Moonspear blood of the dragon

As much as her grief weighed on her, Alya was aware that she had taken Nikai from his family to a place full of unknowns, where he would surely be at a disadvantage with his missing leg. It was looking as though they might be staying for longer than she'd thought, and the guilt of that -- coupled with her guilt for having been gone from the mountain so long, only to come back and witness this -- was almost overwhelming.

She leaned into her mate, taking comfort in his strong, steady presence. Not the same sort of strength that she and her sisters possessed, but a strength of character that she was coming to admire more and more. Alya felt that she, more than any of her siblings, had the tools to wade through her grief to the other side. How could she not, with such a wolf beside her?

The dark woman flashed a grateful glance in his direction, but her attention was soon returned to her sister. Her queen.