The low hum of the crowd faded into the background as Cael stood on the makeshift podium, his eyes sweeping over the sea of faces below. His pack, his people, his family. But despite the sheer number of bodies pressing into the courtyard, it was her he eyes locked on too first, like a magnetic pull he couldn't resist.
Elisa.
Standing near the back, her hair catching the last rays of sunlight like a halo, the delicate chain of the necklace, the pendant he'd given her glinting at her throat.
His chest swelled at the sight, pride and something darker, fiercer; possessiveness uncoiling inside him like a beast stretching after a long sleep, tightening his muscles until it almost hurt to breathe.
She wore his gift.
She chose to wear it.
That simple act, that tiny piece of silver pressed against her skin, screamed louder than a hundred words. He looked up at her face and their gaze locked.
