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"You will do no such thing," he said more sharply than intended, then immediately regretted his tone when her eyeswidened. This approach would only drive her further away, and some instinct deep within him knew he couldn't allow that to happen.

Orion drew a steadying breath. "You must be hungry," he said, deliberately softening his voice. He gestured toward the darkening sky visible through the observatory dome. "It's past dinner time, and you've had quite a day."

His gaze swept over her, noting the slight slouch of her shoulders that spoke of exhaustion and stress. His wolf urged him to care for her, and to provide for her needs. The man in him recognized the strategic advantage—a shared meal meant time to observe her, to understand what she was, and why his instincts screamed that she belonged to him.

"Join me for dinner," he continued, making it sound more like an invitation than an order this time. "The castle chef prepares an excellent meal, and the dining room offers a view of the night sky that should interest an astronomer."

He watched her face carefully, noting how her expression shifted at the mention of food. The slight parting of her lips, and the momentary softening around her eyes—hunger was winning over caution. She hadn't lowered the candlestick yet, but her grip had loosened ever so slightly.

Orion allowed himself a small, satisfied smile. His wolf preened at the thought of providing sustenance for their potential mate. Whether she was truly his Luna or not remained to be seen, but the prospect of sharing a meal with her awakened something long dormant within him—a desire for companionship that went beyond the duty and formality that had framed his existence for centuries.

"I make no promises about taking you home," he added, unwilling to surrender that ground, "but I do promise excellent food and, perhaps, some answers to some of your questions."

Her stomach growled audibly in the quiet observatory, and Orion's smile widened. Some battles were won with strength, others with strategy. This one, it seemed, might be won with seafood and aged wine from the castle cellars.

SEVEN

SERAPHINA

Seraphina's fingers loosened around the candlestick, its cool brass weight providing a small comfort in this bizarre situation. She glanced around the domed room with its gleaming telescopes and star charts. It was paradise for an astronomer. Yet right now, she felt like Alice falling through the looking glass.

"Fine," she conceded, tilting her chin up defiantly. "Food first, then answers, then we discuss my departure."

Orion stepped closer. "You'll find no captain willing to sail against my wishes. No pilot brave enough to defy me."

Heat suddenly flushed through her body at his proximity. Why did this stranger affect her that way?

"You think keeping me prisoner in here is going to make me cooperative?" She kept the candlestick between them, though some traitorous part of her wanted to drop it and close the distance.

"Prisoner?" Orion's laugh was warm and deep. "The doors aren't locked, Seraphina. You're free to explore my home as you wish."

"Your home?" She swept her gaze across the magnificent observatory. "What are you, some eccentric billionaire with a wolf fetish?"

Something flashed in his eyes—amusement, challenge, hunger maybe? "Something like that."

He gestured toward the doorway, and Seraphina's stomach rumbled again, this time louder. The absurdity of her situation hit her—kidnapped (rescued?), taken to a private island, and now being escorted to dinner by a man who claimed he wasn't human.

"This way," Orion said, extending his hand.

Seraphina ignored it and moved past him, still clutching her makeshift weapon. "I can walk just fine."

As they stepped into the corridor, Seraphina marveled at the grandeur surrounding them. Ancient tapestries depicting forest scenes and hunts lined walls of polished stone. Crystal chandeliers cast a warm glow over everything, making the world feel dreamlike.

"How long was I unconscious?" she asked, counting the hours in her head. The sun had been setting when she woke, and she'd last remembered it being early afternoon.

"Several hours. Your body needed rest after what happened."

"And what exactly happened?" She stopped walking, forcing him to turn back to her. "Because from my perspective, I was having a bizarre vision and then woke up on an island with a man who thinks he's a wolf."

Orion's eyes—those remarkable gray eyes that flickered with something ancient—studied her face. “As I said, Seraphina, Iama wolf."

A shiver ran through her that had nothing to do with fear. His conviction was absolute, and something deep inside her responded to it. Something primal that had awakened with her visions.

"And what am I exactly in this fantasy world of yours?" she challenged.

His gaze intensified. "That's what I intend to find out."

Her breath hitched. The way he looked at her—like she was a puzzle he was desperate to solve, a treasure he'd searched a lifetime to find—made her pulse race. This magnetic pull between them defied logical explanation.