CHAPTER 7 — "The Man Who Comes"

I pulled a heavy, dark canvas shirt over my head, my skin still tingling with the residual heat of the shift—and the terrifying, phantom imprint of that mind-link. My core still throbbed with a liquid warmth I couldn't shake. The compound felt eerily quiet now, the distant hum of ventilation the only sound breaking the silence. Outside the gym doors, I could hear the muted murmurs of guards slowly recovering from whatever spell they seem to be under earlier. My hands were perfectly steady as I laced up my combat boots, but inside, my wolf was pacing, her eyes fixed on the entrance of the underground hangar. She knew exactly whose presence was approaching.

"He's here," Maren said, stepping back into the training room. Her usual cool composure was firmly back in place, but there was a tightness around her eyes that hadn't been there an hour ago. "Control your energy, Sera. He isn't the kind of Alpha you can intimidate with a temper tantrum. And after what you did on the psychic plane... his wolf is on an incredibly short leash."she reminded me yet again

I rolled my eyes for the hundredth time.

"I didn't invite him into my head," I replied, standing up and crossing my arms, trying to ignore the way my nipples chafed against the rough canvas fabric, hyper-sensitized from the encounter. "And you still haven't told me who 'he' is."

"Kade Sovereign," Maren said, the name dropping into the room like a heavy weight. "The Alpha of the Northern Sovereign Pack. His people control the entire upper crest of the continent. They don't answer to the regional councils, and they don't play politics with boys like Caden."

Before I could answer, the heavy reinforced doors of the gym slid open.

The air didn't grow heavy or suffocating the way it did when Caden walked into a room. Instead, the temperature in the room seemed to skyrocket, a thick, suffocating wave of pure, unadulterated testosterone and dark authority washing over the space. The man who walked through the door was broad-shouldered, impossibly tall, and wore a simple, rugged dark jacket over a black shirt that strained against the hard planes of his chest. He didn't have an entourage,strange for someone his Caliber.

The moment his boots hit the floor, his eyes locked onto mine. They weren't just amber; they were glowing, a fierce, predatory gold that mirrored the exact shade of the beast that had invaded my mind minutes ago,he was definitely the one.

He stopped ten feet away from me. The scent hit me like a physical blow—crushed pine needles, dark earth, and a sharp, intoxicating trace of electric heat that made my breath hitch. It was the exact scent from the link, but in person, it was overwhelming. It filled my nose, my lungs, making my inner thighs tighten instinctively with a desperate, heavy ache.

"The entire mountain was vibrating when my chopper landed," Kade said, his voice a low, gravelly baritone that vibrated straight through the floorboards and echoed dangerously in my chest. He didn't sound angry; his gaze drifted slowly down my body, lingering on the flushed skin of my neck and the heavy rise and fall of my chest, his pupils blowing wide with dark, possessive hunger. "But I think the real earthquake happened right here."

"The facility is intact, Kade," Maren said, her voice sounding distant as the air between Kade and me grew thick with an almost visible tension. "But the girl is awake."

"I can taste that she's awake," Kade murmured, his voice dropping an octave, rough and deeply sensual. He took a slow, deliberate step forward, ignoring Maren entirely. His nostrils flared, tracking my scent, inhaling the musk of my exertion and the unmistakable, sweet tang of my sudden arousal. "You smell like fire and midnight, sweetheart. And you're trembling."

"I am not trembling," I lied, my voice sharp, cutting through the heavy space between us even as a traitorous shiver ran down my spine. "Everyone who comes through that door wants something from me. Caden wanted heirs. His father wanted my bloodline. What do you want, Alpha Sovereign? Why did you fly across the continent because a doctor made a phone call?who really are you since Maren won't answer my questions"

Kade tilted his head, a dark, dangerous smile playing at the corner of his lips. He took another step, closing the distance until he was entirely violating my personal space. The sheer heat radiating off his massive frame was dizzying.

"Maren didn't have to call me, Sera," he whispered, his eyes dropping to my lips before rising back to meet my gaze with a burning intensity. "Your wolf screamed across the continent, and my beast answered. I flew here to find the female who dared to shut me out of her head,but this right here is quite interesting." he step closer

I didn't realise I was stepping back

"I am trying to get my son back," I said, refusing to back down, though my heart was hammering a frantic rhythm against my ribs, desperate to lean closer to his warmth. "That is the only thing I care about. If you're here to offer me a political alliance or ask me to bow to your Northern pack, you can get back in your chopper and leave. I am done being an asset on someone else's ledger."

Kade didn't flinch as I snapped at him. Instead, he let out a low, guttural growl that resonated deeply in his chest—a sound so raw and dominant it sent a sharp, involuntary jolt of pleasure straight to my core. He didn't flare his aura to push me back, but his presence was a physical weight, wrapping around me, demanding my complete attention.

"I don't need you to bow to me, Sera," he said softly, his amber eyes dropping to my left wrist. "And I don't give a damn about your asset ledger."

He reached out, his movement agonizingly slow, deliberate. His large, heavily calloused hand slid around the back of my forearm. The moment his skin touched mine, a violent, electric spark shot straight up my arm, making my wolf let out a loud, needy whine inside my head. His thumb lightly pressed against the skin of my inner wrist, tracing the dark, pulsing Ashborne Crest. His touch was scorching, sending a wave of liquid heat straight down between my legs.

He pulled me just an inch closer, his massive frame casting a long shadow over me, his face inches from mine. I could smell the mint on his breath, mixed with that raw, masculine scent that was rapidly making me lose my mind.

"Stop looking at me like that," I whispered, my voice losing its sharp edge, turning breathless and weak as I stared at his rugged jawline.

"Like what?" Kade asked, his thumb heavily stroking the edge of the obsidian mark, his thumb-print searing into my skin. He leaned in closer, his lips brushing the sensitive shell of my ear as he spoke, his hot breath sending goosebumps racing across my skin. "Like I want to pin you against that wall, rip this canvas shirt off your back, and mark you until you forget any other male ever touched you?"

The sheer, unfiltered audacity of his words made my breath completely catch in my throat. my body was entirely paralyzed by the intoxicating, primal pull of his dominance.i don't like this feeling,I don't like how just barely meeting he has this effect already.this Is dangerous.

I tried to pull my hand back, my face burning with a mix of anger and intense, undeniable desire. "You don't know me."

"I know the way your wolf called out to mine," Kade said, letting go of my wrist only to let his hand slide slowly up my arm, his fingers lightly gripping the nape of my neck, his thumb anchoring my jaw so I had to look at him. His eyes were entirely feral now. "You have no idea what you are, do you."

"I know exactly what I am," I breathed, my chin rising despite the trembling of my knees. "I carry the Ashborne bloodline. It means I'm immune to Alpha commands. It means my wolf is stronger..stronger to resist. That's it."

"Maren gave you the medical explanation because she looks at the world through a microscope," Kade said, his thumb caressing my jawline with a possessive rhythm that made me want to tilt my head into his palm. "But the texts in the North go back further than her science, Sera. That glowing mark on your wrist isn't just a trait. It's the Crest of the Ashborne line. And it doesn't mean you're just a strong wolf."

"Then what does it mean?" I demanded, the silence in the room suddenly feeling deafening, my heart thumping so loudly I was certain he could hear it.

I could tell Maren wasn't in the room anymore

Kade leaned down, his lips almost brushing mine, the agonizingly close proximity making my mouth water for the taste of him. His scent wrapped around me like a heavy, inescapable blanket.

"In our history, an awakened Ashborne only appears when the current system is meant to be completely destroyed," Kade whispered, his voice a dark, seductive promise that vibrated against my lips. "You aren't a Luna, Sera. And you sure as hell aren't a standard Alpha. That mark means you are the Alpha of Alphas. The sovereign ruler that every pack leader on this continent—including me—was biologically built to answer to. And right now, my wolf is begging to submit to yours... in every single way possible Mistress”