Page 123 of Pistols & Peonies

We break from the pack after a while, veering into a secluded clearing painted silver by the moonlight. Violet circles back to me, tongue lolling, tail flicking. I collapse onto the grass, and she’s on me instantly, pinning me with her front paws as she licks my muzzle, then burrowing her nose into my fur.

Mine.

The urge hits hard. My wolf hasn’t forgotten; hasn’t let it go. He still wants to mark her– not the clean, clinical version of bonding we were forced into, but the real one. Teeth and primal instinct, a final, irrefutable claim.

And tonight, under the full moon with the bond burning bright and her pressed against me, it’s taking everything I have to hold him back.

CHAPTER 39

Kane

Violet’s quiet on the ride home.

Not tense, not shut down, just… somewhere else.

I should be used to her moods by now, but this one’s new. During the run, she was electric– darting through the trees, doubling back just to draw me out, leading me on a chase through half the preserve like she had something to prove. But the second we left, something in her shifted.

Now she’s staring out the window, fingers tapping absently against her thigh to the beat of the song playing on the radio. Her brow’s furrowed, eyes distant, like she’s turning something over and over in that beautiful mind of hers.

Maybe this is just her version of coming down from the high; her personal post-run ritual. I wouldn’t know. Last time we ran together with the pack, I bailed before I could see what came after.

Still regret that.

When we pull into the underground parking garage beneath the Tower, I ease into my usual spot and kill the engine, letting the quiet settle in around us. I don’t move right away. I just watch her, waiting.

It takes her a second to even realize we’ve stopped. She blinks like she’s surfacing from deep water, then turns to look at me.

“Something on your mind?” I ask.

She hesitates, gaze flicking away, then back. Her mouth presses into a tight line as if she’s deciding whether to say whatever it is out loud.

“Did you see the way the pack was looking at us tonight?” she finally asks.

The question catches me off guard.

I reach over, sliding my hand onto her thigh, thumb brushing her skin in slow circles. “I know you hate being used to push the Pairing initiative. I do too, but–”

“No, not the PR shit,” she cuts in, shaking her head. “I mean after the run. When we were leaving.”

My brow furrows. “You’re going to have to be more specific.”

She exhales, tongue dragging across her teeth as she searches for the words. “Everyone used to be scared shitless of you,” she murmurs. “You’d walk into a room and the temperature dropped ten degrees. That’s your whole brand, right? Commander Kane, the coldest bastard in the city.”

I grunt under my breath. Not exactly flattering– but not wrong, either.

“But tonight…” she trails off, eyes narrowing like she’s still trying to pin it down. “They were still afraid, just… different.”

I study her, waiting.

“It’s like seeing you with me changed something,” she continues. “Like they finally saw you as your own person, not just an extension of Alpha.”

“Is that a bad thing?” I ask, not sure where she’s going with this.

She shakes her head again. “Not bad. Just… I don’t know. I think you scared the shit out of them before because you were just a weapon that could be turned on anyone, anytime.”

I cock a brow. “And now?”

Her gaze sharpens on mine. “Now, they see someone who’s not just following orders, but chooses where he points. Having a heart makes you relatable, Kane. They were looking at you tonight with more admiration than Alpha, like they wouldn’t hesitate to follow you if you asked.”