_Alaric’s POV_
“Run,” my wolf suddenly said.
He didn’t say it urgently. More like a suggestion from someone who had been patient for a long time and was checking whether the window was finally open.
I thought about it.
“It’s been a long time.”
He was right that it had been too long. Months of politics and offices and managed appearances had kept him contained in a way that wasn’t sustainable indefinitely. Wolves needed the ground under their paws eventually. It wasn’t optional.
“There’s space behind the hotel,” he said. It’s a private place, right?. I can smell the tree line from here.”
“Yeah.” I agreed.
“There’s a private bush area behind the hotel,” I said to Rowena. “For shifting. I checked when we arrived.” I paused. “When did you last run?”
She looked at m
