8. king Rowan's Request

_Nathan’s POV_

The message was still on my phone when Miles stood up and started pulling on a shirt.

“You’re not going alone,” he said. “Rowan doesn’t send messages like that for anything simple.”

“I know.” I sat up, the ache in my shoulder still present. “But ignoring him could cause problems. The alliance is new. If he turns this into official pack business, my father will hear about it before morning.”

Miles looked at me. “So your plan is to walk in there and hope for the best?”

“No. My plan is to hear what he wants and leave. You’re coming with me.”

He held my gaze for a moment, then nodded. “Get dressed. We’re leaving soon.”

I replied to the number while I put my clothes back on.

**Nathan:**  

When and where?

The answer came quickly.

**Mary:**  

Private lounge, east wing of the old campus administrative building. Thirty minutes. King Rowan will be waiting.

Miles read it over my shoulder. “Of course he picked somewhere quiet and private. He’s not even trying to make this look official.”

“That’s what worries me,” I said.

We left a few minutes later. The campus was mostly quiet at this hour, only a few distant lights still on. Neither of us said much on the way. My wolf was unsettled, and I could feel the tension coming off Miles beside me even though he kept his expression controlled.

When we reached the old administrative building, a woman in a dark coat was waiting by the side entrance. She looked at me first, then at Miles, and her expression shifted slightly.

“Heir Ashwood,” she said. “King Rowan is inside. He asked for you specifically.”

“I brought someone with me.”

She hesitated, then opened the door. “I’ll let him know.”

She led us down a short hallway and into a private lounge. The room was warm and dimly lit, with heavy curtains drawn over the windows. Rowan stood near the far side of the room. He turned as the door closed, and his eyes went straight to me before moving to Miles and staying there.

“I requested an audience with Heir Ashwood,” Rowan said. “Alone. I don’t remember inviting the Silvermane heir.”

Miles didn’t move. “He’s not meeting you alone. If that’s a problem, you should have gone through official channels instead of sending a late-night message.”

Rowan looked at him for a moment before turning back to me. “Nathan, I was hoping we could speak privately. There are things I wanted to discuss without extra company.”

“Whatever you have to say, you can say it with him here,” I replied. “I’m not sending him out.”

Rowan was quiet for a few seconds. Then he spoke again, his tone still calm. “You’ve been difficult to reach since the Summit. I wanted to finish the conversation we never properly had. I understand the alliance is important to your father, but some matters existed long before that agreement. I have interests where you’re concerned, Nathan. I had hoped to discuss them directly.”

Miles shifted beside me. “You’re talking about him like he’s something to negotiate over.”

Rowan glanced at him. “And you’re speaking as if you already have a claim. I don’t have to accept that as fact.”

“That’s enough,” I said. “If this is pack business, say it clearly. If it’s personal, we’re done.”

Rowan’s expression sharpened slightly. “It is personal. I’ve paid attention to you longer than he has. I know things about your family—and about you—that he doesn’t. Things that could affect how you see this alliance. I would prefer to discuss them privately, but if you insist on having him present, so be it.”

Miles took a half step forward. “You’re done talking about him like I’m not standing here.”

“And you’re interrupting a conversation that wasn’t meant for you,” Rowan answered. “This is between the Golden Pack and the Ashwood heir.”

The air in the room felt heavier. My wolf was restless under my skin.

“We’re leaving,” Miles said.

Rowan looked at me one last time. “This isn’t finished, Nathan. When you’re ready to continue the conversation properly, I’ll be waiting. Alone.”

He walked out. The door closed behind him a moment later, leaving the room quiet.

For a few seconds neither of us moved. Then Miles turned to me.

“You’re not meeting him alone again,” he said. “I don’t care how polite the next message sounds. The way he looks at you isn’t about politics.”

I rubbed a hand over my face. “I can handle Rowan.”

Miles stopped. “That’s not what I asked.”

“I know what you asked.” I kept my voice steady. “But this is still my business. He’s targeting me, not you. I don’t need you deciding how I deal with him every time he shows up.”

Something flickered across Miles’s face — not full anger, but close to hurt. He looked away for a second before speaking again.

“I’m not trying to control you. I’m trying to keep you from walking into something you don’t see clearly yet.”

“And I understand that,” I said. “But if I let you step in every time, it’s going to turn into something neither of our packs will accept. I have to handle this myself.”

Miles was quiet for a long moment. When he finally spoke, his voice was lower than before.

“Fine. Handle it. But if he crosses a line, I’m not staying out of it.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to.”

We left the building and started walking back across campus. The silence between us felt heavier than it had on the way there. Miles kept his hands in his pockets and his eyes forward. I could tell he wasn’t satisfied with the conversation, but he didn’t push further.

When we reached the point where the path split toward his building and mine, he slowed down.

“You can still come back to my place,” he said. “You don’t have to go to your dorm tonight.”

I hesitated. Part of me wanted to accept. The larger part knew I needed space after the meeting with Rowan.

“I should go,” I said. “I’ll text you if anything else comes up.”

Miles nodded once, though his expression remained tight. “Do that.”

I turned toward my dorm before either of us could say something that would make leaving harder. On the walk back, the mark on my shoulder still ached, and Rowan’s words kept replaying in my head. Miles had backed off when I asked him to — but the look on his face before he agreed stayed with me longer than I wanted to admit.

I wasn’t sure if I had made the right decision.

I only knew that I needed to prove to myself that I could still stand on my own, even with everything between us changing so quickly.