Mag-log inCalebWe leave the apartment building behind after a while, but the image of it stays stuck in my head.Even as I drive through town with June beside me pointing out random streets and shortcuts she used to take, part of me still keeps circling back to those cracked walls and rusted railings.To the realization that she survived there alone.June shifts slightly in her seat and points toward an intersection ahead.“You can turn right here,” she says. “It’ll take us back toward the main street.”I nod once and follow the road.For a few minutes neither of us says much.The silence is comfortable though.With June, silence rarely feels empty.Then an idea occurs to me.I glance toward her briefly before speaking.“Show me your favorite place to eat.”Her brows lift slightly.“To eat?”“Yeah.” I shrug one shoulder. “Your favorite restaurant. Café. Kiosk. Food Cart."She looks out the window again for a second before shaking her head lightly.“I don’t really have one.”I glance toward her
CalebThe drive into town is quieter than I expected.Not uncomfortable.Just calm.June sits beside me with one arm resting near the open window while warm air slips through the car. Every now and then she points something out casually, usually with a short explanation before falling quiet again.She looks more relaxed today.Not completely. June never fully lets her guard down that easily.But lighter.I can feel it through the bond between us every time she glances out the window instead of sitting trapped inside her own thoughts about training.I rest one hand loosely against the steering wheel while looking toward her briefly.“You’re thinking too hard again,” I tell her.Her eyes shift toward me immediately.“You can feel that?”“Yes.”“That bond thing is invasive.”I smirk slightly.“You like me being obsessed with you.”“I tolerate it.”I huff out a quiet laugh as the town finally comes into view ahead of us.The faded welcome sign passes by first, worn from years of weather a
Caleb Jake’s place smells like coffee and chicken pasta that Anastasia might have cooked earlier before leaving. I lean back against the couch with a beer in my hand while Jake sits across from me at the small kitchen counter, wiping it clean before cleaning his hands. “So,” he says, looking at me properly now. “How’s June doing with the wolf training?” I exhale slowly through my nose. Not great. Jake reads the answer on my face immediately. “That bad?” I shake my head and stare down at the bottle in my hand for a second before answering. “She’s trying hard. Really hard.” A faint frown pulls at my mouth. “That’s the problem.” Jake stays quiet while I continue. “I can see how much effort she’s putting into it, but every failed attempt keeps getting into her head.” I rub a hand across my jaw tiredly. “She thinks because everyone else here can call their wolf easily, there’s something wrong with her.” I clench my jaw, hating seeing how disappointed she looks. “Which is bulls
JuneSilence.Nothing but silence.I squeeze my eyes shut harder, frustration twisting tighter inside my chest while sweat slides down the back of my neck. My breathing comes heavier now, not from physical exhaustion but from pure irritation.“Come on,” I whisper internally. “Please.”Nothing answers me.Not even a flicker.The training field feels strangely too quiet despite the distant sounds of protectors sparring farther away. Dust clings to my skin from where I have been sitting cross-legged in the grass for nearly an hour trying to do the one thing Caleb keeps telling me should become easier with time.Calling my wolf.Except apparently my wolf enjoys humiliating me.Because ever since she started speaking inside my head nonstop, she suddenly disappears the moment I actually need her.I try again.I reach inward the way Caleb taught me. Toward the bond. Toward the warmth I know exists inside me. Toward the place where I felt her so strongly the night he marked me.Still nothing.
JuneThe mark on my neck still feels warm.Every time I touch it, heat spreads through me all over again, followed immediately by the bond wrapping around my chest like something protective and impossibly comforting. Even now, hours later, I can still feel Caleb through it. His emotions brush against mine in quiet waves. Possessiveness. Relief. Affection.Mine.My wolf practically purrs every time that thought crosses Caleb's mind.The problem is that I still have not marked him back.And the longer that fact hangs between us, the more anxious I become.Not because I do not want to.God, I want to.That is the problem.My fingers brush lightly over the mark on my neck again, while my stomach twists itself into knots.Caleb trusts me completely.He keeps acting like there is nothing to worry about, like I am incapable of hurting him, but he does not understand what my wolf is capable of when she loses control. I do. I have seen the damage she can do.And I cannot risk that with him.No
JuneHis hand slides slowly down my back, pulling me closer against him until I can feel the hard warmth of his body surrounding mine completely. The bond between us hums stronger with every passing second, almost like it is reacting to every touch, every breath, every emotion pouring between us.I feel it everywhere.In my chest.In my pulse.In the strange ache inside me that no longer feels painful.Caleb kisses me like he is trying to memorize me. Like every second matters to him. His lips move against mine slowly at first, then deeper when I lean into him without hesitation. My fingers curl against his shoulders as warmth spreads through me so intensely that it almost makes me dizzy.No one has ever touched me like this before.His forehead presses briefly against mine as he breathes heavily, his eyes dark and fixed on my face. I can feel his wolf pressing hard against the surface now. I feel him through the bond almost as clearly as I feel Caleb himself.Possessive.Protective.
JuneI wake slowly, like I am rising through thick water.A low, silent groan slips past my lips before I can stop it.Everything hurts.Not a sharp pain. Not one single injury. It is everywhere. My arms ache. My legs throb. My back feels tight and overworked. Even my fingers feel tender when I try
JuneThe dining hall hums with noise the moment we step inside.Voices overlap. Trays clatter. The smell of food hits me all at once, warm and heavy and real. Eggs, bread, something fried, something sweet. My stomach tightens in response, sharp and demanding. We are not the only ones here. Other tr
JuneBy the time the first session ends, my arms feel like they are filled with sand and my shoulder throbs where Allan’s punch connected. Sweat cools against my skin as the breeze moves across the field. Around me, people stretch, laugh, groan dramatically about sore muscles.There is a lightness
CalebI know I have a temper.It flares fast, burns hot, and sometimes I speak before I think. I have know this all my life. This is how I am.But damn, watching June walk toward Kylie when she was about to shift lights up my fuse like nothing else.We have been told since we were pups to never go n







