The bear’s final roar had died, but the night still shook with the echo of it.

Blood steamed in rivers across the cracked ice, the hot copper scent curling into Alexei’s lungs until nothing else mattered. He felt his stomach grumbling, begging him to satisfy a hunger that he was finally able to identify.

Was that why no matter how much food he ate... he still felt empty?

Sera didn’t hesitate.

She fell to her knees beside the carcass and sank her claws into its hide.

Flesh split under her hands, the thick white pelt peeling back in sheets.

Steam poured from the wound, a furnace heat that painted her face red. She bent low and tore out the first mouthful of meat, chewing with deliberate slowness, black eyes fixed on Alexei as if daring him to flinch.

He couldn’t help by smile as he shook his head.

Nothing she could do would cause him to turn away.

He dropped beside her, his claws sinking into the other side. Muscle and fat gave way under his hands. He ripped until his grip filled with steaming meat, strings of sinew dangling. He shoved it into his mouth.

The taste hit like fire.

Blood flooded his tongue, hot, thick, alive.

The texture wasn’t clean like cooked food; it was stringy, slippery, every bite a fight. His teeth cracked through tendon, crunched bone, split cartilage. It should have been foul. Instead it was perfect.

Yes, Psycho purred. This is how we were meant to eat. Not at tables. Not with knives. With claws and teeth.

Alexei tore again, meat dripping down his chin.

He swallowed chunks too big, his throat straining with the size, but his body welcomed it.

The heat spread through his chest, down his arms, into his legs. His wounds sealed faster, his strength sang louder.

Sera crouched low, tearing strips free with savage precision.

Her face was a mask of gore, her once white hair plastered to her cheek, now a light pink color. She didn’t wipe it away. She didn’t pretend. She bit straight through ribs until they cracked, then pulled loose a slab of lung and chewed it with steady relish.

Their hands worked side by side, claws ripping, teeth tearing, the carcass collapsing beneath their hunger.

Steam rolled from the opened cavity, carrying the raw stench of liver, bile, blood. They didn’t shy from it. They dug deeper.

Alexei’s claws hooked into the slick curve of intestines.

He dragged them free, coiling like a rope across the ice.

Sera laughed, low and dark, and sank her teeth into the line, blood spraying her chin. She passed the torn length to him without words. He took it, bit down, and the flood of hot liquid made him shudder with pleasure.

The pup barked sharp from the ridge, his ears flat. He paced in tight circles, tail bristling, whining with the sharp edge of instinct.

Too young to join. Too young to understand.

But his eyes burned, watching his pack eat like gods.

Alexei leaned back, panting, blood streaking his chest. His claws dripped red. His face was smeared with gore, his grin sharp and wide.

He caught Sera’s eyes across the ruin of the carcass.

She was crouched low, her teeth red, her black gaze glowing in the night. Her lips curled back in something not human, not close. And he thought she had never looked more exquisite.

They ate until the silence grew thick, broken only by the wet sound of tearing flesh and the crunch of splintering bone.

Finally Sera sat back, her chest rising slow. She licked her claws clean with calm precision, leaving streaks across her mouth.

"Now," she said softly, "you wash."

She scooped snow in both hands, rubbed it across her face. The white crystals melted instantly, turning pink. She rubbed her arms, her throat, stripping away the blood until the worst of it was gone. She motioned for him to do the same.

Alexei followed, scraping handfuls of snow across his chest.

The cold bit deep but didn’t burn.

It cut through the stickiness, washing red from his skin in streaks. He scrubbed his claws until they gleamed pale again, then ran snow through his hair, shaking it out until it froze at the ends.

Sera was already clean, her pale skin slick with cold. Her pants were gone, fallen away when she shifted. Her boots too. She stood barefoot on the ice, blood streaked but unbothered.

"You’ve lost half your clothes," Alexei muttered, glancing at her feet, at the bare legs streaked with gore.

She shrugged, unconcerned. "They’ll show up. They always do."

Then she turned, scooped Luci up into her arms, and started back across the ice toward the tower.

Alexei followed. His body still sang with the kill. Every step felt stronger, faster. He didn’t stumble, didn’t slip. He ran his tongue across his teeth and tasted nothing but iron.

When they reached the tower, Sera didn’t use the window Zubair had outlined for them. Instead, she padded to the wall, Luci under one arm, and began to climb.

Her claws sank into stone as if it were soft wood. She moved fluid, certain, scaling twenty-three stories like it was a ladder built for her alone.

Alexei laughed under his breath and joined her.

His claws sank deep, his muscles hauling him upward. The stone gave easily, every pull balanced, every reach precise.

The wind howled against the tower, but it didn’t matter. He was faster than he’d ever been, climbing beside her, feral joy thundering in his veins.

They reached her window. She slipped inside first, Luci wriggling in her arms. Alexei hauled himself in after, dropping to the carpeted floor.

The warmth of the penthouse hit him like another world. Candles still burned, the nest of blankets still waited, the smell of apples and cinnamon soft as memory.

Sera dropped Luci onto the bed. The pup curled into the blankets immediately, sighing like he had been waiting for her.

Alexei stood, dripping meltwater on the floor, his chest bare, his grin fading into something sharper, quieter. He looked around her sanctuary—the books, the pillows, the stuffed toy still smiling.

His voice came low. "Can I stay here tonight?"