Proximity

ᴛʜᴀɴᴇ ʜᴇʟᴅ ʜɪᴍ ᴄʟᴏꜱᴇ, ᴡɪꜱʜɪɴɢ ʜᴇ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴄʟɪɴɢ ᴀꜱ ꜰɪᴇʀᴄᴇʟʏ ᴀꜱ ᴅᴇꜱʜᴀᴡɴ ᴅɪᴅ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴇꜱᴘᴇʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ɪɴ ʜɪꜱ ᴄʜᴇꜱᴛ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴀ ʟɪᴠɪɴɢ ᴛʜɪɴɢ, ꜰᴇʀᴀʟ ᴀɴᴅ ʀᴀᴡ. "ɪᴛ'ꜱ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴏᴋᴀʏ," ʜᴇ ᴡʜɪꜱᴘᴇʀᴇᴅ ɪɴᴛᴏ ʜɪꜱ ʜᴀɪʀ.

ʜᴇ'ᴅ ᴅᴏ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ɪᴛ ᴛʀᴜᴇ.

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Thane Valehart, Commander of the Southern Border and Alpha of the Valehart pack, has always known his duties extend beyond the battlefield. He's simply chosen to ignore them.

For years, the strategy worked-until now.

Bound by a contract he can't escape, Thane finds himself saddled with a human companion, a living being he knows nothing about and never asked for. The arrangement was supposed to be a formality, a stabilizing measure for an Alpha too long without a pack. Instead, it leaves him off-balance, staring across his quarters at someone fragile, strange, and everything he isn't.

He was trained to conquer, command, and survive. He was built for battle, not tenderness.

Despite this the more Thane tries to ignore him, the more he notices him: the warmth of his scent, the tremor of his pulse, the softness in his eyes.

It leaves him sure that this human might be the one fight he can't win-or the only one worth losing.

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ꜱᴛᴀɴᴅᴀʟᴏɴᴇ