ke''s POV


    Pine and rain-soaked earth hit my nose while James droned on about shipping routes. That wild, clean scent that belonged to only one person.


    Ava.


    My head snapped up from the trade documents. She was here? Right now?


    Training with Lucas must''ve gone well, I thought, then caught myself grinning like an idiot. Hell, when it came to my son, Ava had everything handled. The woman could probably train a rock to throw punches.


    But whye to the main house? She should be rxing at the vi. Unless...


    Unless she came looking for me.


    That thought made my chest do something stupid and warm.


    -wouldn''t you agree, Alpha King?" Lyra''s voice cut through my wandering brain. Her fingers trailed across my arm like she had every right to touch me.


    I yanked my attention back to the meeting. Toote. Those purple eyes had caught me zoning out, and she didn''t look happy about it.


    "Sorry, what was the question?"


    She smiled, but it felt cold. "The herb cultivation agreements. Your thoughts?"


    The next two hours were torture dressed up as diplomacy. Lyra kept scooting closer, each "idental" touch pushing boundaries. Her perfume was thick-all cedar and mint, trying way too hard. But werewolf noses don''t lie. Under all that fancy scent, I caught what she was really feeling: calction, ambition, and something possessive that made my wolf pace like a caged animal.


    Every time I tried to put space between us, she found an excuse to lean in. "What d''you think about this, ke?" Always my first name, never my title. Then she''d tilt forward so her breath warmed my ear.


    My wolf was having none of it. He didn''t like being hunted, especially by someone this fake. But politics had me trapped in my own damn meeting room.


    Meanwhile, Ava''s scent kept drifting through my thoughts. Was she still somewhere in the manor? Had she already left? If she came looking for me and found me stuck in this circus...


    My jaw clenched hard enough to crack teeth.


    When James finally called it a day, I was up before he finished talking. Every instinct screamed at me to find Ava, figure out why she''de and why that sense of her was already fading.


    ke."


    Not Alpha King. Just my name, said like she''d earned the right to use it.


    I turned around. Lyra glided toward me with that practiced grace, something in those purple eyes I definitely didn''t like.


    "What''s up?" I kept my voice neutral, but patience was running thin.


    She stopped way too close, tilted her head up at me. "I wanna take you to dinner tonight."


    Not asking. Telling. This woman was used to giving orders, not making requests. "I''ve got other stuff-


    "Oh,e on." Sheughed. "You''re the Alpha King. You''ve always got stuff. But surely you can make time for me? It''s not every day the Northern Lights


    High Priestess asks you out."


    That tone. Like refusing her was impossible. Like her status alone made her irresistible.


    *Besides," her fingers found my sleeve again, "we could ditch these stuffy formal clothes. Dress casual. You know, like a real date. I heard Silverpeaks pretty open- minded about human customs."


    Date. She said it in as day, no beating around the bush.


    1 studied her face, looking for something real under that perfect mask. But Lyra was clearly a pro at this game-expression as carefully built as her perfume. showing me nothing genuine.


    "This part of the diplomatic process?" I asked.


    "This is me asking you out. Her honesty was almost refreshing. "I wanna get to know you better, ke. Not the Alpha King-just you."


    Her hand stayed on my arm, nails lightly scratching fabric. Too intimate for someone I''d just met, but done with such confidence it felt like her birthright.


    My brain started doing math. Northern Lights meant crucial trade deals-their timber and herbs were vital to Silverpeak''s future. Lyra wasn''t just High Priestess; she was one of their top decision-makers.


    Damn politics.


    "Fine," I said, not hiding how much I hated this. "But it''s just dinner."


    2


    Her smile lit up like Christmas morning, victory dancing in those amethyst eyes. She''d expected this all along. "Of course. Just dinner. I''ll handle the details."


    She walked away with quick, confident steps. I watched her go, anger and frustration churning in my gut. This was the price of being Alpha King-sometimes you had to dance to someone else''s tune.


    I fucking hated being yed.


    The second she disappeared, I tried to mindlink Ava. The golden mark on my neck warmed up, but Ava felt distant. The vi was too far to get a clear


    connection.


    1


    Good thing I''d gotten her that human phone. I dialed her number. Ring, ring, ring... straight to voicemail.


    Tried again. Same thing.


    Was she ignoring my calls on purpose?


    I went with texting instead.


    Me: Got diplomatic dinner tonight, can''t make it back. Sorry. Will swing by first thing tomorrow.


    I stared at the screen, waiting. Minutes crawled by before my phone buzzed.


    Ava: Understood.


    Not “okay,” not “be safe,” not even a emoji. This formal, cold response made my chest tighten up.


    I typed fast:


    Me: You alright? Did youe by the manor for something today?


    This wait felt endless. Just when I thought she wasn''t gonna answer:


    Ava: Fine. Work went well.


    Still that same distant, business-like tone. I frowned, fingers hovering over the screen. This wasn''t Ava''s style at all. When she was pissed, she''d get in my face about it, demand answers, start an argument. She never pulled this stranger act. Me: Ava, what''s really going on?


    Quick reply this time:


    Ava: Nothing''s wrong. Handle your business, Alpha King.


    Seeing "Alpha King" in our private texts hit like a punch to the gut. She never called me that when we were alone. Never. Unless she was trying to put walls between us.


    But why? This morning we were good. Hell, that kiss had me distracted through half my meetings. What happened between hering here and now to make her go ice-cold on me?


    Something was off. I just couldn''t figure out what.


    ''Dad?" Sophia''s voice drifted down from the stairs. (You look kinda upset."


    I nced up at my daughter. She wore a light blue dress, hair done up neat. But something in her expression seemed shifty.


    "Sophia, you see Ava today?"


    She stopped mid-step, bit her lip. She''d done that since she was little-usually meant she was choosing her words carefully.


    "Yeah, she was here."


    "What''d she want?"


    ''She said... she came to see you." Sophia''s voice got smaller. "But you were in meetings."


    "Then what? She say why she left so fast?"


    Sophia shrugged, looking innocent. "Not really sure. She just said she wasn''t


    feeling great and took off. Probably just girl stuff."


    I frowned. That exnation felt weak, but Sophia didn''t seem like she was hiding anything obvious.


    "How''d she seem? Her mood?"


    “Um... maybe a little bummed? But I think she was mainly just not feeling well.”


    Sophia bit her lip again. "Dad, why''re you so worried about her? She''s just Lucas''s trainer."


    Chapter Comments


    Mike


    and that''s how you start a fight with your mate... why do they keep doing this...


    Visitor


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    These chapters keep flopping back and forth with previously hashed out


    materials, off/ on, promise, no promise, it''s getting exhausting


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