Page 16

SIXTEEN

LORELEI

T he sudden loss of Draken’s warmth left Lorelei cold and bereft. Her skin still tingled where his hands had been moments before. The abrupt shift from passionate lovemaking to dismissal hit her like a physical blow to the chest. She pulled his silk sheet around her bare body, the fabric a poor substitute for his touch.

Her throat constricted. The dismissal hurt more than she’d expected. But as she watched his broad shoulders tense, noticed how he wouldn’t even look at her, that hurt crystallized into something harder. The crystal vase on his bedside table rattled - her powers responding to her emotions. She gripped the sheet tighter, forcing herself to breathe deeply and maintain control.

“No,” she said as she sat up and stayed firmly planted on his massive four-poster bed. The carved wooden posts cast long shadows in the dim light of his master suite.

The single word seemed to vibrate through the room. A low growl rumbled from Draken’s chest, and she could see the way his muscles coiled beneath his skin. The wolf was there, just beneath the surface, its presence making the air thick with tension. But she refused to back down.

“A relationship isn’t just about following orders,” she said, keeping her voice steady and lifting her chin. “It’s about communication. Both ways.”

He turned then, his eyes flickering with that otherworldly amber glow that meant his wolf was close. “What more is there to say? You’ve made yourself quite clear - you don’t want to be my mate because you don’t want my mark.”

Lorelei’s fingers clenched in the silk, her mind racing with all the things she wanted to say, but the words stuck in her throat momentarily as she met his intense gaze. His accusation made her chest ache. The hurt in his eyes made it worse. Her powers stirred again, making the heavy drapes flutter despite the closed windows.

Draken stood in one fluid motion, his muscles rippling as he strode across the room. He yanked on his black athletic pants, the fabric settling low on his hips, leaving his sculpted chest bare. The moonlight streaming through the window highlighted every defined muscle, reminding her of just how powerful he was.

Lorelei adjusted the silk sheet around her body, sitting up straighter against the ornate headboard. Her heart thundered in her chest, but she refused to let his imposing presence intimidate her. “That’s not what I said or what I was implying when I told you I didn’t want to be marked.” She took a steadying breath. “This is exactly why we need to talk about this.”

When he remained silent, his jaw clenched and shoulders rigid, she seized the opportunity to explain herself. “I didn’t mean I never wanted to be marked.” The crystal water glass on the nightstand vibrated slightly with her rising emotions. She forced herself to remain calm, remembering her practice sessions with controlling her powers. “I’m just not ready right now. How can I be? I barely understand what being marked would mean for my life.”

She watched his back muscles tense further, but he didn’t turn around. The moonlight cast his shadow across the plush carpet, making him seem even larger and more imposing. She clutched the sheet even tighter, wishing she had more than silk between them for this conversation.

“I’m an architect, Draken. I plan things. I analyze. I need to understand the structural integrity before I build.” She paused, wondering if he’d appreciate the metaphor. “I need to think through all the implications before I make a choice this big.”

Draken finally turned to face her, the moonlight playing across the defined muscles of his chest. His eyes held such raw vulnerability that Lorelei’s breath caught in her throat. The sheet wrapped around her suddenly felt inadequate protection against the intensity of his gaze.

“This feels like rejection,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “I’m in love with you, Lorelei. But it seems like you don’t feel the same way.” He raked his hand through his hair, mussing the short brown strands. “What more am I supposed to do to convince you?”

The hurt in his voice broke her heart. She wanted to wrap her arms around him, but she needed him to understand first. Her fingers traced the intricate pattern woven into his silk sheets as she gathered her thoughts.

“Things have been truly amazing with you,” she said softly. “These feelings I have for you... they’re growing stronger every day.” She met his gaze, willing him to understand. “Humans don’t usually fall deeply in love overnight.”

The crystal water glass trembled again as her emotions swelled. She steadied herself, remembering her practice sessions. “But this isn’t just about falling in love. You’re asking me to become Luna of a wolf pack, to leave behind my whole life, my career...” She gave him a small smile. “That’s a lot for a human architect to process, even one who can apparently move mountains.

“I know your wolf nature makes everything immediate and certain. But humans...” She shrugged one bare shoulder. “We usually need time to accept big changes like this. It doesn’t mean I don’t care about you. It just means I need to be sure before I make such a life-altering decision.”

She watched his jaw clench, the muscle ticking as he processed her words. His broad shoulders remained tense, and she could practically feel the alpha energy radiating from him.

“I just announced to the entire pack that you’re their Luna. They’ll expect the mating bond to be completed very soon.”

“I understand the urgency, I do. But this pressure... it’s too much. I don’t want it to be like this.”

She took a deep breath, steadying both herself and her powers. The words she needed to say next felt heavy on her tongue, but she knew they were true the moment she thought them.

“I think...” She paused, watching his muscles tense further. “I think I need to go home for a while. Back to my old life, to process everything about you, this supernatural world, and what being Luna means.”

The moment the words left her mouth, she felt their truth settle deep in her bones. Five days. That’s all it had been since her entire world had turned upside down. Five days since she’d learned about wolves, powers, and fated mates. Five days since she’d last seen her best friends or worked on her beloved building designs.

“I can’t just abandon everything I’ve built,” she continued, her voice soft but firm. “My friends, my favorite coffee shop where the barista knows my order by heart, the antique bookstore where I spend Sunday afternoons. My job...” She let out a small laugh. “God, I miss my drafting table.”

Draken remained silent, but his reaction was written in every line of his body. His shoulders were rigid, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. The moonlight caught the amber flecks in his eyes, making them glow with an otherworldly light that reminded her just how different their worlds were.

The silence stretched between them, heavy with unspoken words and barely contained power. Through their growing connection, she could feel his wolf prowling beneath the surface, agitated and unhappy. But she needed this - needed time to find her footing in this new reality without feeling like she was being swept away by it.

Lorelei stood and slipped into her gown, trying to steady her breathing and her racing heart.

“Chuck will drive you home in the morning,” Draken said, his voice tight with barely contained emotion. “Though I wish you’d reconsider. The kidnapper that tried to take you is still out there.”

“I know.” Lorelei smoothed down the front of her dress, buying time to steady her voice. “But I can protect myself now. You taught me well.”

She crossed the room to where he stood, rigid and brooding, by the window. When she wrapped her arms around his waist, she felt the slight tremor that ran through his muscles. His chest expanded with a deep breath as he enveloped her in his arms, his embrace conveying everything his pride wouldn’t let him say.

The familiar scent of pine and wilderness that clung to his skin made her heart ache. Walking away from him felt like trying to separate two magnets - every cell in her body protested the distance. But she needed this. Needed to process everything that had happened since her birthday.

“I’ll miss you,” she whispered against his chest.

His arms tightened briefly before he released her. “Be careful.”

The walk back to her suite felt longer than usual, her heels clicking against the marble floors of the castle corridor. Her mind wandered to her apartment, her drafting table, her friends. She missed the simple pleasure of grabbing coffee with Helena or discussing the latest architectural trends with her colleagues.

Yet as she reached for her door handle, her powers tingled beneath her skin, reminding her that she’d never truly go back to who she was before. The earth itself sang to her now, a constant hum of potential and power that had become as natural as breathing.

But that didn’t mean she had to give up everything else. She could be both - the architect who loved clean lines and urban planning, and the Earth Luna who could shift tectonic plates with a thought. She just needed time to figure out how those pieces fit together.

As she stepped into her suite, she smiled, thinking of how Draken’s wolf would probably pace all night, fighting its instinct to keep her close. But if they were truly meant to be together, their bond would only grow stronger for letting it develop naturally.