Vael sat in the backseat of the black SUV, one elbow braced against the door, his fingers pressed to his temple. His anger had dulled. But irritation sat beneath it, making his wolf pace relentlessly.
He couldn't stop thinking about why everything bothered him. Questions. They pulled at him from the inside, two of them, hooked into the tender places he usually kept walled off.
Why was he trying to protect her?
And the one that followed, heavier than the first.
Why did it feel so personal?
He let out a slow breath, watching his breath fog the window for a moment before it vanished.
It must be because she's the future Luna. He thought.
There. That was an answer. A clean one. He could hold that in his hands and examine it from every angle.
Anything about her now affects House Vaeroth. The pack. The territory. The weight of the name he carried. When people insulted her, they were also disrespecting him. Indirectly. Directly. It didn't matter.
