Loving Young

Chapter VIII

The late afternoon sun dipped low on the horizon, casting long shadows across the training grounds as I wrapped up my report to Cyrus. I detailed the changes and improvements I wanted to implement, focusing on ways to strengthen the pack's defenses. Through it all, Toran stood beside me, barely keeping his frustration in check. His huffing and growling were more noticeable than any of the actual feedback I had offered.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at the memory. Training a group of teenagers was one thing, but dealing with Toran was a battle of its own.

I wandered through the pack grounds for a while, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings. The trees here carried a sharper scent, the air crisper than back home. This wasn't just about familiarizing myself with the territory—it was a way to process everything that had happened. My mind was still buzzing from the events of the afternoon.

Cyrus had offered to walk with me, but I had declined. He had enough to deal with—his Beta was still in a coma, and the paperwork seemed to pile higher with every passing minute. I had half a mind to offer my help—though paperwork wasn't exactly my strong suit. In fact, I usually dumped it all on Vincent whenever possible. But seeing the weight Cyrus carried, I made a mental note to assist him more where I could.

Still, my wandering had a purpose beyond clearing my head.

After the tension in our earlier sparring session, I needed to find Darius. He had disappeared afterward without a word, leaving a thousand questions swirling in my mind. He had a habit of doing that—vanishing whenever things between us got too... complicated. And that wasn't making things any easier. The pull I felt toward him was growing stronger by the day, a primal instinct gnawing at my senses. Nyx, stirred uneasily, as if urging me to find him, to corner him.

I hated how badly I wanted to chase him down. To grab him. To make him submit.

I swallowed hard, my thoughts veering dangerously close to a place I didn't want to explore. Heat curled low in my stomach every time I thought about it, about him. Josh had filled me in on Darius's background before I even arrived. Darius was seventeen, with a birthday in November, the son of warriors originally from SilverClaw. His father was a top warrior, and his mother held the rare rank of Delta. A fighter in every sense. And according to Josh, Darius was good with his hands. The suggestive wink Josh had thrown in at the end of that statement had sent me storming out of his office, face burning.

But what Josh hadn't mentioned was Kaitlyn.

I shouldn't have been surprised to learn Darius had a girlfriend. Wolves these days didn't wait for their mates to be their first... well, everything. But knowing and seeing were two entirely different things. The image of him with someone else gnawed at me, deepening a discomfort I wasn't proud of.

My fists clenched and unclenched as memories from our sparring session flashed in my mind. The way my hand had closed around his throat, how perfectly his body had fit against mine in that moment, sending heat flooding through me. My heart pounded faster at the thought. The primal urge was there, simmering beneath the surface, growing harder to ignore.

Nyx growled within me, a low, dangerous sound, reminding me that this was more than simple attraction. This was something deeper. Older. My eyes flickered gold, and I snapped back to the present, realizing my feet had carried me off the main path. The woods here were denser, the sun barely filtering through the thick canopy, dappling the ground in faint streaks of light. The air felt heavier, charged, as if it too was waiting for something to happen.

Then I heard it—laughter.

I moved silently between the trees until I reached a small stream, its waters glittering under the slivers of sunlight. The scene before me was almost picturesque. Darius sat by the water, his legs stretched out lazily, propping himself up on his arms as the golden light skimmed over his tanned skin. He shifted slightly, his muscles tensing as if sensing my presence before his eyes finally found mine.