Chapter 8 - Mine
999 Words
*Raiden – pov*
I couldn’t think straight after that kiss.
Not after feeling something inside me snap awake the moment Elara’s lips touched mine.
My wolf had not shut up since.
Mate is awake.
The words echoed relentlessly through my skull while I paced the balcony outside my room at the packhouse.
Cold mountain air did nothing to cool me down.
Because for the first time in years my wolf yearned to be loved, to be touched.
I could feel his desire fully.
She has a wolf.
I stopped pacing immediately.
The certainty in his voice sent adrenaline surging through me.
“You’re sure?”
Yes.
I leaned both hands against the stone railing, staring into the dark woods surrounding the packhouse.
It made sense now.
The impossible pull.
Her scent.
The way Aeron reacted to her.
And that kiss…
Goddess.
The second she kissed me, I felt it.
Another presence.
Awakening.
Confused.
Ancient.
Her wolf.
Buried beneath something heavy. Perhaps magic?
My jaw tightened.
Elara had absolutely no idea what she was and somehow that made me even more protective of her.
The entire week replayed through my mind.
All the little comments I’d dropped casually to test her reactions and knowledge of the supernatural world.
“You’re territorial for a human.”
“You move quietly.”
“You heal fast.”
Nothing. Only confusion every time.
No recognition or awareness. She truly didn’t know.
My wolf paced restlessly.
Protect her.
“I know.”
From what exactly though, I didn’t know.
That question haunted me every second.
A knock sounded against my door before I could think further.
Rafe entered without waiting.
One look at my face and he smirked.
“You look unstable.”
“I feel unstable.”
That only made him grin wider.
“Over a human.”
I shot him a glare.
“She’s not so human.”
That wiped the amusement off his face immediately.
Rafe straightened.
“What?”
“I felt her wolf.”
Silence.
“Well shit.”
Exactly.
Rafe leaned against the doorway slowly.
“You gonna tell the Alpha?”
“No.”
The answer came instantly. Even I looked surprised by the force behind it.
Mine. Protect.
Rafe studied me carefully.
“You think Lucien would take action?”
It wasn’t really a question.
We both knew my father too well.
Lucien Blackwood viewed people as assets first, family second. Sometimes not at all.
If he learned Elara carried a dormant wolf, especially what felt like a powerful one…he’d either try controlling her…or eliminating her.
A low growl built in my chest.
Rafe noticed instantly.
“That serious, huh?”
I dragged a hand down my face roughly.
“You have no idea.”
The air itself had changed around us during that kiss. Like something ancient had stirred awake and the way Elara reacted afterward…
Shock.
Fear.
Confusion.
She’d apologized immediately, like she’d done something wrong.
Meanwhile I’d nearly lost my mind trying not to drag her upstairs and locking us in there until she screamed my name.
My wolf huffed and gave his usual assortment of visuals.
“You’re not helping.”
Rafe frowned.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
A phone suddenly vibrated across my table.
I didn’t need to look at the screen.
I already knew.
Father.
My mood instantly darkened.
Rafe winced slightly.
“Good luck.”
He disappeared quickly while I answered.
“What?”
Lucien’s voice came cold and sharp through the line.
“You’ve been absent for three days.”
Straight to accusation.
“I’m overseeing Rosewood.”
“You’re renovating a vacation estate for a human woman.”
I clenched my jaw.
The estrangement between us had existed so long I barely remembered when it started.
It definitely grew after my mother’s death. Lucien had never been a father in the traditional sense.
He trained me, tested me, pushed me but affection, warmth…never.
Weakness disgusted him, especially emotional attachment.
“You’ve neglected pack duties,” he continued coldly.
“The western patrol reported rogue movement yesterday. You should’ve been present.”
“I had warriors handling it.”
“That isn’t the point.”
No.
The point was control.
I moved into my office slowly and shut the door.
“What do you want?”
Silence.
“The mating ball is next month.”
There was the real reason for the call. I leaned back in my chair slowly.
“I am aware.”
“Your presence is not optional.”
“And?”
“We will begin the formal arrangement with Celeste Knight.”
My wolf snarled viciously.
Absolutely f*****g not.
I rubbed my forehead slowly.
“Not happening.”
Lucien’s voice dropped dangerously.
“The Knight alliance strengthens this pack. You will attend.”
Every conversation with him felt like standing near exposed blades…sharp, controlled and dangerous.
“You’re almost thirty five, Raiden.”
“You should already be running your own territory but instead you spend your time chasing after some human rebuilding kitchens in the mountains.”
My anger flared.
“She has a name.”
Silence.
“I’m not finished at Rosewood.”
“You are finished when I say you are.”
Lucien saw me as an asset rather than a son. I was more a weapon than an heir to the pack.
“Do not embarrass me over a human.”
The line disconnected. I stared at the phone for several seconds afterward. Anger simmered beneath my skin slowly.
I will kill him if he threatens mate. Aeron growled.
The realization settled heavily in my chest.
Lucien didn’t know Elara is my mate but instinctively he already viewed her as a problem, which meant I had to move carefully now.
Very carefully.
Because for the first time in my life, there was someone my father could use against me.
And if Lucien Blackwood ever discovered exactly what Elara was…
He would come for her.
Over my dead body.
- Writer
