Moonsong Glacier [m] going toe to toe with an enchantress

That was a relief. He had no idea what he would even do if Val admitted that it did make him hard. He watched the other boy's ears tick forward and back, quietly calculating the distance to them if he had to tear one of them off for some reason. It was a conscious effort to slide his gaze back to Val's face.

Many wolves knew the Saints. Most wolves who knew them knew to steer clear of them and their bad behaviour. Not many of them knew the Saints like Aventus and his family did, however, the traitorous underbelly of them, the cowardice that festered within them. He wouldn't say he was a noble wolf by any means. He would have killed their children without a second thought if he got ahold of any of them. But that was something he would do to avenge his mother, not an instigating event. That was what set him apart from Nyra.

Aventus did not like to share these details about himself, but Val had asked. He seemed horrified by the possibility, so there was little chance he would side with the Saints on this. Besides, he was bear-marked. She attacked me when I was a kid, he shared. Broke my ribs. Could've killed me. She was supposed to be our ally. That wasn't enough for her, so then she killed my mother. His voice fell low, and while his expression never changed, his pale eyes grew more melancholy. He dropped his haunches to the cold ground, releasing the last of his tension. Val was no threat to him or Ursus.

Did the bear touch you? he wondered.