Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 22412 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 112(@200wpm)___ 90(@250wpm)___ 75(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22412 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 112(@200wpm)___ 90(@250wpm)___ 75(@300wpm)
Caelan stopped in front of a rarely used guest room reserved for the occasional visiting alpha or representative from another chain. He turned to his men. “Put him here. Keep two guards posted at all times.”
One of the men opened the door, and Booker stepped forward. For an impossibly short moment, his gaze met mine, then the door slid shut between us.
My lynx howled in protest, and I reminded her that he was still in our territory. He’d refused to be run off.
“Let’s talk.”
I couldn’t just obey. For the first time in my life, I refused to swallow my feelings and defer to my brother as alpha. Not when every instinct inside me screamed that the man behind that door wasn’t a threat. Mates didn’t hurt each other.
Caelan’s shoulders were tight, and his jaw was rigid. He was holding himself together by sheer force of will. “Come.”
I followed him through the winding corridors until he opened the door to our family chamber—one of the only places where we had absolute privacy.
He shut the door behind us and turned, every muscle coiled. “You should not have been alone out there.”
The accusation was fair, but I had no regrets about breaking the rule, since I wouldn’t have met Booker otherwise. “And you have no right to lock up my mate.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling a rough breath. “You don’t know him, Alara. Wolves don’t understand our ways. They don’t live by our values. They don’t—”
“Those are all just excuses.” I stepped forward, refusing to let him retreat into alpha authority where feelings didn’t have to be acknowledged.
“They’re not excuses. They’re reasons,” he insisted.
His lynx flashed in his eyes, but I only sensed fear for me coming off him. It softened something in my chest, but it didn’t change my stance. “Fate chose him for me. You don’t get to send him away because it makes you uncomfortable.”
Caelan’s gaze hardened. “Mates must strengthen the chain, Alara. Not divide it.”
“Then trust me not to shatter it.”
He flinched. Barely, but I caught it.
Silence stretched before he spoke again, his voice low and unguarded. “When our parents died, something in me broke. Suddenly, I was alpha, with a whole host of responsibilities. I swore nothing else would slip through my fingers. Especially not you.”
My chest tightened, and I stepped a fraction closer. “I’m not them. And Booker isn’t dangerous. We never would have been tied together if he were.”
“Maybe.” He looked away, a muscle in his jaw ticking. “But I won’t risk you without something more concrete.”
“So you’re keeping him locked up?” I challenged, heat rising under my skin as my lynx pushed me to make him understand. “That’s almost worse than sending him away. I can feel him, Caelan. Every second. He’s right there, and I can’t just ignore that.”
Caelan’s expression wavered, heartbreak flickering at the edges. “If he’s truly your mate, he won’t break from a little restraint.”
“If,” I hissed, planting my fists on my hips. “You may not have found your fated mate yet, but you know exactly why I have no doubt who Booker Redmond is to me. And I’m pretty sure you don’t want me to say it out loud.”
He grimaced at the reminder that his baby sister was experiencing desire for the first time. “This is the only compromise I can offer until I decide on our next steps. For your safety and the chain’s stability.”
I didn’t bow my head and accept his decision like I normally would. Instead, I turned on my heel and stormed away, fury burning hot beneath my skin. But resolve burned hotter.
This wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.
The hallway outside the guest chamber was quieter than before. Two guards stood rigidly on either side of Booker’s door, their expressions blank in the way that meant they were working very hard not to look curious.
As I approached, a soft rumble drifted from behind the wood. A low growl that vibrated with pure longing, tugging at something deep inside me.
My lynx prowled under my skin, restless and frustrated, pressing me toward him while the guards shifted uneasily.
“I’m just passing through,” I murmured.
My feet carried me down the corridor before my brother could reappear and herd me somewhere safe. The walls felt like they were shrinking again, each step making my chest tighter in my lungs. I pushed through one of the side doors into the open courtyard.
The fresh air helped a little, but I still felt him.
A sudden flicker of movement from above caught my eye. Booker stepped into view in one of the higher windows. Our gazes collided through the glass, and I froze.
The guard near the corner of the building bristled, tension spiking until Booker stepped back into the shadows again. We hadn’t said a word, but I somehow knew he wasn’t fighting back because of me.