Blake leaves as soon as the sun sets.

I stand at the front door, dressed in my pajamas with my wet hair sticking to my shoulders as he pulls his shoes on.

"I hope they take the news well," Thomas says from his seat at the dining table.

"Doubt it," Leyla chimes in from the stove. "They were probably hoping she'd die."

"Leyla!"

She shrugs. "It's true. None of the pack wants us here."

"Well, they're going to have to get used to it," Blake replies. He looks down at me and frowns at something in my expression. "Will you be okay?"

I nod, even as my heart sinks. "I just—I wish you didn't have to go."

My words seem to surprise him. His eyes widen a fraction before a wrinkle appears between his brows. Guilt is written all over his face.

Slowly, hesitantly, he lifts a hand. His knuckles knock mine and he intertwines our fingers.

The feeling that erupts within me is hard to control, but I dig my heels in and stand my ground. I'm not going to fawn over Blake. That will only drive him further away. I need to show him that I can control this feeling. That it's all me talking and not my wolf-side.

I can't help but tighten my grip, though. Blake responds automatically and squeezes my hand back.

"I'll be back soon," he says. "If anything happens, you can shift now."

I nod. He's right. We spent all afternoon practicing my shifting. It's become easy. All I have to do is picture my wolf form, and I transform.

"Besides, you can talk to me anytime, remember?" Blake adds.

With his free hand, he taps his forehead. I frown.

"Is there no limit on how close we need to be?" I ask.

He shrugs. "It's something like a five-mile radius, normally, but it's different for...mates."

I don't miss the way his voice catches when he calls us mates. I also don't miss the way his eyes flicker away and his throat bobs.

I feel it in myself. Just thinking about my mate causes my stomach to stir. Remembering Leyla and Thomas are within earshot, I speak to Blake through our mind link.

"When you come back," I start, slowly, "will you come to my room?"

Blake blinks at me.

"Only if you want to," I add quickly.

"Clover, we spoke about this," he says in a way that sounds a lot like a no.

"Actually, you spoke about this. I'm in control, Blake. I showed you, didn't I?"

"Controlling your shifting and controlling your...emotions are two completely different things."

"Why can't you just accept that I want you?"

The words come tumbling out and my heart skips a beat.

No.

That's not my heart—that's Blake's.

It's a strange sensation, feeling what Blake can feel through our soulmate bond. The rope between us shines brightly and I realize I can feel his heart racing, desire thrumming along the string towards me.

My mouth turns dry.

"Don't say those words," Blake says, "or I won't be able to stop myself."

With that, he releases my hand and spins, shutting the cabin door in my face.

I stand there, all the breath sucked out of my lungs as I watch his retreating back.

Behind me, Thomas hums.

"So," he says, lifting an amused brow. "You guys figured out the mind link, huh?"

My face turns hot. We may not have said any of the words aloud, but it's obvious what we were talking about.

Sighing, I join Thomas at the table.

"He thinks I'm not thinking straight," I say.

Thomas shrugs. "Well, it is a lot to handle in one go. Wolf transformation. Mate bond. Can't blame him for trying to take it slow."

"He doesn't want you to regret anything," Leyla remarks. She turns, dropping a platter of stew onto the table.

"I wouldn't regret it," I say, huffing.

"He'll come around," she reassures me. "He's your mate. He can't resist the pull forever."

I can only hope she's right.

"Here's to the Omegas," Thomas says, lifting his cup.

I laugh and we all cheers.

"What do you think they're talking about at the pack dinner?" I ask, swallowing a bite of food.

"Probably you," Leya points out.

"Me?"

"Well, you just survived your transformation," she says. "They're probably discussing your future with the pack."

"Blake can't stay here forever. He needs to be with his pack," Thomas points out.

The thought strikes me hard. I hadn't thought about that. If Blake moves back into the main house, I don't know how I'll survive here without him.

Even eating dinner without him nearby, I find myself constantly searching for that silver string between us.

It's like a piece of myself is missing. I don't know how he can stand it.

"Don't look so disappointed," Thomas says, catching my look. "He'll never move back without you."

"Yeah, no matter how hard he tried to act unaffected, that mate bond is strong. He's probably trying to convince them to let us join the pack."

"As usual," Thomas mutters.

Right. Most of the Lunam Silvam pack want nothing to do with us.

"Why are they so opposed to us joining the pack?" I ask. "I mean, the more the merrier, right? We can help patrol and all that."

Leyla and Thomas exchange an uneasy look. Sighing, Leyla turns to me.

"Lunam Silvam are struggling. It's not easy running a pack in this day and age," she says. Standing, she vanishes down the hallway for a moment, then re-emerges with a leather-bound book.

She drops it on the table in front of me and I read the cover. The Werewolf World.

"For you," she says, smiling.

I lift a brow, brushing my hands over the cover. It's a thick book. An encyclopedia of sorts.

"Figure if you're a werewolf now, you should probably know what that means," she says.

"Thank you," I say, meaning it.

When I lived with Bianca, books were my only escape. It's been months since I've read one.

"Anyway," Thomas says, "they think we'll be a drain on resources."

"And since Blake's the new Alpha, they're all blaming him for their problems," Leyla adds.

"Which is bullshit because they've been struggling for years now."

I hum, processing all the information. I knew they weren't making sales. I'd seen the order ledgers myself.

But it seems like a lot to put onto one person.

Onto Blake.

We finish dinner quickly and retreat into our own rooms. The moon is already high in the sky and I lie in bed, heart thumping as I wait for Blake to come home.

I check my phone for the tenth time. Nearly eleven, and still no sign of Blake.

Huffing, I flip onto my stomach, pressing my face into my pillow. There's no way I'll fall asleep until he's home. Not with this gaping emptiness inside of me.

I lie there in silence for a moment when an idea occurs to me.

I close my eyes and reach into my mind, trying to find that connection between us.

"Blake?" I try.

There's a second pause before he replies.

"What's wrong?" he asks. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I say quickly. "When are you coming home?"

Another pause.

"Soon. Go to sleep."

"I can't. Not without you here."

"Clover..."

"I'm not trying to make you sleep with me," I say, practically rolling my eyes. "Just come home. Okay?"

"I'll be back soon. Goodnight."

I frown, turning onto my side. Great. Well, at least I know the mind link works.

Soon. When is soon? Minutes? Hours?

I stare at my bedroom door, willing Blake to step through it.

Yeah right. He'd probably rather sleep in the forest before willingly stepping into my room.

Still, a girl can hope right?

I think of Leyla's words. He can't resist the pull forever.

Maybe I can make that pull a little stronger.

I shove the blankets off my body so that my bare legs are on top of the sheets. Then, I shift onto my stomach and hike my leg up.

There. If he does decide to stop by my room, he'll be welcomed with a view.

Even the thought makes my face turn hot, but I'll try anything at this stage. If he would only give in...

A rustle sounds outside my window, and I bolt upright, abandoning my pose.

"Blake?" I ask through the mind link. "Is that you?"

"What?" Blake's voice returns. "I'm still at the pack house."

His words make my heart jump.

"Hello?" I say, out loud this time.

The only response is a howl.

Okay, now I'm scared.

I leap out of my bed and into the hallway. Leyla and Thomas are already up, their eyes darting from the front door to me.

"What was that?" I ask.

"Stay inside," Thomas barks, jogging to the window. He peeks outside, scanning the tree line.

Blake's voice is still in my mind. "Clover, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, it's just—something's out there," I reply. A terrifying thought occurs to me. "Is that wolf still in your custody?"

"I'm looking at him right now," Blake says. "I'm coming, Clover."

I purse my lips, looking at Leyla. "Blake says he's on the way."

She nods then marches past me, pulling all the blinds shut.

"Thomas," she says.

Thomas shakes his head. "There's only one. I'm going outside."

"No!"

"If I don't go out, he's coming in. Don't you get that?" Thomas snaps, suddenly serious. "Stay inside, I'll handle it."

"This is a bad idea," Leyla says, but it's too late.

Thomas steps into the clearing, locking the door behind him. It's silent for a moment, and then another howl echoes into the night—this time, a howl of pain.

"That's Thomas!" Leyla shouts. She races to the door, ripping it open and leaping into the night, transforming into a wolf midleap.

"Leyla!" I yell.

With the door open, I can see into the clearing now. It's dark, but my new wolf senses help me to see. Thomas, in his wolf-form, lies on the grass, rolling on his back and whimpering.

A stranger wolf stands over him, snarling his teeth. For an awful minute, I think he's about to bend down and rip his teeth into Thomas' neck, but Leyla sprints forward and slams into the wolf's side.

I'm torn. I know I should stay inside. I just learned how to shift consciously today. I have no idea how to fight as a wolf. I'll just get in the way.

But then three more wolves step out from the forest, their teeth bared as the run towards Leyla.

I can't just leave them.

Jumping off the porch, I shift.

It feels comfortable now, being in my wolf form. I understand what the others were saying about the need to shift. The longer I go without shifting, the stronger the urge gets. It's like an itch under my skin and there's only one way to scratch it.

I land in the clearing, my eyes darting around. I need to be aware of my surroundings.

In the window, I catch a glimpse of myself.

I've never seen what I look like in my wolf form. I'm bigger than Leyla, but nowhere close to Blake and Thomas. My fur is a shade of brown, close to the color of my hair as a human.

In front of me, Leyla regains her footing. She nudges Thomas with her head, helping him to stand. Her eye meets mine briefly.

"Clover, go inside," she tells me, speaking into my mind.

"I'm not leaving you two," I reply.

"Don't be an idiot," she says. "Blake will kill me if you get hurt."

"You can't stop me," I say.

She can't reply. The wolves are closing in, literally. The three wolves join their friend, and then another two emerge from the forest.

Thomas limps, panting heavily. He can't put any weight on his front paw, and he staggers about, clearly injured.

Leyla tries to hold him up. She bares her teeth, barking and snarling as the wolves move closer, but she's not very threatening.

I move closer, my head spinning left and right. The wolves prowl around us, the cabin at our backs.

I don't bother snarling at them.

It's too late. There's nothing we can do.

We're surrounded.