Page 15

FIFTEEN

SOL

S ol’s pen scratched across the royal decree with precise, measured strokes. Centuries of leadership had honed his penmanship to perfection. The afternoon sun streamed through the study’s stained glass windows, casting patterns of amber and ruby across the oak desk that had belonged to generations of Sunflare alphas.

The door suddenly burst open with such force that the ancient hinges protested. Joshua stood in the doorway with his chest heaving, his normally composed demeanor fractured.

“She’s leaving.” Joshua’s voice cracked with urgency. “Helena is leaving. Deina just told me she called someone to come get her.”

Something primal and possessive surged through Sol’s veins. The pen snapped between his fingers, spilling ink across the document like spilled blood. “What?”

“She’s in her suite now, waiting by the window. Some human is coming for her.”

Sol was on his feet in an instant, his chair toppling backward. The wolf inside him howled, demanding action. “She can’t leave. She belongs here.”

“Sol, maybe you should?—“

But Sol was already rushing past his beta, his shoulders rigid with tension. The rational part of his mind—the part that had governed a pack for centuries—was submerged beneath the tide of instinctive panic. His Luna was attempting to flee, and every fiber of his being rejected the very notion.

He took the grand staircase three steps at a time, servants scattering from his path like autumn leaves in a gale. Within seconds, he was standing outside the door to her suite.

Without knocking, Sol threw open the door to find Helena standing by the window, her red hair aflame in the afternoon light. The sight of her momentarily stole his breath—even angry, he couldn’t deny her effect on him.

“Going somewhere?” The question rumbled from deep in his chest.

Helena turned, her hazel eyes widening briefly before narrowing. “Yes. Home. Where I belong.”

“You belong here.” His fists clenched at his sides. “With your pack. With me.”

“I never agreed to that.”

Sol prowled closer, the distance between them charged with electricity. “You think you can just walk away? After everything I’ve told you? After what we’ve shared?”

“I can, and I am.” Her chin lifted in defiance.

“Perhaps I should throw you in the dungeon until you come to your senses.” The words escaped before he could trap them, his temper flaring hot and bright.

Helena’s laugh was sharp as broken glass. “Right, because imprisonment is definitely the way to a woman’s heart. Very romantic.”

Sol could feel her anger building, the mate bond thrumming with the heat of her emotions. Yet, remarkably, no flames burst forth. She was controlling her fire, containing it through sheer force of will. Despite his fury, pride bloomed in his chest.

“Throwing me in a dungeon would only prove my point,” she continued, stepping toward him with fearless determination. “You’re controlling. You think you can dictate my life without my input. I won’t live that way, Sol. I won’t surrender my choices or my power over my own life—not to you, not to anyone.”

“This isn’t about control,” Sol growled, closing the short distance between them until he could see the golden flecks in her eyes. “This is about keeping you safe. I told you earlier in the forest that if you leave right now without my mate mark, you’re vulnerable. There are bad people out there who would use you, hurt you, even kill you for the power you possess.”

Helena’s eyes flashed, the gold flecks blazing like the fires she commanded. “Is that what this is really about? My powers?” She took a step back, creating a chasm between them that felt wider than any physical distance. “Maybe you just want me around to be a better and stronger alpha. Maybe this is all about your ego, which is pretty damn big already.”

The accusation hit Sol like a slap to his face. His wolf howled in protest desperate to break free and prove their devotion. For centuries, he’d ruled with strength and justice, never once using his position for personal gain. That she would think him capable of such manipulation cut deeper than any blade.

“You think I want to use you?” His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. His hands trembled with the need to touch her, to make her understand. “After all these centuries, you truly believe I’d manipulate my own mate for power?”

Sol turned away, running his large hand through his dark hair. When he faced her again, he allowed her to see everything—all the raw vulnerability he’d never shown anyone in hundreds of years of existence.

“The only thing I care about is you, Helena. Just you.” He thumped his chest where his heart thundered against his ribs. “I’m upset because I can’t bear the thought of losing you or seeing you hurt.”

He moved closer, careful not to crowd her but unable to maintain the distance. “I’ve waited my entire life to meet my true mate. Centuries of existence, watching others find their other halves while I ruled alone.” His voice cracked with emotion he’d never allowed himself to show. “But I never imagined how intense these feelings would be until I met you.”

Sol reached out, his fingers stopping just short of touching her face. “You’re unlike anything I could have dreamed of. Your strength, your spirit—even your stubbornness.” A broken laugh escaped him. “I can’t imagine life without you now. I don’t want to live it if you’re not in it.”

His wolf pushed against his control, demanding he claim her properly, protect her, and never let her go. But Sol held back, understanding that this was her choice to make.

“I need you like I need oxygen, Helena. Not your power. You.”

Something shifted in Helena’s eyes—doubt giving way to something softer. Sol watched as unshed tears gathered, turning those hazel depths luminous. She didn’t speak, but her silence lacked the brittle anger of before. Her lips parted slightly as though words hovered there, waiting to be spoken. His wolf sensed the change, howling with renewed hope.

Sol’s control snapped. The raw vulnerability in Helena’s eyes, the soft parting of her lips—it was too much. His wolf surged forward, primal and insistent, demanding he claim her and make her irrevocably his. He pulled her flush against his body and captured her mouth in a searing kiss.

Her lips were soft and yielding, and the taste of her—sweet and warm—ignited something feral within him. He pressed her body flush against his, his other arm wrapping around her waist to pull her closer. Her gasp of surprise only deepened the kiss, her hands instinctively rising to clutch at his shoulders.

“Mine,” he growled against her mouth, the word more a declaration than a question. His wolf howled in triumph, urging him to take, to claim, and to possess. But he held back, just enough to give her the choice even as his body screamed for more.

Helena’s fingers dug into his shoulders, her nails grazing his skin through the fabric of his shirt. She kissed him back with equal fervor, her fire sparking against his, their powers tangling in a heady rush of heat. Sol’s hands roamed her curves, tracing the flare of her hips, the dip of her waist, and the swell of her breasts. Every touch stoked the fire between them, their bond humming with intensity.

“Sol,” she murmured, her voice breathless. His name on her lips sent a jolt of desire straight to his core. He needed more—needed all of her.

Without breaking the kiss, he lifted her, her legs wrapping instinctively around his waist. Her laughter was a breathy sound against his skin, and it only fueled his hunger. He carried her to the bed, dropping her gently onto the soft covers before climbing over her, caging her with his body.

“Tell me you want this,” he demanded, his voice rough with need. He cupped her face, his thumb brushing her cheek as he searched her eyes.

Helena’s breath hitched, her hazel eyes darkening with desire. “I want you,” she whispered, the words sending a surge of triumph through him.

His hands moved with purpose, stripping away the barriers between them—her dress, his shirt, everything discarded in a frenzy of need. Her skin was warm beneath his touch, soft and inviting, and he couldn’t resist tasting her. His lips trailed down her neck, nipping at the sensitive spot just below her ear before moving lower, lavishing attention on the curve of her breast. Her moan was music to his ears, her fingers tightening in his hair as she arched into his touch.

“Sol,” she gasped, her voice trembling. “Please.”

He didn’t need further encouragement. His hands settled on her hips, guiding her onto her stomach before pulling her up onto her knees. The position was primal and possessive, and his wolf reveled in it. He leaned over her, his chest pressed to her back, his lips brushing the shell of her ear.

“You feel that?” he murmured, his voice a husky growl. “That’s us. That’s our bond. It’s never going to break.”

Her answering whimper was all the affirmation he needed. He claimed her then, his hands gripping her hips as he moved with slow, deliberate strokes. The sensation was electric, their connection humming with each thrust. Helena’s head lifted, her hair cascading down her back as she matched his rhythm, her soft cries driving him mad.

“Mine,” he growled again, the word a mantra and a vow. His hand slipped around her hip, finding her most sensitive spot, making her gasp and writhe against him. “Say it, Helena. Say you’re mine.”

“Yours,” she cried, her voice breaking as she came undone, her inner walls tightening around him.

Her climax ignited his own, his body shuddering as he buried himself deep, the world narrowing to just the two of them. For a moment, there was nothing else—no pack, no power, and no past. Just Helena, warm and trembling in his arms, her fire entwined with his.

When the storm of passion subsided, he gathered her to his chest, her body fitting perfectly against his. His lips brushed her hair, his breathing still ragged. Satisfaction radiated through him as he closed his eyes, inhaling her scent—cinnamon and fire and something uniquely her. The wolf inside him purred with contentment.

“You’re magnificent,” he murmured against her temple. “I knew from the moment I saw you that we were meant for this.”

He felt her stir in his arms, her warmth shifting against him. For a moment, he thought she might be settling in closer, but instead, she gently disentangled herself from his embrace. His eyes snapped open, watching as she stood and reached for the green sundress that had been discarded on the floor.

“What are you doing?” The question came out sharper than he intended, his wolf suddenly alert.

Helena slipped the dress over her head, the soft fabric falling around her curves. “I’m getting dressed.”

“I can see that.” Sol sat up, the sheets pooling around his waist. “But why?”

She turned to him, her expression apologetic but resolute. “I have to go, Sol. The restaurant needs me.”

The words hit him like a physical blow. His mind struggled to process what she was saying. After what they had just shared—after he had bared not just his body but his soul to her—she was still leaving?

“You’re joking.” His voice was low and dangerous. “Tell me this is a joke.”

Helena sighed, pushing her fiery hair back from her face. “I’m sorry, but I really do have to go. I have obligations to fulfill.” She straightened her dress, smoothing down the wrinkles. “You should understand that, being a leader yourself. Don’t you have obligations to your pack?”

Sol couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Did she just compare running a restaurant to leading a centuries-old pack of wolf shifters? Did she just equate cooking food with protecting lives?

“That’s not the same thing.” He rose from the bed, not bothering to cover his nakedness. Let her see what she was walking away from. “The pack is my life. My purpose. What you’re talking about is just a job.”

“It’s not just a job to me.” Her chin lifted in that stubborn way he was beginning to recognize. “These people are my pack. They depend on me . I can’t just abandon them because I’ve discovered I have some magical fire powers and a destined mate.”

How could she be so casual about this? How could she dismiss their bond—their destiny—so easily? His wolf howled in pain.

“You’re my Luna,” he said, his voice rough with raw emotion. “My true mate. I just told you I can’t live without you, Helena.”

She had the grace to look pained. “I know.”

Sol stood frozen, unable to process the enormity of her rejection. He had ruled a pack for centuries, commanded respect from the most powerful supernatural beings on the continent, and yet this human woman had brought him to his knees with nothing but her indifference.

“So you’re just going to fuck me and leave?” The crude words felt foreign on his tongue, but the pain demanded expression. “After everything I’ve shared with you?”

“That’s not fair.” A flush crept up her neck. “What happened between us was beautiful, but it doesn’t change the fact that I have responsibilities.”

Sol laughed, a hollow sound devoid of humor. “Clearly, I don’t rank high among those responsibilities.”

“You don’t need me to take care of you, Sol. Other do.” Helena moved toward the door, pausing with her hand on the ornate door handle. “I’m sorry, Sol. I really am.”

Then she was gone, the door closing softly behind her.

Sol stood naked in the center of the room, the scent of their lovemaking still heavy in the air. His wolf raged and howled, demanding he chase after her, claim her properly, and force her to stay. But his body refused to move, locked in place by shock and hurt too profound for action.

For the first time in centuries, Sol Cadoret, Alpha Prince of the Sunflare pack, felt utterly powerless. His mate—his Luna, his other half—had walked away from him as if he were nothing more than a pleasant diversion. Not the center of her universe as she was of his.

He sank back onto the bed, the sheets still warm from their bodies. The wolf inside him wanted to howl its agony to the sky.

Instead, he sat motionless, staring at the door through which his heart had just walked out.