Shadewood there is a bear in the wound

The moment shared between them was tender — but truthfully, Riley was more terrified for Masque than he’d ever been. 

She shot up suddenly, earning an inquisitive gaze from her mate — but his questions were shortly answered, and he nodded grimly. 

He was no Ashlar — but the least he could do was tend to his mate best as he could. Riley grimaced as he looked at one particularly deep puncture. He’d seen plenty of gore and gristle before — he was, after all, a carnivore — but it was somehow different when it was someone you loved. 

As Masque thought of the Rise and how her life threaded a distinctly different path, Riley’s mind wandered to their future as he cleaned the blood and dirt from the pelt of his mate. They didn’t have much — but they had each other. And Riley would commit thousand thoughtless murders to keep it that way forever.