YELENA

The past seven days had felt like walking through a sunbeam.

Everything... the air, the shifting of the pack members in the corridors, the very ground beneath my feet seemed lighter, charged with a genuine, humming joy.

My heart felt full, stretched wide by the news that had dominated our conversations for the last week: Marie said YES.

Our beta, a man of quiet strength and immovable loyalty, had knelt before her, and the pack was still vibrating from the excitement of it.

I ...