Chapter 26

But I also knew she had never truly felt at home there. Not really.

During the mating ceremony, it had been clear.

The whispers behind her back, the mocking laughter, the looks of embarrassment from her own family… I had seen it all. I remembered every sneer, every subtle gesture meant to humiliate her.

My hands clenched at the memory.

Yes, I had brought her here by force. But here, under my protection, she was freer. Happier. Safer.

I told myself that as a kind of consolation, but the guilt never fully left. It lingerea, gnawing at the edges of my mind, reminding me of what I had done.

“When we return from the wolf conference,” I thought quietly, “I will take her somewhere else. Somewhere beautiful. Somewhere peaceful. Somewhere she can be herself without fear or worry.”

I imagined it clearly: forests stretching beyond my lands, rivers glinting in sunlight, mountains rising in the distance. A place untouched, unbound by pack politics or the shadows of her past.

I could already see the look on her face-the bright, unrestrained smile, the awe in her eyes, the way her hands might reach out instinctively to touch everything around her. That small image, simple as it was, gave me a flicker of peace.

Perhaps it wouldn’t erase everything I had done, but it might bring her some measure of joy. Some measure of freedom.

And I needed her to feel that, to feel safe.

Yet the truth remained.

After that first kiss, I had deliberately kept my distance. I had watched from afar, careful not to let my presence overwhelm her. I told myself over and over: stay away. Do not fall for her. Do not let yourself care too much.

Because to fall for her was dangerous.

To fall for her meant risking everything.

It meant losing her. It meant hurting her.

And I couldn’t bear the thought.

Still… I was drawn to her. Again and again, no matter how many times I tried to resist. My years of self-control, my pride in my discipline, crumbled whenever she was near.

Her scent alone could unravel me completely.

Argon growled at my thoughts, disapproving, warning me to pull back. But even he knew I was trapped in this web.

Experience had taught ine painful lessons. Lessons I never forgot. Lessons I couldn’t escape.

And I doubted this would be any different.

I leaned back against the carriage seat, letting my eyes linger on her. She didn’t notice me. She didn’t need to. She was a force all her own, completely absorbed in the world outside the window.

Then, without warning

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The Larriage jerked violently, tossing everything inside.

Olivia stumbled

She lost her balance.

And fell backward.

Straight into me.

I reacted without thought, my arms catching her before she could hit the hard wooden seat.

Her body pressed against mine. Warm. Soft. Electric.

Her right hand pressed against my chest, the other landing dangerously close to my lap.

We froze.

Neither of us moved.

Breathing came heavy, uneven, caught between fear and shock, desire and restraint.

A low growl escaped my throat. Heat pooled violently inside me, rising from somewhere primal, somewhere I tried desperately to keep under control.

Her eyes widened as she realized where her hand rested.

Embarrassment swept across her face like a storm. She tried to pull away, to regain some semblance of composure.

But in her haste, her other hand slipped, and she collided with my chest again. Only inches separated our faces.

Her warm breath fanned across my lips. Soft. Sweet. Irresistible.

That was it. The last thread of restraint snapped.

I acted before I even thought. My hands moved, pulling her closer, crushing her body against mine.

And then I kissed her.

Without hesitation. Without doubt. Claiming her lips, claiming her presence, claiming the moment that had been building between us for weeks.

Everything else in the carriage, the pack, the forests outside, faded into nothing.

It was just us.

Her. Me. And the undeniable, unbroken connection between us.

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