(Audrey’s POV)

    The morning sun streamed through our territory den’s windows as I carefully measured healing herbs into precise portions. Six months into our mating bond, I had discovered something unexpected.

    The greatest joy wasn’t in grand romantic gestures or dramatic derations of love. It was in the simple daily rhythms of life with Florian.

    “Morning consultations at Winter’s Remedy today?” Florian asked as he entered the kitchen, already dressed in his business attire.

    “Three pack members with chronic pain issues,” I replied, not looking up from my work. “Then I promised to check on Grandmother Shadowcrest this afternoon.”

    “Her recovery has been remarkable since you started visiting regrly.”

    I smiled, finally meeting his golden eyes. “She says having family close gives her strength to fight the weakness in her bones.”

    Florian moved behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist as he watched me work. His familiar warmth made me lean back against his chest automatically.

    “And tonight?” he murmured against my ear.

    “Tonight we review the expansion ns for the healing research facility,” I said, trying to maintain focus despite his proximity. “Sarah sent over the final territorial agreements.”

    “Mmm. Very productive schedule.”

    His lips brushed against my neck, and I nearly dropped the measuring spoon I was holding.

    “Florian,” I warned, though my voicecked conviction. “I need to concentrate on these formtions.”

    “I’m not stopping you,” he said innocently. “I’m just appreciating my mate’s dedication to her work.”

    I turned in his arms, raising an eyebrow. “Since when did you be so supportive of early morning herb preparation?”

    “Since I mated with the most brilliant healer in Central Territory,” he replied, stealing a quick kiss. “Besides, I’ve been learning.”

    To prove his point, he moved to the stove and began preparing theplex healing herb tea I used for my research. His movements were confident and precise.

    “Who knew the great Florian Stormhowl would be so aplished in the kitchen?” I teased, watching him work with obvious expertise.

    His response was immediate. He abandoned the tea preparation and pulled me close for a kiss that still made my heart race after all these months.

    When we finally broke apart, I was breathless and slightly dizzy.

    “That’s not fair,” I protested weakly. “You can’t just kiss me senseless every time I tease you.”

    “Watch me,” he said with a grin that made my knees weak.

    Before I could respond, the sound of small footsteps running up our front pathway interrupted the moment.

    “Uncle Florian! Aunt Luna!” Leo’s voice called out before he even reached the door. “I’m here for breakfast!”

    Florian and I exchanged amused nces. Leo had be a regr fixture at our territory den, especially on weekends when Cassandra was traveling for pack business.

    The pup burst through the door without waiting for permission, his small face bright with excitement.

    “Cousin Cassandra is meeting with the Eastern Pack Alphas today,” he announced importantly. “So I get to stay here and help with your mate bond progress!”

    “Our what?” I asked, though I suspected I already knew the answer.

    Leo had appointed himself our unofficial curator of happiness. He regrly reported on our “mate bond progress” to anyone who would listen.

    “I keep track of how many times you smile at each other,” Leo exined seriously. “Yesterday you smiled at each other 847 times.”

    Florian choked on his coffee. “You counted our smiles?”

    “Of course! It’s very important data,” Leo said with the gravity of a pack elder. “Healthy mate bonds require proper smile frequency.”

    “Who told you that?” I asked, trying not tough.

    “I figured it out myself,” Leo said proudly. “Uncle Florian smiled 23 times per day before you came back. Now he smiles 400- something times per day. That’s scientific improvement!”

    Florian’s expression grew tender as he looked at his nephew. “You’re very observant, little wolf.”

    “I’m also very hungry,” Leo said hopefully. “Did Aunt Luna make her special honey cakes?”

    “I did,” I confirmed, reaching for the te I had prepared earlier. “But first, you need to wash your hands.”

    Leo scampered toward the washroom with typical pup enthusiasm. As soon as he was out of earshot, Florian moved closer to me again.

    “847 times?” he murmured, his golden eyes dancing with amusement.

    “The boy has too much time on his hands,” I replied, but I was smiling despite myself.

    “Maybe we should give him something else to count,” Florian suggested, his voice dropping to a more intimate tone.

    Before I could ask what he meant, Leo returned and imed his ce at our breakfast table.

    “After breakfast, can we visit Great-grandmother Riverwind?” Leo asked between bites of honey cake. “She promised to teach me about ancient pack songs.”

    “Great-grandmother?” I raised an eyebrow at the title.

    “That’s what she told me to call her,” Leo exined matter-of-factly. “She said since you’re my Aunt Luna and she’s your mother, that makes her my Great-grandmother.”

    My chest tightened with emotion. Yvette had seamlessly integrated into our extended family unit, sharing responsibility for Leo’s care while maintaining her own pack obligations.

    “She’s in her consultation chambers this morning,” I said. “But we can visit after lunch.”

    “Perfect!” Leo beamed. “She’s teaching me the traditional wee songs for when you and Uncle Florian have pups.”

    I nearly choked on my territory coffee. “Leo!”

    “What? Cousin Cassandra said that’s the next step in mate bond development,” Leo said innocently. “She also said I would be the best big cousin ever because I already know how to change diapers from helping with the pack nursery.”

    Florian was clearly struggling not tough at my obvious embarrassment.

    “Cousin Cassandra talks too much,” I muttered.

    “She talks just the right amount,” Leo corrected seriously. “She told me that Uncle Florian waited over twenty years for you toe back. That’s a very long time to wait for someone.”

    The simple truth of the statement hit me harder than expected. I reached across the table to squeeze Florian’s hand.

    “Yes,” I said softly. “It was a very long time.”

    “But now you’re here forever,” Leo continued with absolute certainty. “And you’re both extremely happy. I can tell because you glow.”

    “We glow?” Florian asked, his eyebrows rising.

    “Yep. Mated wolves glow when they’re really, really happy,” Leo exined. “Great-grandmother Riverwind taught me that too.”

    Later that afternoon, we made our promised visit to Yvette’s consultation chambers. She was reviewing territorial agreements when we arrived, but immediately set aside her work to focus on Leo’s pack song lessons.

    “I missed so many years of your childhood,” she told me quietly as we watched Leo practice his vocal exercises across the

    room.

    “But watching you with Leo lets me imagine what it might have been like.”

    The healing of generational trauma through love and patience had be perhaps the most meaningful aspect of our new life.

    “He adores you,” I observed, watching Leo hang on Yvette’s every word. “You’re giving him the grandmother experience he never had.”

    “And he’s giving me the grandchild experience I thought I’d never have,” Yvette replied. “Until you’re ready to provide me with grandpups of your own, of course.”

    I felt my cheeks warm. “Mother!”

    “What? I’m simply observing that Leo would benefit from having cousins to y with,” Yvette said with feigned innocence. Before I could formte a response, Sarah burst through the chamber doors with an armload of documents.

    “Audrey! You need to see these consultation requests,” she announced breathlessly. “We’re getting inquiries from packs as far as the Eastern Coastal Territories.”

    Sarah had proven invaluable in managing the professional expansion of my healing work. Thebination of her business expertise and my innovative techniques had created something extraordinary.

    “How many new requests this week?” I asked, taking the papers from her hands.

    “Seventeen major pack consultations and forty-three individual healing requests,” Sarah reported with obvious pride. ” You’ve be legendary, whether you like it or not.”

    “The Moonstone Pack wants to establish a permanent contract for their territory’s basic healing supplies,” she continued. And three different universities are requesting coborative research partnerships.”

    Florian moved to read over my shoulder, his hand resting protectively on my lower back.

    “This level of demand will require significant expansion,” he observed. “We’ll need additional territory space and specialized staff.”

    “Already working on it,” Sarah said efficiently. “I’ve identified two potential locations for satellite facilities.”

    “What about the healing research center Mother mentioned?” I asked.

    “Construction begins next month,” Yvette interjected from across the room. “The Pack Council approved full funding yesterday.”

    I felt overwhelmed by the rapid growth of something that had started as a simple desire to help other wolves heal.

    “Sometimes I can’t believe how far we’vee,” I admitted.

    That evening, Florian and I retreated to our private study to review the expansion ns. We sat together on thefortable sofa, documents spread across the low table before us.

    “The Eastern Coastal request is particrly interesting,” Florian said, pointing to a specific proposal. “They’re offering to fund aplete research facility in exchange for exclusive ess to your advanced formtions.”

    “That would mean traveling away from Central Territory for extended periods,” I said thoughtfully.

    “Only if you want to,” Florian said immediately. “We don’t need to ept any opportunities that would separate us.”

    I looked at him with growing tenderness. “You’d give up a lucrative expansion opportunity for me?”

    “Audrey,” he said seriously, “I spent over twenty years learning to live without you. I’m not voluntarily spending extended time apart ever again.”

    The sincerity in his golden eyes made my heart skip.

    “Even for the good of the pack?” I teased.

    “The pack can wait,” he replied firmly. “My matees first.”

    I set aside the documents and moved closer to him on the sofa.

    “What if we structured the program as short consultation visits instead of permanent residence?” I suggested. “We could travel together and maintain our base here in Central Territory.”

    “Now that,” Florian said, pulling me into his arms, “sounds perfect.”

    We spent the rest of the evening reading together by the territory firece, discussing dreams for our future rather than immediate business concerns.

    “Sometimes I can’t believe this is real,” I confessed to Florian as we prepared for sleep. “After so much darkness, I wasn’t sure I’d ever feel this kind of peace.”

    His response was to hold me closer, his arms tightening around me in the protective embrace that had be my greatestfort.

    “Every day with you feels like a gift I don’t deserve,” he murmured against my hair.

    “We both deserve happiness,” I replied softly. “We’ve earned it.”