As I begin to doze, I force my brain to think only of Sinclair, willing myself to dream of him. I refuse to let my mind wander; I repeatedly tell myself to call Sinclair, to bring him to me.

Darkness descends, and I'm back on the bed in the forest. "Yes!" I think. "This is where we were last time! It worked!"

Sinclair takes a few minutes to appear, but I remind myself to be patient. He wasn't asleep yet in the real world; I must wait for him to rest before I can see him like this.

Eventually, he stalks through the trees. He's in his wolf form, but shifts when he reaches the bed, offering a tender smile. "Hello, trouble."

"Hi," I answer, suddenly shy. "I wasn't sure this would work."

"You mean you intentionally called me this time?" he asks, raising an eyebrow.

I nod, feeling a blush rise on my cheeks. "I want to tell you something."

"Okay," Sinclair replies, sitting on the plush duvet, but not reaching for me as he usually does. A moment of doubt troubles me, but I'm sure he's simply exercising restraint.

Fidgeting, I stare at my hands, slowly mustering the courage to speak. "I know I've been erratic lately, and I wish I could say it was all the pregnancy or the stress of our situation but the truth is, it's much more than that. Those things are making it harder, but I would have been a mess regardless."

Taking a deep breath, I continue, "You know I was orphaned and never had a real childhood. I also never experienced love from anyone but Cora. I was so starved for it that I jumped at the first opportunity. I spent years overcoming my fear of men, and in hindsight, I'm not sure I ever truly did. I think I became so desperate for affection that I closed my eyes and leaped, and of course, the person who caught me was Mike. I was the perfect target—young, naive, and willing to do anything to feel wanted. I had no idea what a healthy relationship was, and he groomed me to believe his words and actions were normal."

Sinclair frowns deeply, questions evident, but he holds them back. "Eventually, I wised upand then I met you," I say, my voice barely a whisper. "And my heart trusted you even though my brain screamed at me not to. My past conditioned me to believe that vulnerability would lead to heartbreak. It taught me I wasn't worthy of love, that anyone showing kindness must be deceiving me. So I tried to convince myself my feelings for you weren't real. Simultaneously, all those buried parts of me erupted because my body somehow knew you wouldn't hurt me if I acted like a child, or broke down and let you see my sadness and anger. It knew you wouldn't weaponize those things against me."

"You've been so patient and accepting. You've cared for me like no one ever has—even when I hate you for it. But I still couldn't tell you." Tears well in my eyes. I see Sinclair's clenched fists tremble with barely contained emotion. His wolf still glows in his eyes, and I know how hard he's fighting to let me speak uninterrupted. "I've been a coward. I've hidden behind our challenges, using them as excuses to avoid being brave Even when you tried to express your feelings, my brain defaulted to self-defense. I knew if you told me, I wouldn't be strong enough to resist."

"And I know nothing has changed, that a relationship is still impossible for usbut I don't want to be a coward anymore. I want to be brave, just once." I take a deep breath. "So I thought that if I could tell you hereif we could be together in our dreams, maybe it wouldn't hurt so much that we can't be together in real life." Tears stream down my cheeks.

"I'mI'm in love with you, Dominic," I whisper, too shy to meet his gaze.

A pregnant pause, filled with the sound of my racing heart. Then Sinclair's hand reaches for me. He cups my chin, tilting my gaze upward. I sob at the expression on his face.

His eyes shine—not with his wolf—but with tears. Such affection and understanding radiate from his features that I feel enveloped in a hug without physical touch. "I love you, Ella. I think I've been in love with you since you stomped your tiny foot on me. You have no idea how hard it's been to restrain my wolf."

"Really?" I sniffle. Though I expected his feelings, I wasn't prepared for love, let alone his wolf's desire for me. My stubborn mind is still amazed he could be interested, let alone his inner animal.

"Really," he confirms firmly. "And if you don't get over here into my arms this instant, I'm going to unleash my wolf so he can pounce on you."

Something inside me perks up. I remember Sinclair's warnings not to flee at the Wild Hunt, and how thrilling the chase had beenuntil everything went wrong. We need a do-over, a voice slyly suggests. And I agree.

Sinclair's eyes narrow with suspicion as I lean toward him. I worry he'll catch me before I can jump, but I change direction at the last moment, and he's too slow. I sprint, and at first, I hear his low chuckle. A moment later, his wolf howls, and the hunt is on.

The exhilaration of the Wild Hunt returns. My legs pump, and I'm amazed at my speed. The wind whips through my hair as I dash through the trees, an ecstatic smile spreading across my face as my feet pound the snow.

The cold doesn't bother me. Sinclair's howls make me shudder, but only drive me to run faster—to force him to catch me.

I don't know the source of these instincts, but they feel right. Why have I never run barefoot through the woods before? Why have I never bathed in moonlight? Every second in this wilderness feels like a piece of my soul has returned, a piece I didn't realize was missing.

I don't notice when my body starts to blur. My bones quake, my soul soars, and everything changes. A burst of white light blinds me. When my feet hit the ground again, there are four, and I'm closer to the ground. I'm shocked to see fur-covered paws where my hands were, and a bushy, white-tipped tail helps me balance as I speed through the darkness.

I'm a wolf.

The change doesn't slow me. In a dream, magic is possible. I move faster on four legs, and if I could laugh aloud, I would. Instead, I howl gleefully, leaping over branches and rocks. I'm free! I'm free!!! the voice in my head cries.

A familiar howl stumbles me. My joy at transforming almost made me forget Sinclair. My howl likely tipped him off, though it wasn't intentional; I was celebrating. My conscience pouts. I know. But now he's onto us. We have to move.

I don't know why it's so important that I evade Sinclair, but escape is my only thought. I must make it as difficult as possiblefor some reason. That's no problem, my inner voice brags. Now that I'm free, he'll have his work cut out for him. He might be big, but I'm fast.

Then let's go! I urge myself. We gallop through the snow, faster than before. I think about covering my tracks, but realize Sinclair will follow my scent anyway. It's hard to focus on him – as distracting as he usually is – my heart soars, and for once, it has nothing to do with the Alpha. I can't believe I thought I felt free on the night of the hunt. I'm realizing I didn't understand the word until now.

My paws splash through a frozen creek, but I don't care. Wolves don't worry about frostbite—I even have fur between my toes!

I hear everything: Sinclair's pounding feet, owls overhead, mice and rabbits beneath me. And the smells—water has a smell! Sinclair's scent is familiar, but it's doing scandalous things to my wolf form. The stronger it becomes, the more my insides melt, and wetness pools between my legs.

Too late, I realize why his scent is so strong.

He's caught up. One moment I'm flying through the night, the next I skid to a stop as he bursts from the trees. "What?! How did you do that?!" I demand.

His voice rings in my head: "Because, sweet Ella, I'm a hunter. I know how to drive my prey into a trap. Besides," he adds, his deep rumble softening, "you were too busy reveling in the smell of water to notice."

"How do you know that?" I ask suspiciously, unsure how I'm communicating with him.

"You were shouting it," he informs me smugly.

I narrow my eyes at the cocky Alpha, trying not to think about his power in this form—his majesty. My body pulls toward him like magnets, but my wolf isn't ready to give up. We're not done running. I lunge toward the trees, but Sinclair leaps, blocking my path. I try the other direction, but he blocks me again.

I see that I could slide beneath him, and pure mischief fills me. I pretend to approach timidly. Sinclair isn't convinced, watching me with the same hunger he evokes in his human form.

I almost reach him, then dive between his legs, sliding on my belly and thanking the goddess for the slope. Overjoyed, I rise to run, but a heavy weight pins me.

"Such a clever she-wolf," Sinclair's deep voice praises. I feel his tongue on my neck.

I'm not amused. I bare my fangs and growl.

"And so vicious," he says. "You'd think I was cute, not a dangerous predator. But you're caught, baby. It's time to shift."