Chapter 4

Elara Thorne POV:

At seven sharp, I was waiting by the main entrance of the Packhouse. A black, military-grade SUV pulled up, and Alpha Kaelen leaned over from the driver's seat, pushing the passenger door open. "Get in."

The cab of the truck was clean and functional, but it felt incredibly small with him in it. His scent-pine and storm-was everywhere, a potent and distracting presence that made my heart beat a little faster. I focused on the rugged landscape outside, trying to ignore the heat radiating from him just inches away.

As we drove along the border, he spoke, his voice all business. He pointed out patrol routes, weak spots in the perimeter, and the political tensions with the feral packs in the northern hills. He was a master tactician, and I found myself listening intently.

"The supply depot for this sector is too exposed," I said, thinking aloud. "If you rerouted the deliveries through the old quarry pass, it would cut down on travel time and be less visible to scouts."

He glanced at me, his brow furrowed. "The quarry pass is unstable in the spring."

"Not if you reinforce the western wall," I countered, drawing on my experience managing Silvermoon's infrastructure. "A retaining wall and proper drainage would make it viable year-round."

He was silent for a long moment. He pulled the SUV over, turning in his seat to face me fully. For the first time, he wasn't looking at me like an assistant or a political piece on a board. He was looking at me like an equal.

"That's... a viable solution," he admitted, a note of genuine surprise in his deep voice.

A strange warmth spread through me at his approval. Before I could respond, the vehicle's comm system crackled to life.

"Kaelen." The voice was female, sharp and authoritative. It was Astrid Varg, his elder.

"Astrid," he replied, his tone immediately hardening.

"The council is growing impatient," she said, her voice laced with disapproval. "You have been back for days. When do you intend to formally welcome your mate to the pack? The alliance requires a public ceremony to solidify it."

My stomach clenched. They were talking about me. Or rather, about the 'Luna' who was bound to the mysterious Rafe. I was torn between a nervous anticipation of finally meeting my supposed mate and a deep-seated dread of the role I was expected to play.

Kaelen's jaw tightened. "I have a plan, Astrid. Do not interfere."

"Your plan is taking too long. This is not a matter of personal preference; it is a matter of state," she snapped back.

"I will handle it," he growled, and cut the connection.

The silence that followed was heavy and suffocating. A low, angry energy rolled off him in waves, and I instinctively shrank back in my seat, assuming his anger was directed at the elder's nagging.

We drove the rest of the way back to the Packhouse without another word. He stalked off toward his office the moment we arrived, leaving me standing by the SUV.

Later that day, I saw him call his Beta, Corbin, into his office. The door was slightly ajar, and I couldn't help but overhear.

"Corbin," Kaelen's voice was strained, unfamiliar. "If one were to... procure a formal gift for a female, what would one get?"

I heard Corbin's surprised, muffled laugh. "A gift? For a female? Well, Alpha, that depends. Jewelry is always a safe bet. A gown, perhaps?"

There was a long pause. I saw Kaelen's shadow through the frosted glass, his head bowed as if in thought.

"Get out," he finally grumbled.

Corbin left, a grin plastered on his face. I slipped away before he could see me, my heart pounding. Kaelen was buying a gift for his mate. For the woman he was bound to through Rafe.

He was going to summon her.

Inside his office, Kaelen sat behind his desk. He closed his eyes. I didn't know it then, but he was reaching for the bond, for the connection to the mate he had never met, the mate he already resented.

He was reaching for me.