Leo's POV
I stand outside her mother's room like some pathetic dog waiting for scraps. Helena promised she would never return to Shadowcrest Pack territory. Yet here she is, defying her own word.
My feet carry me back and forth across the hallway floor. Every rational part of my brain screams at me to leave, to find something else to occupy my time. But the mate bond chains me here, holding me prisoner to her presence. She has become the air I breathe, and without her nearby, my lungs refuse to work properly.
When she finally steps through the doorway, that intoxicating vanilla scent floods my senses. My chest constricts painfully as fury and desperate need twist together until I cannot separate them. Our gazes lock, and I force my mouth into what might pass for a smile. She does not return the gesture.
I need her alone, but that shadow of hers refuses to give us space.
