Page 9

EIGHT

ORION

O rion leaned closer to Seraphina, his voice dropping to a timbre reserved for her alone. "The observatory is yours to use whenever you wish."

The candlelight caught the flecks of gold in her green eyes as he watched her reaction to his offer. Her lips parted with unspoken interest. His wolf purred with satisfaction at her response.

His hand moved across the polished mahogany table toward hers, drawn by an instinct older than civilization itself.

He stopped himself mere inches from her skin.

Too soon. She still viewed him as her captor, not her destined mate.

The delicate bond forming between them needed nurturing, not force.

Still, his wolf chafed at the restraint.

Her scent shifted subtly – jasmine with an undercurrent of something warmer, more primal.

Her pulse quickened visibly at the base of her throat, and Orion found himself leaning even closer, his face near enough to feel the warmth radiating from her skin.

The emerald of her eyes darkened as her pupils expanded, a physical reaction she couldn't control.

"I'd like that," she whispered, her voice carrying a huskiness that sent a jolt through his core. "The stars have always made more sense to me than people."

Orion felt the corner of his mouth lift. "Perhaps we can change that... about the people part."

The air between them crackled with potential and possibility. Four hundred years of solitude, and now this woman – human, bewildered, but magnificent – sat within his reach. His wolf paced anxiously beneath his skin.

"Your Majesty."

Orion didn't turn at first, refusing to break the moment. Jared, his communications councilman, cleared his throat more forcefully.

"Your Majesty, forgive me, but there's an urgent matter requiring your attention."

Orion's jaw tightened, a muscle flexing visibly beneath his neatly trimmed beard. He pulled back from Seraphina with physical effort, her confused expression twisting something in his chest.

"This had better warrant interrupting my dinner, Jared." His voice carried no hint of the warmth he'd shown moments before.

"Perhaps somewhere private, sire." Jared's eyes flicked meaningfully to Seraphina.

Orion stood forcefully, the chair legs scraping against the floor. "Excuse me, Seraphina. It seems the world cannot survive without my attention even for one meal."

She nodded, her fingers absently tracing the rim of her water glass. The image stamped itself in his mind as he followed Jared to a corner of the dining room.

"What is it?" Orion demanded, positioning himself to keep Seraphina in his line of sight.

Jared shifted uncomfortably. "The United States Senator from Florida has contacted us directly. He's demanding the return of Miss Lucero immediately."

"He's what?" Orion's voice dropped to a dangerous whisper.

"Her friend has reported her missing. The senator claims you've illegally transported an American citizen across international boundaries and is threatening diplomatic consequences if she isn't returned to Miami immediately."

Heat crawled up Orion's neck. "She is my Luna. I'll take her wherever I damn well please."

Jared winced. "With respect, Your Majesty, in the human world, that's considered kidnapping. Their laws don't recognize mate bonds."

"Their laws," Orion spat. "Their laws mean nothing to me or my pack. We've governed ourselves for millennia before their republic was even dreamed of."

"Yes, but we exist in their world now. We need their continued ignorance of our true nature. A diplomatic incident would bring scrutiny we cannot afford."

Orion's mind raced, his eyes finding Seraphina across the room. She was watching him, a crease of concern between her brows. Something about this situation felt wrong – calculated.

"How would he know to contact us directly?" Orion asked, suspicion taking root. "It's been less than a day."

"I... don't know, sire. The timing is unusual."

Orion's wolf senses prickled with warning. Leadership had honed his instincts for detecting traps, and this reeked of one. Someone knew too much. Someone was moving pieces on a board he couldn't fully see.

Orion's nostrils flared, a low rumble vibrating in his chest. "How exactly would anyone know I took her? Let alone that she's on this island?" he demanded, his voice pitched low enough that the diners around them wouldn't hear, but carrying enough authority that Jared flinched.

The communications councilman shifted nervously. "Well, Your Majesty, I believe... she may have had her phone with her when you brought her here."

Orion's eyes flashed dangerously. "Her phone."

"Yes, sire. Modern smartphones have tracking capabilities. If someone knew her credentials, they could locate?—"

"I know what a damn phone does," Orion growled, running a hand through his hair. The realization of his oversight struck him like a punch to the gut. Such a simple thing. Such a human thing. "I should have thought of that."

His gaze traveled back to Seraphina, watching her tuck her raven hair behind her ear. In that moment of rescue, with her unconscious in his arms, his wolf had taken over completely—protect, shelter, and secure what was his. The tactical, calculating king had surrendered to base instinct.

"I've spent centuries outsmarting enemies, outmaneuvering political opponents, and I get undone by a piece of technology that fits in a pocket." Orion clenched his jaw tight. "What else does the senator know?"

Jared swallowed. "He specifically mentioned Starlight Island, and addressed you by name, Your Majesty."

Orion's tattoos seemed to burn against his skin beneath his tailored shirt. Someone had recognized him in Miami. Someone connected to the senator. The pieces were aligning in a way he didn't like.

"This goes beyond mere phone tracking," Orion muttered, more to himself than to Jared.

"What shall I tell the senator, sire? He's demanding a response within the hour."

Orion's lips curved up into a smile that held no warmth. "Tell him nothing."

"But, sire?—"

"Since when does Starlight Island answer to American politicians?" Orion straightened to his full height, his shoulders squaring. "The last time I checked, we don't have an extradition treaty with the United States. They have no jurisdiction here."

Jared paled. "But they're threatening other diplomatic consequences."

Orion laughed, a sound like thunder over distant mountains. "Empty threats. What are they going to do? Invade a sovereign territory over one woman?" He leaned closer to Jared. "A woman who, may I remind you, was in immediate danger. A woman I rescued ."

"With respect, sire, humans don't recognize our laws of?—"

"I don't give a damn what humans recognize." The words came out in a near-growl. "She is my Luna. Mine to protect. She stays."

Across the room, Orion caught Seraphina watching their exchange with curious green eyes. Something within him softened, even as his resolve hardened.

"Send a polite but firm refusal. State that Miss Lucero is safe and receiving medical care after an attempted assault in Miami.

Add that she is free to leave whenever she wishes, and we would be happy to arrange communications with American authorities once she has recovered.

" Orion's tactical mind was working again, finding the balance between truth and diplomacy. "That should buy us time."

"And if they escalate?" Jared asked.

Orion's gaze never left Seraphina. "Then they'll learn what happens when humans meddle in wolf business."

He dismissed Jared with a nod and strode back toward his seat beside Seraphina. Let them come with their politics and their threats. He had stood against enemies far more formidable than a single American senator.

What troubled him more was the question of how someone had recognized him in the first place. His pack had maintained careful isolation for centuries.

And why would anyone care so desperately about claiming Seraphina that they'd involve high-level government officials within hours?

The wolf inside him knew the answer: she was precious beyond measure.

And now, approaching her at the table, Orion knew one thing with absolute certainty—he would burn the human world to ash before he'd let them take her from him.

A large hand suddenly clapped onto his shoulder, halting his forward momentum mere steps from his Luna. Orion whipped around, a growl building in his throat, only to find Chance's familiar dark features watching him with concern.

"A word, My King?" Chance's voice was quiet but insistent.

Orion glared, his nostrils flaring. His eyes flicked toward Seraphina, who was now engaged in conversation with Macie again. "You have terrible timing."

Chance guided him away from the table, toward one of the enormous windows overlooking the moonlit ocean. "I couldn't help overhearing about our American senator friend who's so desperate to get your lady back."

"It's absurd," Orion's muscles tightened across his shoulders. "Humans complaining about jurisdiction while their officials are likely the ones who broke into her home in the first place."

"You think it's a setup?"

"My instincts are screaming it." Orion watched his reflection in the glass, superimposed over the dark sea. "How would anyone know to find her here within hours? Someone targeted her, and now they're trying to force my hand."

Chance leaned against the stone wall, considering. "Well, she'll probably want to go home anyway, so what's the big deal? Maybe let her go and court her properly on her turf?"

The temperature around them seemed to drop several degrees as Orion turned, his eyes flashing dangerously. "What did you say?"

Chance held up his hands. "Easy, old friend."

"She was about to be attacked. Outside her home. And you suggest I send her back there?" Orion stepped closer, his voice lowering to a lethal hush. "I didn't spend four centuries building this kingdom to have some human politician dictate who stays within my walls."