voice in certainty.
"You can come back with me. To my pack. You'd have full freedom. Your own clinic. You'd be the pack's healer—not just surviving, but thriving. Helping more people. Training others if you wanted. You wouldn't be locked in. You'd be… honored."
She froze.
I saw it hit her.
The purpose.
The possibility.
The truth in my offer.
She never wanted a crown.
But a calling with safety?
That… she could live with.
So I pressed one more time, gently but firmly.
"You don't have to fight alone anymore, Asha.
Let me give you a place where you don't have to keep choosing between healing others… and surviving yourself."