The morning had already started badly.
I had barely slept.
Now, standing in the courtyard while Eren explained something about the northern patrol route, I could feel it again.
A faint thread of warmth somewhere inside the house.
Alive.
Too close.
"You're not listening."
Eren's voice cut through the noise in my head.
"I am."
"You're staring at the wall."
I dragged my attention back to him.
"What's the problem with the patrol?"
"Nothing," he said. "The patrol is fine."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"You're the problem."
"I'm functioning."
"You're distracted."
Eren crossed his arms.
"You've read the same report three times."
"I was checking for errors."
"You were checking the door."
I didn't answer.
Because he was right.
Footsteps sounded behind us as someone crossed the courtyard carrying a crate toward the storage building.
My attention shifted automatically.
She was moving.
Inside the house.
Heading toward the lower corridor.
I exhaled slowly.
"Two days," Eren said quietly.
"I know."
"That's not what worries me."
"What does."
"You."
Before I could respond, another scent reached me.
Male.
Young.
One of the newer wolves.
It came from the open door of the storage wing.
And beneath it –
Mara.
My head turned before I made the decision.
Through the doorway I could see them.
She stood beside a table covered in inventory lists, sleeves rolled up, hair tied loosely back. One of the younger wolves stood across from her, leaning slightly over the table as he explained something.
Too close.
His hand moved across the paper.
Brushing her wrist.
She laughed at something he said.
Heat moved through my chest before I could stop it.
"Kael."
Eren's voice was careful now.
"Don't."
I didn't answer.
I was already walking.
The storage room fell quiet the moment I stepped inside.
The young wolf straightened immediately.
"Mara."
She turned.
Surprise flickered across her face.
"Kael."
My gaze moved from her to the wolf beside her.
"Done already?"
He hesitated.
"We were just going over the supply list."
"I didn't ask what you were doing."
The room had gone very still.
A few other wolves nearby pretended to focus on their work, but their attention had shifted.
They could feel it.
The tension.
The younger wolf cleared his throat.
"She needed help with the shipment codes."
"I didn't realize that required standing this close."
Color rose slightly in his face.
"We were just talking."
"I'm aware."
Silence stretched between us.
Then he stepped back.
"I'll finish the crate inventory outside."
"Good."
He left quickly.
The moment the door closed, Mara turned to me.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"He was helping me."
"You don't need help."
"That's not the point."
My wolf pushed forward again, restless and irritated.
"He shouldn't be here."
"He works here."
"Not with you."
Her expression sharpened.
"Why."
The question was simple.
I stepped closer before I realized I was moving.
"You shouldn't be alone with them."
"Them."
Her voice carried a quiet edge now.
"What exactly does that mean?"
Her gaze locked onto mine.
"You keep saying things like that," she continued. "Like I'm supposed to understand something you refuse to explain."
I exhaled slowly.
"You're not in danger."
"That's not what it looks like."
"What does it look like?"
"It looks like you're trying to control who I talk to."
"I'm trying to keep things simple."
"Simple for who."
"For everyone."
She shook her head.
"That makes no sense."
Several wolves were still nearby.
Watching.
Listening.
Too many witnesses.
I reached for her wrist.
The moment my fingers closed around her skin something inside me tightened hard.
Warm.
Her pulse beat fast beneath my fingertips.
Too fast.
My wolf surged forward instantly.
Mine.
The word landed inside my chest like a command I had been ignoring for too long.
She was close enough that I could feel the warmth of her body through the thin space between us. Close enough that the scent of her skin filled every breath I took.
God....
I should have let go.
Instead my grip tightened slightly.
Her breath caught.
"Kael."
My name sounded different when she said it like that.
My gaze dropped to her throat.
The same place my fingers had traced the night before.
The skin there was smooth and warm, the faint pulse of blood visible just beneath it.
My wolf reacted instantly.
Bite.
Claim.
Mark her before anyone else even thought about touching what belonged to me.
I inhaled slowly, forcing air into lungs that suddenly felt too tight.
My wolf didn't care about restraint.
It wanted to pull her closer. Wanted to bury my face in her neck and breathe her in until the scent settled into my bones.
For one reckless second an image flashed through my mind so clearly it almost felt real.
Her over my shoulder.
Her protesting breath against my ear while I carried her upstairs.
The door of my room closing.
No witnesses.
No rules.
Just her.
The thought burned through me like wildfire.
I could almost feel the weight of her in my arms, the way her body would tense before she realized she wasn't fighting hard enough to escape.
My grip tightened again before I caught myself.
Her pulse jumped faster beneath my fingers.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Because the longer I stood this close to her, the less certain I was that control would win.
Her scent wrapped around every instinct I had spent years mastering.
And my wolf was done pretending patience was an option.
Mine.
The word echoed again.
Louder.
I forced my gaze back to her face before my teeth did something irreversible.
"You should stay away from the others," I said.
My voice came out rougher than I intended.
Her eyebrows lifted.
"That's not your decision."
"It is if you stay here."
Her gaze dropped briefly to my hand on her wrist.
Then back to my face.
"You're angry."
God, she had no idea.
If she did, she would already be halfway across the courtyard trying to put distance between us.
Because the part of me still holding onto restraint was losing ground.
Every second her pulse beat beneath my hand made the urge stronger.
Every breath she took pulled her scent deeper into my lungs.
My wolf didn't want distance.
It wanted possession.
And if I stayed here much longer, I wasn't sure I would remember why that was a problem.
I forced my fingers to loosen.
Released her wrist.
The loss of contact felt like stepping away from heat in winter.
Safer.
But colder.
"If you're going to stay here," I said quietly, "there are things you should avoid."
"Like talking to people."
"Like getting too close to them."
Her expression hardened.
"You don't get to decide that."
For a moment neither of us moved.
Then I leaned slightly closer, lowering my voice so no one else could hear.
"If you stay here much longer," I said, "I might."
Her eyes widened just slightly.
I straightened.
"Finish the inventory," I said.
She watched me another second.
Then nodded once.
I turned and walked out of the storage room before my wolf could make another decision for me.
Outside, the air felt colder.
Eren leaned against the wall beside the door.
"You lasted longer than I expected."
I didn't stop walking.
"You're not helping."
"I'm just observing."
"Then observe quietly."
He fell into step beside me.
"You nearly started a dominance challenge in front of half the pack."
"They'll forget it."
"No," Eren said calmly. "They won't."
We reached the edge of the courtyard.
Two days.
And the closer the moon came, the less certain I was that control was still an option.