“This is the weirdest thing I’ve ever done!” Ella exclaimed, shifting restlessly beside me. We had just arrived at the festival, and though she was only wearing a silk robe, she looked stunning. She was also nearly beside herself with anxiety, becoming increasingly feisty as we approached the big event.

“Poor darling, you’re shaking,” I crooned, pulling Ella into my arms and rubbing her back. She was all sharp edges, stiff and grumbling unhappily into my chest, but snuggling into my warmth despite her grumpy mood.

“Of course I’m shaking! It’s freezing. I’m wearing next to nothing, and it’s winter!!” she exclaimed, gesturing to the falling snow. “How are we even supposed to do this ridiculous ritual without getting hypothermia?”

“First, because wolves run much hotter than humans,” I answered, catching her hands and tucking them between our bodies to warm them. “Second, because the stone circle is surrounded by thermal pools, and the base is heated from below by hot springs. I promise you’ll be plenty warm. And if you’re not, there’s always body heat.”

I waggled my eyebrows suggestively, but Ella didn’t laugh. She pouted, peeking up at me. “I thought you were going to respect my wishes.”

“I’m doing my best,” I said, “but it isn’t easy. Especially when you’re so beautifully responsive.”

This much was true. I might have an easier time respecting Ella’s boundaries if she didn’t react so openly and passionately to my advances. But the reality was that she was obviously affected by me, and it was hard not to feel encouraged when she melted into my arms like hot honey.

“That’s just my hormones,” Ella insisted. “You have to listen to what I say, not what I do.”

“Ah, so ‘actions speak louder than words’ doesn’t count in your book?” I teased.

“That’s right,” Ella answered stiffly. “My body isn’t my own right now; it’s the baby’s. That means you have to take my word over my reactions.”

“Alright,” I agreed. “But I hope you’ll give me a little slack when I slip up.”

“I thought being an Alpha was about always being in control,” Ella argued.

“Maybe,” I conceded, chafing her chilled limbs with my warm hands. “But my wolf is in charge when it comes to mating, and he’s not nearly as patient as I am.”

“But there’s no mating here!” Ella objected. “In case you’ve forgotten, I’m human!” Her whispered words were barely audible, but I still glanced around to ensure we couldn’t be overheard.

“I haven’t forgotten,” I answered. I wished I could. It seemed that if I wasn’t thinking about romancing Ella, I was thinking about how vulnerable she was living among shifters. Even now, I was painfully aware of how fragile she was in comparison, surrounded by vicious predators. The poor thing was still shivering, and I worried she might have been right—without a wolf’s resilience to the elements, it might be too cold for her to participate. Though, in truth, I suspected she was trembling with apprehension as much as with cold.

Guilt washed over me, and for a moment I wondered if I was doing a terrible thing putting Ella through all this. Not only these events that threw her so far out of her comfort zone and into a world she didn’t yet understand, or even asking her to suffer through the cold and discomfort, but asking her to tell so many lies—to perform an elaborate fraud, to go against her honest nature to deceive and trick people. I didn’t believe it was possible to corrupt Ella—or her life would have already done it—but it felt very hard to forgive myself for forcing her into this situation. In hindsight, I could clearly see that’s what I had done—it might have been her idea, but she’d felt like she had no other choice before I told her I would take her child away.

I knew all the justifications for our scheme: avoiding a civil war, preventing a despot from taking the throne, saving countless lives. And there was no way of justifying ending all this just to save one human some distress—yet I wanted to. I wanted to go back in time and tell Ella I would keep her and the baby a secret so that they would never be in danger from my enemies and never have to adopt this facade. I wanted to call off our arrangement so that she wouldn’t shiver anymore. Now, not only did I think my wolf was broken, I thought I was losing my mind as well.

“What?” Ella pressed sullenly. “Why are you looking at me that way?”

“I was thinking that when this is done we can go home and curl up in front of a warm fire, and then I’ll rub your feet and feed you hot chocolate,” I answered.

“Why can’t we just go home now? We’ve made an appearance and kissed for the cameras! We should just say I’m ill and make our apologies.” Her tone shifted from exasperated and sharp to sounding so small I almost believed it belonged to a child. “I don’t want to do this.”

“I know, baby,” I murmured, tucking her head to my chest and stroking her long, silky hair. “I promise we’ll leave as soon as we’re able.”

“But Dominic—” Ella raised her voice, trying to pull away from me. I knew she was only lashing out because she was feeling so much emotional turmoil. I was sure the pregnancy hormones weren’t helping, but it was clear she needed me to help ground her, to calm her down because she couldn’t calm herself.

I tightened my hold on her, beginning to purr even as I rumbled. “This is an important ritual,” I explained, in a tone that made her visibly squirm. “I know you’re cold and afraid, Ella. Honestly, I would spare you this if I could—but missing this isn’t like missing the feast. It would be seen as disrespect to the Goddess.”

Ella was struggling internally, her body responding to my purrs and my dominance, but her mind was no doubt consumed with battling thoughts of duty and unhappiness. Her eyes began to shine, and I feared she might start crying.

No, I hated it when she cried. My wolf complained—not that he needed to remind me. He whined like a pup anytime Ella shed so much as a single tear, even for silly reasons like eating all of her snacks. I increased my purrs, and Ella glared at me. “That isn’t fair; I don’t want to be comforted right now.”

“Maybe you don’t want it, but you need it,” I answered sternly, and Ella took up a mutinous muttering.

“Ella, I’m going to take care of you. It will be over before you know it. I won’t make us stay a minute longer than we have to.”

She was still glaring, but her plump lower lip was also trembling. “Fine,” she snapped, her voice thick with emotion. “But for the record, I don’t like you very much right now.”

“I know,” I smiled, kissing her upturned mouth. I wasn’t the least bit surprised when she nipped me, quickly sinking her little teeth into my lip and releasing them just as I began to feel the sting. My wolf growled deep in my chest, loving her fire but not about to let her get away with this. Ella trembled again, but in a very different way this time. Her demeanor was exactly that of a chastised she-wolf, reassured and excited by her mate’s strength.

“Behave,” I instructed, not bothering to soften my tone. The light in her eyes was impish now, rather than sad or frightened, and I was pleased to see her cheeks flushed with color. “It’s about to begin.”

I led Ella through the moonlit forest, following paths so familiar to me, yet completely new to Ella. Before long, we were crossing the bridges straddling steaming thermal pools and entering the sacred space of the stone circle.

I pulled off my robe, then reached for the belt at her waist. “Just look at me,” I advised. “Keep those gorgeous eyes on mine, and just pretend we’re all alone.”

Ella nodded nervously, and I carefully untied her robe, pulling the garment from her body and baring her for all to see. I didn’t take my eyes off her, even as I was handed the necessary oils by an attendant. I dripped the slick liquid onto my fingers, then painted it onto Ella’s body. I deposited the sweet-smelling substance on her neck, her temples, then used a different bottle for her wrists and palms—then finally I took the third oil and traced the letters of my name over her heart.

I wished I could look down and watch the oil dribble down between her luscious breasts, to appreciate the beauty of her form, but she needed the eye contact more than I needed to satisfy my lustful urges. “You’re doing so well, sweetheart,” I praised, handing her the bottles so that she could anoint my skin. Following my example, she applied the oils without taking her eyes away from mine, going up on her tiptoes to reach my temples.

When it was done, we stretched out on the heated stone slab beneath us, and I pulled Ella close, using my body to block her from view as much as possible. Still, she didn’t take her eyes from mine, and I continued praising her, genuinely proud of how brave she was being.

We lay together under the moon until her eyes grew heavy, and I knew it was time to leave.

When I woke the next morning, I wasn’t surprised to be greeted with more headlines about us, though these were a far cry from the last breaking news in which we featured. Every article was a veritable celebration of our mating, eagerly reporting that we were so in love that we couldn’t take our eyes off one another.

I was thrilled, but I knew we were facing a far greater challenge tonight—the Wild Hunt had finally arrived.