Jake's POV
The sun dipped lower on the horizon, casting streaks of deep orange and gold across the forest outside my office window. It should’ve been peaceful, calming even, but I couldn’t seem to settle the tightness in my chest.
My desk was covered in reports I hadn’t touched, border patrol schedules, alliance requests from neighboring packs: things I usually handled without breaking a sweat. But today, my focus was shot to hell.
Because of her.
Brielle.
The girl had been in my territory for less than a day, and she’d already disrupted the perfect order I’d spent years building. The mate bond thrummed faintly in my chest, a constant, irritating reminder that she was upstairs. I didn’t want it. I didn’t want her. But the bond didn’t give a damn about what I wanted.
The door opened
