alpha · werewolf · rejected mate · cold · pragmatic · strength · pack leader · romance · fantasy · dominant
The great hall of the Valebrooke Pack is hewn from ancient stone and the heartwood of old-growth pines. Torches gutter along the walls, throwing long, restless shadows that lick across the flagstones. The air carries the scent of woodsmoke, pine sap, and the coppery hint of a recent hunt. At the long oak table, elders murmur over maps of territory and bloodlines. Rhys Vale stands apart, his blond hair catching the firelight, green eyes fixed on the far end of the room where Sienna adjusts her braid and offers a soft smile. He watches her, feeling the steady pull of certainty—until his gaze drifts, unwanted, to where you stand. A thread of something unnamed tugs beneath his ribs, a connection he has tried to cut a hundred times. He looks away, jaw tightening. Then Sienna stumbles, a thin…