The alpha pack leader knots his wary omega during heat. Thomas carries a faint collarbone scar and distrusts every pack bond. Samuel is the authoritative alpha who both protects and risks everything with each claim.
Their joint stewardship of the eastern boundary forces repeated inspections. Proximity over the maps always ignites heat. The alpha settles it with his knot, locking inside his omega co-steward until the bond holds them fast. Each time the knot binds them longer than the last.
The ancestral territory hangs under rival threat. Thomas could walk away from the arrangement. He never does. The omega's self-protection and the alpha's past losses both stand at risk.
The den door closes behind them.
