CHAPTER

TEREZA

Tereza woke to the door clicking shut. Even though she was a Winter Fairy she missed the warmth of Sani’s body curled around hers. Hopefully he would be back soon. A part of her wanted to go with him, but she was too exhausted for the fighting he was sure would come when he introduced her as his Fated. It sounded like she needed to be fully rested and recharged to deal with Sani’s father.

The Procilici side of her huffed, sure a misogynist Alpha wouldn’t be a problem. Would the rest of the pack accept her? Banish her since she was Iele and not shifter?

Stop it, she scolded herself. You are being paranoid.

Maybe she was. Being attacked and hunted by a vampire did that to a girl. The memory made her bristle with fresh determination instead of cower. She had escaped. Started a new life. Here. Now.

She wanted that with Sani. Family was everything on the ranch, and the residents didn’t stray far from the nest. She wouldn’t have, either, if she’d grown up in such a utopian place.

Tereza hugged Sani’s pillow to her face and breathed in his lingering scent. She’d had a few glimpses of a future, and wanted more. After being joined so closely earlier, being apart hurt.

Memories washed over her. She’d never had a man kiss her so passionately or that soft. Never had a man nuzzle her for a full ten minutes, as if he wanted part of her to rub onto himself. She’d never had a man look into her eyes like he was looking into a crystal ball. And she’d never, ever had that feeling of completion before. That was the stuff of fairy tales, not real life — and certainly not her life.

His possessiveness should have annoyed her, but she found herself cherishing it. For the first time in her life, she felt protected. Desired. Loved. His eyes had been full of unspoken promises that morning when they kissed goodbye. That kiss…

A knock on the door jolted every nerve in Tereza’s body. No one knew she was here.

Stop being ridiculous. The monster after her wouldn’t knock politely and there was no point in pretending she wasn’t home. Sanctuary was full of shifters. They could probably smell her, and this was a cabin for anyone who needed to use it. Maybe someone needed help.

“Tereza?” Nascha called. “I come bearing gifts.”

“Busted,” Tereza muttered. Her new boss had caught her goofing off on a workday. Outside, Nascha laughed. Tereza leapt out of bed, pulling on discarded clothes as she scurried to the door and opened it. “Sorry. Hi. Come in.”

Nascha wore a knowing smirk. Dark and intense, she was nothing like Sani. Her beauty had an edge to it. She handed over a sleeping Goliath in a basket. “I can’t stay. I have to get to the Council meeting, but didn’t want to leave this handsome guy alone and thought you might want your baby back.”

“He is very handsome, isn’t he?” Tereza hugged Goliath to her chest, getting a motorcycle loud rumble in return.

“Handsome as Sani?”

A montage of Sani played in Tereza’s mind.

“Oh.” Nascha murmured. “Madison has that look when people say Mika’s name. You love Sani.” Nascha wasn’t asking. Her shoulders slumped and her voice sounded thicker than usual. “And he loves you.”

Tereza thought about protesting , but didn’t want to lie. It seemed crazy to admit falling in love with someone in one day. There was no need for excuses or explanations though. Nascha stared past Tereza, eyes brimming with tears and full of yearning. Surely a woman like Nascha had her pick of men. Yet she’d been dancing with her brother.

“Nascha? Is something wrong?” Was being in love with Sani so awful for the pack?

“Of course not. I’m happy for you two.” Nascha threw her arms around Tereza, embracing her. “We could have all died today, and I realized I would have died with regrets.”

Tereza flailing for something to say, unable to come up with anything other than the obvious. “We didn’t die, so it’s not too late to change thing…right?”

Wiping at her eyes, Nascha attempted a smile. “I’m going to be late to the meeting.” She gave Goliath’s head a gentle stroke. “I’ll see the two of you at work tomorrow.”

With Other World speed, Nascha turned and sprinted into the trees.

Confused and slightly sad for Nascha, Tereza settled Goliath on the bed and breezed through the cottage into the kitchen, needing something to do. Sani would probably be hungry. It seemed to be a perpetual condition for him. There wasn’t a lot to work with, but there was some bread, cheese, and pasta. Who didn’t like pasta?

A glorious night and day with Sani, and she was giddy. She’d found a new kind of calm with him, despite all the uncertainty in her life. An inner calm that came from the sensation of two hearts beating together no matter the physical distance between them.

Fated.

She’d nearly blurted I love you, Sani. It seemed ridiculous, because how could anyone fall in love so fast?

Something deep inside her laughed out loud. They had fit enough emotion into the last twenty-four to fill several years. No one had ever made her feel so complete. Just the quiet companionship of him sitting nearby was the stuff of her dreams. He’d chased her nightmares away and coaxed out the part of her she had thought long gone.

Tereza resolved to stop quadruple-checking locks and cowering when someone knocked on the door. Stop waking in the night, drenched with fear. She remembered what life was like before. Life could be good. Life could be beautiful.

She felt taller, freer, as if she’d swallowed a Drink Me Alice in Wonderland magic potion. The forest whispered Sani’s name. She closed her eyes and listened. A faraway voice had joined the whisper. Voices? No, yips — wolves preparing to howl in the distance. She imagined them, lined up, muzzles aimed skyward. They were warming up, voices honing in on the right key.

“Funny,” Tereza murmured to Goliath, “I thought wolves only howled at a full moon.”

The idea went down her soul like a warm drink. Doing what felt right. Following the night. If only she could do the same. Standing this close to Sani felt right, and what the night was suggesting… Well, she hadn’t been this tempted in a long time.

Tereza waited for the inner voice to warn her off, but there was only silence from that quarter.

Sani’s scent joined his name carried to her on the evening breeze, an invitation to find him. She felt so safe she let her father’s side out. She’d never missed not being able to take a wolf form before. If she could shift, she could run on all fours with Sani. A second scent mingled with Sani’s. It was female. And aroused.

No. It couldn’t be. He wouldn’t…

A hot haze blurred her vision. She didn’t realize her feet were moving, but when her vision cleared she wasn’t near her cottage. Her Pricolici side took over and raised her nose, sniffing and tracking Sani’s scent. Tereza’s head snapped to the side and her eyes adjusted, letting her see in the dark…to where Sani stood, mouth-to-mouth with a curvy brunette half his size.

Betrayal! the voice of rage hissed.

The man she was born to love was kissing someone else. Tereza’s heart stopped mid-beat. Sick to her soul, she could picture it, flip-flopping, desperately trying to restart.

Run!

It was what she was used to doing, only this time it wasn’t fear propelling her. Tereza added her howl to the others and raced to her cottage.