CHAPTER SIX

THE WOLF

Fuck. Claim. Mate.

The words throb through my skull like war drums. I can’t stop thinking about her. Lips parted as she stared at me across the table, scent dripping like she was asking for it. Asking for me.

Keeping our interactions limited to the library was a perfect decision. Goddess knows what I would’ve done if we had been anywhere less public.

I press both palms into the windowsill of the high-rise, steel and glass fortress I’m using as cover. Paid for in full under a name that only exists when I’m across the veil and away from Eldoria on business—Khylon Hale. I’ve always been back and forth across both realms, but never in this city, never so close to my little wolf.

The moon barely slices through the thick clouds outside, but I still feel it pulling at me. Reminding me what’s at stake.

Twenty-three days left. And I’ve barely scratched the surface. But she’s warming up to me a little bit. I can feel it.

She looks at me almost like she knows. Like something in her blood is trying to crawl toward me. Like she almost recognizes me. But then she pulls back. Uncertain, afraid. Human. Soft.

And fuck me, I like her softness.

I breathe out hard through my nose. This isn’t helping.

A knock. Three quick taps.

I open the door and Tarvin enters. I’ve been expecting him. While I left my brother Rhydar in charge of Alpha duties while I’m away, I put Tarvin on monitoring duty, secretly watching everyone and anyone that might be a problem.

“Nice place.” His eyes scan the apartment as he steps in, taking in all the details. His gaze is focused, tracking trouble. The tension in his shoulders says it all.

“Eamon?” I ask before he even speaks.

“Gone. Slipped out of his territory days ago. His wolves claim they don’t know where he is.” Tarvin throws his coat onto the couch. “But we both know where he went.”

My gut burns. My hands curl into fists.

“He’s here.”

Tarvin nods grimly. “And you’re running out of time.”

“I know.” The weight of the news settles heavy between us as my mind races through scenarios for how Eamon might be planning to strike next. He was a decent warrior in his own territory, taken his wolves on many wars and won few of them, though his methods were usually unorthodox and rather problematic. But that won’t bother me. I’m still his Alpha, he doesn’t stand a chance compared to me. More reason why he’s only the second option.

“He won’t dare challenge me.”

“Of course. Not you.” Tarvin sighs and settles lower into the couch.

Her.

“She’s not claimed, not marked, not even aware she’s yours,” he says carefully. “If Eamon gets to her first-”

“He won’t.” I cut the air with my voice.

Tarvin gives me a look. Not doubtful. Just sharp. “You think she’s safe in a town full of humans? She’s already on edge. You’ve been watching, not acting. And he’s out here playing dirty.”

“I will not force her.”

“Not saying you should.” He shrugs. “But maybe stop pretending you’ve got forever. You don’t. The clock is ticking. If she’s not bound to you under the moon before time runs out, Eamon wins. Eldoria becomes his. You lose everything.”

And Elowen dies in a world she never even understood. Without me.

“You think she’ll make it in time?”

“She has to.”

“Even if she does shift… will she stay?”

“I don’t know.”

“Then that’s your real problem, brother. Not Eamon. Not the clock. It’s whether she chooses you once she knows what you are.”

The truth of Tarvin’s words hits me hard. He’s right. Eamon is the type of person to do anything to get what he wants, especially when it means becoming Alpha of the whole of Eldoria.

“I’m just looking out for my brother.” He taps my shoulder, coat in the other hand. “I’ll be back soon. Just reach out to me if you need help with anything else. I can stay so we can find him together.” The concern on his face is serious, and it takes me back to our childhood—he, Rhydar, Lucan, and I training in the fields under the moonlight, ploughing through battles together with the help of the goddess.

“I’ll handle him,” I nod. “I need you back there for now. I trust you to keep an eye on things.”

“Alright.” He gives me a nod back, and with that, he’s out the door. The dimly lit room is silent again, and I’m standing at the kitchen bar, pouring myself a tumbler of whiskey.

My wolf roars under my skin, fangs itching, vision sharpening. My instincts scream claim her now, drag her into the shadows and show her who she belongs to.

But I won’t.

She deserves the truth. Not just the bond. Not just the heat. Not just in dreams.

Damn the dreams…

I hate that I only get access to her like that in the faded realm of sleep, where nothing feels truly real or permanent. It was only supposed to be a way for the goddess to connect us together, to reveal my mate to me. She appeared in the form of a flower, soft breath, the feel of her skin like a prayer. I searched Eldoria first. Of course I did. Every pack, every seer, every scroll. Nothing.

But when I couldn’t find her, I wanted more. I wondered who this girl was. I wanted to feel her, get close. So I did.

Then I heard rumors, whispers of a girl born across the veil, child of a Beta who vanished for love and mated with a human. Elvik. Her father had completely relocated across realms a long time ago, but I never thought of the possibility of him having an offspring—a hybrid with bloodlines entwined by two worlds so different, challenging every law that governed our lands.

Yet made for me. When I found her, saw her, scented her. My wolf fell silent. Just for a moment. And in that moment, I knew. The goddess hadn’t chosen wrong. And I was right to choose her in return. My little wolf.

But I may have found her too late. Twenty-three days. That’s all I have to make her remember who she is, and who she belongs to. I went through a lot to finally track her down here, and now, she deserves to choose me.

Even if it kills me.