The familiar, massive dark wolf lowered himself to the ground, eyes glowing with quiet intensity.
River stared at him.
Every time she had seen his beast before, she had been terrified. She remembered the first time when he had towered over her, a shadow of raw power. She remembered the heat in his eyes, the tension in his form when his darker urges surfaced.
But now?
Now she saw something different.
She saw restraint. Loyalty. Even... tenderness, masked in fur and muscle.
Slowly, almost reverently, she approached him. Her fingers hesitantly reached out, brushing through his thick fur. He didn’t move, only let out a low rumble that vibrated through his chest—an oddly comforting sound.
He would never hurt me.
Not Heiko.
She smiled softly, swallowing the last traces of doubt, then cl
