The forest opened up before him, and for a moment, Nolan forgot how to breathe.

She was there.

Standing in the center of the clearing, bathed in the cold light of the moon, as if the sky itself had drawn her there. The wind played with her long hair, and the scent—that sweet, wild perfume—enveloped him entirely. It was her. The air carried the echo of the name the wolf whispered inside him.

“Mate.”

The word vibrated in his mind with the force of a roar. His ...