Chapter 4

“Where are we headed?” Reese asked as they stepped out into the cool night air.

“Home,” Rowan replied, though that was the last place he planned to go right now. He wasn’t about to hang around the diner parking lot looking like some creep. His pack was buzzing with impatience, pushing him hard to claim his mate, and it was getting to the point where they might screw everything up. For all of them. They had to keep in mind that Elara was human, not one of their kind. She needed to be handled with care, slow and steady, if he had any shot at making her his.

In his forty years, he’d picked up plenty about how humans did things. Courting a woman was this whole big production date that dragged on, getting engaged, buying fancy rings and jewelry, jumping through all sorts of endless hoops. Sometimes it took years before they finally tied the knot and sealed the deal in bed.

For wolves, it was simple. The mating call hit, and that was it. Strangers one minute, bonded for life the next. No bullshit, no waiting games.

This was completely foreign territory for him. Part of him wondered if he could even pull it off with Elara.

But he had to trust that fate knew what it was doing. Sooner or later, she’d be his. Otherwise, he’d lose his damn mind obsessing over it. After all this time waiting, the call had finally come and it was undeniable. Hell, just her name rolling around in his head was enough to get him hard.

“We can’t just bail now,” David said. “You didn’t even try anything. And don’t give me that crap about not feeling it. We all know better.”

Rowan shot him a hard look, the kind that reminded everyone exactly who the alpha was. “This is my call, not yours. I’ll do it my way.”

David’s jaw tightened like he was itching for a fight, but he bit his tongue. Rowan didn’t need the reminder that he had to mate first. It had been hanging over his head for decades, a duty, or maybe a curse.

“Boss…” Brian started, trailing behind him.

For a second, Rowan considered shifting right there and bolting into the woods, leaving them in the dust. They couldn’t follow without a full moon to force the change. But he forced himself to stay calm, trying to see it from their side.

He stopped abruptly and turned to face them. “We have this same damn fight every day. But this time? It’s different. So quit acting like a bunch of whiny pups. It's pissing me off. I’m claiming Elara. I don’t know exactly how or when yet, but it’s happening.”

Grins started creeping across their faces, and for once, they shut up.

As much as they drove him nuts sometimes, he cared about his pack. They were family. “She’s human,” he added. “Push too hard too soon, and she’ll bolt.”

“So what’s the play?” Reese asked.

“No clue,” Rowan admitted. “But I’ll work it out. You guys head back. I need some space to think.”

They didn’t push back this time. He tossed the truck keys to Reese and kept walking along the quiet main street.

Truth was, his wolf wouldn’t let him stray far from her. His head was clearer than it had ever been. He’d only met Elara minutes ago, but the pull was overwhelming.

He pictured her again with those deep green eyes that reminded him of early morning light filtering through the trees. A kind soul, genuine and warm. And her body… those soft, generous curves that went on forever. Even without the mating call, she was exactly the woman he’d have chosen.

His mouth watered at the thought, and before he knew it, his feet were carrying him back toward the diner. Damn wolf.

When he got close, the place was dark, closed up for the night. A couple of waitresses were chatting by a dark blue car in the lot. One hopped in and drove off, while the other headed to her own vehicle farther away. He hung back in the shadows until both cars were gone, engines fading into the distance. Then it was just the steady hum of crickets from the fields edging the woods. On any other night, those dark tree lines would call to him, begging him to shift and run free. Not tonight.

Where the hell was Elara?

A prickle ran up his spine, and he edged closer. There was a dim glow coming from somewhere in the back of the building. He thought about shifting to sharpen his senses, but he didn’t need to. As he approached, her fear slammed into him sharp and bitter, like smoke in his nostrils.

Protective instincts he’d buried for years roared to life. Nothing else mattered but getting to her. He charged the front door. It was unlocked, so he shoved it open and barreled inside. Locked or not, he would’ve smashed it to pieces.

He vaulted the counter in one smooth leap and raced down the narrow back hallway. Light seeped from under the last door on the right.

She was behind it.

No time to think. He shoved the door open, ready to tear apart whatever threatened his mate.

Instead, he came nose-to-nose with the diner’s owner. He hadn’t noticed earlier too fixated on Elara but the guy was a bear shifter. Rowan couldn’t recall the last time he’d crossed paths with one in these parts.

“Looking for Elara?” the bear asked, voice low and smug.

“Get out of my way,” Rowan growled.

The guy was huge, no doubt, but Rowan had him beat. He was built like a tank, pure alpha strength running through him.

The bear stepped aside with a mocking sweep of his arm. Rowan pushed past into the small office, finally locking eyes with Elara. She sat in a chair across from a cluttered desk, looking confused.

“Rowan? What are you doing here?” she asked, her voice a mix of surprise and worry.

He froze for a split second. He’d expected to find her hurt, cornered something that justified bursting in like this. Adrenaline was still pumping hard, primed for violence.

The bear let out a low, rumbling laugh that grated on Rowan’s nerves. “Figured you’d come sniffing around. I saw that look you gave her earlier.”

“Did you lay a hand on her?”

“Not one.” The smirk on his face said otherwise, and Rowan swallowed a snarl.

“What’s going on, Joe?” Elara asked, glancing between them.