Page 6 of Salt Between the Wolves

She lifted her hand slowly.

For a moment he only sniffed at her glove before pressing forward with sudden confidence, warm breath curling against her skin.

Riven watched the interaction quietly.

“They don’t usually trust strangers that quickly,” he said after a moment.

“I don’t think he knows enough yet to be suspicious.”

“That helps.”

The answer drew the smallest trace of laughter from her before she could stop it.

The sound surprised them both slightly.

Riven glanced toward her then, something softer passing briefly through his expression before he looked away again, giving the moment space instead of holding onto it too tightly.

“My father used to run these stables,” he said after a while. “Before the fever took his lungs.”

Eira rested her arms lightly against the stall gate beside him, listening.

“He taught me to ride before I could properly walk.” His mouth curved faintly at the memory. “Said horses made more sense than wolves most days.”

“Did they?”

“Oh, definitely.” He nodded toward the colt. “That one only wants food and attention. Most wolves want five things at once and pretend otherwise.”

Another quiet laugh escaped her, easier this time.

The warmth of the stables, the low sounds of the horses, the steadiness of Riven beside her slowly unraveled some of the tension that had been wound through her since morning. Nothing about the conversation felt forced. He did not watch her carefully for reactions or avoid certain subjects with deliberate caution. More importantly, he did not treat her like a problem waiting to become dangerous.

For several minutes, she forgot to think about the bond entirely.

That realization unsettled her almost as much as it relieved her.

The colt nudged insistently against her hand again, demanding more attention now that he had decided she belonged there.

Riven shook his head in mock disappointment. “Traitor.”

“He has poor judgment.”

“He’ll fit in perfectly, then.”

Eira glanced sideways at him.

“And what exactly does that say about you?”

“That I let dangerous women into my father’s stables.”

The words could have sounded flirtatious in someone else’s mouth.

From Riven, they only sounded warm.

Which somehow felt more dangerous.

Soren

Soren had not intended to stop at the stables.