Elara was still unsettled by the news,but Ryder’s surprising tenderness that night—a tenderness she hadn't experienced in cycles—made her hesitate to challenge him.She nodded faintly.She couldn't fully trust his sudden generosity,especially since tonight,he was merely holding her,not claiming her—a strange,unsettling restraint.
Elara clutched the corner of the heavy wool blanket,reminding herself of the Pack saying:When an Alpha suddenly holds his Mate close without desire,he has already found distraction elsewhere.
The next morning,for the first time in a long while,it was just the two of them traveling together into the remote areas of the Vance Territory.
As the car drove through the familiar,old Alpha-family estates,Ryder pointed out a colossal,lightning-struck oak along the side of the road,smiling.“Do you remember this,Mate?You used to love collecting the fallen oak leaves here to press into your human scrolls.”
Elara’s eyes followed the direction he indicated,her nerves slowly loosening as the genuine memories of their pup-hood surfaced.