I woke slowly, warmth cocooning me in layers that weren't just the blankets. Something solid and strong was wrapped around me—steady, comforting, like the world had stopped spinning for a little while so that I could rest properly.
For a heartbeat, I let myself sink into it and feel safe. My second thought had me jerking awake in sheer panic.
Dominic.
Panic flared like a match. I jerked awake, the weight of him anchoring me, stealing the breath right out of my lungs. My legs were tangled with one of his, my arm draped over his chest, fingers resting on the raised edges of old scars I hadn't even noticed last night. My face was buried in the crook of his neck, and God help me, I could smell him—wild, woodsy, masculine in a way that was so him it made my insides twist.
Worse?
His arm was wrapped tight around my waist, holding me like he had every right to. Or like he couldn't stand the thought of letting go.
I sucked in a sharp breath. The sound must've stirred something in him, because Dominic shifted in his sleep, his hand flexing against my hip before pulling me closer, his body pressing into mine with lazy, unconscious need.
My heart thundered. Every nerve was on fire. I should move. But for one terrible, breathless second, I didn't want to.
It was unbearable, the war happening inside me. The logical part of my brain screamed at me to get out of that bed, to run. But the bond—the damn bond—pulled at me like gravity, whispering that here was safety. Here was home.
I clenched my jaw. No. No, no, no. I wasn't giving in to something I didn't understand. I wasn't giving myself to someone who had kept this from me.
Carefully, I eased out of his hold, slow and steady like I was disarming a bomb. His hand twitched as I pulled away, reaching for me even in sleep. The sight of it—how instinctive it was—made my throat tighten. I shoved the feeling down and slipped from the bed, one foot touching the cold floor, then another.
My breath hitched as I padded across the room. No plan or idea where I was going. Just the overwhelming need to put distance between me and him. Between me and everything, I was starting to feel.
I reached for the doorknob.
But before my fingers even touched the metal, a low, warning growl rippled through the room.
The sound vibrated in my spine, freezing me in place.
My eyes widened as I turned slowly.
Dominic wasn't in the bed anymore.
He wasn't even human anymore.
A massive wolf stood in the center of the room, his fur dark as smoke and eyes glowing with a familiarity that stole the breath from my lungs. Those eyes—still his—locked on to me like I was prey.
No. Not prey. His.
This wasn't real. It couldn't be real.
But the sharp, animalistic scent of him, the way his massive paws barely made a sound against the floor as he took a step toward me, told me otherwise.
A whimper—an actual whimper—escaped my throat, and I did the only thing my body would let me.
I ran.
I sprinted down the hall, heart hammering, breath ragged. The house was a blur—endless walls, polished floors, shadows that stretched long and sharp. I didn't know this place. I didn't know where I was going. But every instinct screamed away.
Something moved—a blur in the corner of my vision.
And then it was on me.
A crushing weight knocked me sideways, and I hit the floor hard, the impact jarring every bone. My lungs seized. My arms scrambled to push myself up, but something heavy—someone—pinned me flat to the cold wood.
A growl rumbled above me. Close. Possessive.
I turned my head, cheek pressed against the floor, and saw him.
Dominic.
Still in wolf form. Still huge. Still terrifying. But he didn't hurt me.
He just stayed there, looming, his breath warming the back of my neck, holding me down without claws or teeth—just presence. My body shook with adrenaline, but the fear started to morph into something else at the mere thought of his human body pressed against me like this..
Something hotter. Something I didn't want to name.
"Are you alright?"
The voice wasn't Dominic's.
I craned my neck and found Lucas standing a few feet away, arms folded, expression somewhere between exasperated and amused. He looked like someone who'd seen this exact scene play out a dozen times and had stopped being surprised.
"Because that was a dramatic exit," he added.
I gaped at him, still breathless. "He's a—"
"Werewolf?" Lucas arched a brow. "Yeah. Welcome to the family."
Family. The word echoed in my skull like a warning bell.
"All of you?"
Lucas nodded casually. "Pretty much."
All? My stomach flipped. My eyes flicked back to Dominic, who still hadn't moved off of me. His weight was solid, warm, and unyielding. His growl had faded, but he was still watching me, ears twitching like he was waiting for me to bolt again. There was no danger in the sharp teeth or claws, no threat in the weight of him pressing me into the cold floor, just possessive, raw electric heat that flowed between us.
"Get off me," I hissed, finding my voice.
Dominic didn't move.
Lucas sighed. "You're scaring her, Alpha. Maybe shift back?"
The weight disappeared in an instant. One moment, Dominic was a massive wolf. Next, he was human.
And very, very naked.
I barely managed to slap my hands over my eyes, a strangled squeak escaping. "You've got to be kidding me."
A soft thud behind me—hopefully Lucas tossing him clothes—then Dominic's low, wicked laugh.
"You can look now."
I cracked open one eye and found him pulling on a pair of sweatpants, his chest bare, skin still glowing with the warmth of the shift. His gaze met mine, and everything in me tensed.
He stepped closer. I backed up—right into the wall.
"I told you not to run," he said, his voice quiet.
"What did you expect me to do?" I snapped, trying to hide how badly my hands were shaking.
He didn't answer right away. Just studied me like I was a puzzle he didn't want to break.
"Everything's changed," I whispered, the realization crashing into me like a tidal wave. He wasn't human, he really was led by this bond, and that changed things, added layers I didn't understand.
"It hasn't," he said. "You just finally see it now."
His fingers brushed against my wrist—barely there, like he was asking permission.
And heaven help me, I didn't pull away. The heat of the bond flared between us, familiar now and dangerous.
His voice was rough with something that might've been longing. "I would never hurt you."
But the truth was written all over his face. He could. I couldn't tell if that scared me more, or if it was the part of me that didn't care.
"I need time," I said.
"I'll give it," he promised. "But don't run from me again, Lena. Not when the real danger hasn't even arrived yet."
I stared at him, heart crawling up my throat.
"What danger?" I asked, barely above a whisper.
Lucas' smile dropped. Dominic's jaw tightened.
"There's a lot to explain," Dom said. "Come back to the room."