Chapter 0311

"Please." Her voice cracks with desperation, trembling like a leaf in the storm. "Swear to me. I'd endure a forced bond with my destined mate over being marked by some stranger. Promise me this."

My jaw tightens. Can I make such a vow? I've walked this path before. Learned the hard way that forced bonds fracture before they ever truly form.

I meet her gaze in the dim light, those silver eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "I swear this - if I can't protect you or get you to safety, I'll mark you myself before letting any other wolf claim you."

She nods, pressing her damp cheek against my chest. My lips brush her hair as my fingers thread through the silken strands, massaging away her tension. Gradually, her breathing steadies, her body going slack against mine.

Sleep claims me unexpectedly. The scrape of shoes outside our door jolts me awake - years of running have honed my instincts to razor sharpness. Carefully, I disentangle myself from Isolde's arms and pad silently to the door.

Through the peephole, I see them - a couple pressed against the hallway wall, all tangled limbs and hungry mouths. Either hopelessly drunk or clever shifters playing a dangerous game. The stench of alcohol clings to the woman, but the man... that's shifter musk beneath the cologne.

A low growl rumbles in my throat, pitched just for shifter ears. The man's head snaps up instantly, nostrils flaring as he scents the air. "Wrong door, cher," he drawls in that thick bayou accent, steering his drunken companion down the hall. "We don't wanna disturb nobody."

Louisiana. I'd recognize that accent anywhere. More fox than wolf in those parts. I wait until moans echo from down the hallway before returning to bed.

Isolde molds herself against me the moment I settle, her thigh draping over my hips. My body responds instantly, painfully. Every shift of her warm curves against my erection is sweet torture. Sleep won't come like this, but I'd rather ache with her in my arms than know the cold emptiness of her absence.

My fingers trace idle patterns on her back until she stills, until my own eyelids grow heavy.

Morning comes too soon. "Isolde," I murmur, brushing hair from her face. "Time to go, love."

She startles awake, flushing when she realizes how she's draped across me. "Goddess! I didn't mean to-"

"Don't fret." I sit up, rolling my shoulders. "There's a shifter a few doors down. I don't like it. We'll grab breakfast on the way to the bus station."

She disappears into the bathroom to change. I grab my own clothes, adjusting myself discreetly. When she emerges, I duck inside, taking care of my problem surrounded by her lingering scent. Quick work - too quick.

We move like shadows leaving that room. I scan the hallway before ushering her out, closing the door silently behind us. Just in case those shifters were meant to be watching.