Three days had passed since Drakenfell was attacked by the armies of Orosia.
Orosia was a vast continent, and its forces had struck multiple packs. Drakenfell had been a primary target, but it had not been the only one.
King Tiberon issued a War High Council Summit, called across the continent of Skardos. In ten days, every Alpha King would be meeting.
All twenty of them.
Serena was still unconscious, and Dex barely slept. Between coordinating repairs and preparing for the summit, he spent every stolen moment at her bedside.
He had to lead. The aftermath of the attack was brutal.
He learned that Serena had saved countless omegas, children, elders, and innocents during the assault, guiding them through hidden tunnels.
Elara confirmed Serena did a full sweep through the castle and outdoor grounds, evacuating people to safety.
Those tunnels had been built for that exact purpose.
How? He always meant to ask her how she knew about those, as it wasn't the first time.
Every day, more stories surfaced. Lives saved. Attackers taken down with her fire.
He didn't like that she'd put herself in danger. But her instincts were spot on, and he was damn proud.
She acted as a queen, without a crown or anyone knowing she was his mate.
✦✦✦
Serena had been anything but comfortable. Pain sat etched into her face. She shivered and sweated in turns, like she was sick with the worst kind of flu.
After three days, she finally woke. It took her a moment to realize where she was. An infirmary room, stone walls familiar but hazy.
She looked down at her arm.
The mark was still there. Still burning.
She pushed herself upright, shaky but determined. No one was in the room. The quiet felt strange after so much chaos.
She crossed to the cooling cabinet built into the stone wall, the one that held tonics. By now, she knew the drill.
She grabbed one and drank it.
Then another.
Then a third.
The heat in her veins eased slightly.
She moved into the small bathing chamber attached to the room and rinsed off. Dark water swirled down the drain. Blood washed from her hair, her shoulders, her arms. From everywhere. She stood there longer than necessary, letting the water run until the last traces were gone.
Bruises remained, but they were fading and there were no scars.
She wrapped a towel around herself and returned to the bed. She lay back down beneath the covers, exhaustion settling over her again as the room went quiet.
When she woke again, she was lying on top of Dex.
His chest rose and fell steadily beneath her, his arms wrapped securely around her.
Everywhere their skin touched tingled.
His scent flooded her senses, deep and intoxicating, grounding her before she even fully understood where she was.
Then it hit her.
She was completely naked. On top of Dex.
Heat rushed to her face instantly.
Panic followed, sharp and irrational. He had already seen her naked. She knew that.
But it was still new. She felt shy. Exposed.
Too aware of every inch of herself pressed against him.
She tensed.
His arms tightened immediately, like he sensed she might bolt if he did not hold her there.
"Hey, baby," he murmured softly, kissing the top of her head. "It is okay."
He could feel her emotions clearly now. She liked it when he called her that, even if it made her blush. She also liked being held by him.
She was shy. Timid still. And it was adorable. He grinned.
Nothing was going to stop him from holding what was his. She did not have a say in it.
He needed her skin against his. Her comfort.
He held her tightly for a few more minutes, pressing another kiss to her head. She finally relaxed into him.
"You're mine," Dex said, squeezing her gently and kissing her again.
She giggled at that, the sound rough and hoarse, and he smiled into her hair.
He squeezed her. "I missed the hell out of you."
"How long have I been out?" she rasped.
"Three days," he said. That was much better than what she thought.
Dex flipped her onto her back and kissed her, hard and quick.
"Don't move," he said, grabbing two tonics from the side table.
Serena was so thirsty she downed both instantly.
"I still don't understand how you can drink those in one gulp," Dex muttered, shaking his head.
He disappeared to start the bath, then returned.
"You're sore. I feel it," he said, his voice low as he scooped her into his arms without waiting for permission.
She blushed the entire way to the bathing chamber. Again. He laughed at her adorableness, entirely too pleased with himself, and set her down gently in the steaming bath.
Dex stepped in behind her and settled against the marble, pulling her back against his chest.
The warmth soaked into her muscles, and she let out a breath she had not realized she was holding.
"Dex?" she said after a minute.
"Mmm," he answered, relaxed behind her.
"What is your wolf's name?"
She was well aware that if he could not actually talk to his wolf, she would sound ridiculous.
Dex shook his head and grinned. "Aegon."
She turned enough to kiss his shoulder, warm water lapping quietly around them.
Dex's laugh rumbled against her back when she didn't elaborate. "Why do you ask?"
She hesitated for a second, unsure why unease crept in. She wanted to tell Dex things.
"I used to be able to hear my wolf. I thought I'd lost her, but she visited me in my dream and wanted to know."
Dex chuckled. "Why am I surprised, but also not surprised that you can hear your wolf?"
"When was the last time you shifted?" he asked after a minute.
She swallowed, knowing this was about to be a shocker for Dex. It was almost embarrassing, like confessing she lacked something fundamental.
"I have never shifted."
"I was captured and sold to Viremont in my fourteenth summer," Serena continued. "The second time I ran away and was caught, my punishment was silver. She spoke to me right before. But after that, I never heard her again. I thought I had lost her."
Her voice stayed even. She delivered it like a ledger entry. Just facts, no space for pity.
She didn't tell him the rest. That she'd been trying to reach Riven Nightspire's territory. A man she had once called uncle, though she'd only met him a handful of times. If she'd made it there, everything would have been different. But rogues found them first. Then Viremont. It was a whole ordeal she had no intention of unpacking yet.
Dex swallowed hard. There was still so much he did not know about Serena. He felt like he'd known her his whole life. And yet he didn't. He needed to fix that.
A first shift usually is painful. It's a milestone that should be celebrated. And she had never shifted to know any of that.
Dex felt her nerves spike and realized he had gone rigid beneath her without meaning to. He loosened instantly and leaned in, pressing a quick kiss to her temple.
"I am sorry, baby," he said quietly. "I did not realize. My reaction was shock, nothing else. This is something I take for granted, and I assumed you had it without ever questioning it."
He rested his chin on her head, steady and sure, like he was anchoring her there on purpose.
She swallowed, not trusting her voice in that moment and not wanting to let the tightness in her chest turn into something sharper. She had always felt like something was missing. No matter how hard she tried not to dwell on it, the absence lingered, a quiet ache that told her she was not quite whole.
Dex's laugh behind her snapped her out of it.
"What is your wolf's name?" he asked, grinning. "Aegon wants to know."
"Aurelia," Serena answered.
Dex stiffened behind her again, but this time it was different. It was not shock. It was restraint. She felt it immediately, the way his body locked like he was holding something back by force.
Serena turned to face him and caught the flash of gold in his eyes.
"Dex," she said softly, concern pulling her brows together. "Are you alright?"
Aegon saw her expression and froze. The fight vanished instantly. He stopped pushing, stopped clawing for the surface, and allowed himself to be forced down without resistance.
"Yes," Dex said after a long minute. His voice was steady again, but quieter. "My wolf got excited."
"He knows your wolf."
Serena's breath caught.
Dex's voice dropped to barely a whisper. "He said they were mates in a past life. True mates."