Page 87

The elder did not answer immediately. He studied Blaidd—took in the breadth of his shoulders, the old scars, the way he carried his weight. His gaze lingered just a moment longer than necessary, as though he were coming to some kind of decision.

Then he gave a short nod. "Let us start."

He picked up a wooden practice blade and tossed it toward Blaidd without warning. Blaidd caught it cleanly.

Around them, the circle widened as Blaidd allowed the aggression within to translate into strength.

***

Over the next few weeks, their life settled into a routine.

Fae continued to ignore him. Kenji followed her around, his stance protective.

Blaidd learned her routines the way a hunter learned terrain.

Where she lived.

When she rose.

What she ate.

When she trained.

When she disappeared into the woods with Aiko, Kenji, and the young black wolf who followed Aiko like a shadow.

Blaidd never approached; he followed at a distance—far enough not to intrude, but close enough to intervene if needed.

He stood sentinel while they played among the trees, while their growls drifted through branches, while her wolf darted and twisted between trunks with a freedom he had never seen in her before.

Once, when Fae's chestnut wolf wandered slightly from the group, Blaidd slowly approached with a rabbit. He laid it down near her paws without a word.

The pale fox growled from behind her, and the sable wolf bristled.

Blaidd's wolf, who towered over all of them, ignored them both.

Fae's wolf hesitated, and for a long moment, she stared at him, amber eyes assessing him for threat. The wolf saw only her mate, who was sorry and was offering food as an apology. Things were simple in wolf-skin, unlike the humans.

Then, slowly, she lowered her head and accepted the offering.

He stayed to watch her eat before slipping away. He spent the day training, as the warriors started to warm up to him and trade jokes. Ruri was present with Sulien hovering and growling at anyone who drew close. Blaidd did not know where he spent his nights.

He always waited outside for when Fae finished at the wood-shop. Rain or cold did not move him. He stood near the door until she finished, then followed her home at that careful distance she had not forbidden.

At night, he shifted into wolf form and lay on the open veranda of her small house.

He did not try to cross the threshold.

Fae knew he was there, and she never invited him in, despite the freezing cold.

But on the second morning, when he woke, a blanket lay draped over him.

It smelled of her.

He did not allow himself to smile, but he slept deeper that day.

***

A week passed like that.