29. The Treehouse (Luke POV)

I watched her hand retreat, her fingers leaving a lingering warmth in my fur. My thoughts whirled as I processed the revelation. Lexi could hear me. Not just Clay, but me. If she had only been connected with Clay, they might have kept it a secret, stashed away in a vault of unspeakable truths. But now, she also heard my thoughts, opening up a channel I hadn't considered possible.

I wasn't her fated mate. I'd come to terms with that a while ago, accepting it reluctantly as an inflexible fact. But there was an indisputable energy between us, something that transcended reason. Now, in my wolf form, that something became crystal clear. A link existed, intangible yet impossible to ignore.

She'd petted me and told me Clay was excited about our newfound ability to communicate during our runs. The concept baffled me. The last thing I wanted was to make Lexi the middleman in any discourse between Clay and me. Even in our prime, when we would've considered ourselves best friends, our interact