Claiming My Bestfriend's Alpha Dad

Chapter 9: The Northern Balcony

The heavy velvet curtains swished shut behind Elara, cutting off the blinding chandeliers and the sea of whispers in the grand ballroom. The dimly lit corridor leading toward the estate’s north wing was cool and silent, a stark contrast to the stifling heat of the gala. Elara picked up the heavy skirt of her sapphire gown, her heart hammering wildly against her ribs as she hurried down the stone hallway, the echo of her heels ringing against the polished floorboards.

She needed to breathe. She needed to put distance between herself and the suffocating glares of the elders who had just watched the Alpha of Silvercrest claim her for a waltz in front of five hundred people.

As she rounded the turn toward the quiet conservatory arch, a shadow stepped abruptly out from the recessed doorway.

"Well, well... where are you rushing off to, beautiful?"

Elara gasped, stumbling back a step. A young male wolf, dressed in the formal velvet tunic of a visiting southern delegation, blocked her path. Reeking heavily of fermented plum wine and dominant arrogance, he swayed slightly on his feet, a sloppy, predatory grin stretching across his flushed face.

"I'm just heading to... an administrative task," Elara said quickly, keeping her voice even and polite as she tried to sidestep him. "Excuse me, Lord Julian."

"Oh, come on, don't be so cold," Julian slurred, lunging forward with startling speed for someone intoxicated. He grabbed her wrist firmly, pinning her arm against her side. "I watched you dancing with the Alpha. A pretty little aide like you clearly knows how to treat powerful men right."

"Let go of me," Elara snapped, her internal wolf bristling with defensive anger as she yanked against his iron grip. "Now!"

"Don't play coy," Julian growled, stepping into her space and shoving her hard against the cold stone wall. He braced his broad forearm across her collarbones, trapping her in place. "Just one kiss, little wolf. You'll see I'm a much better time than old Kaelen—"

He leaned in, his wine-stained breath fanning over her face. Elara slammed her hands against his chest to push him back, opening her mouth to scream, but before she could utter a sound, a dark, terrifying whirlwind materialized out of the shadows.

A massive, calloused hand clamped around Julian's throat like an iron vise.

With a single, effortless jerk, Kaelen ripped the young noble off Elara, lifting the man completely off his feet and slamming him brutally against the opposite wall. The stone cracked faintly under the impact. Kaelen’s eyes were no longer gray; they were absolute, pitch-black charcoal, glowing with the terrifying, murderous fury of an Alpha whose mate had been touched.

Julian choked, his legs dangling uselessly as Kaelen’s grip tightened around his windpipe, his lethal claws extending into the meat of the lord's neck.

"Kaelen! Stop!" Elara cried out, lunging forward and grabbing Kaelen’s broad, rigid arm. She could feel the murderous tremor vibrating through his entire body. "Kaelen, please! Look at me! Nothing happened!"

Kaelen didn't move for a agonizing second, his lethal gaze pinned to the terrified, gasping delegate in his hand.

"He touched you," Kaelen growled, the sound so guttural and low it vibrated the floorboards beneath their boots.

"He didn't hurt me! You got here in time," Elara pleaded softly, her hands sliding up his arm to his shoulder, trying to draw his deadly focus away from the dying man. "Please... don't ruin the treaties tonight. Let's just go. Let's go to the northern balcony like you said. Please."

Kaelen’s chest heaved with heavy, ragged breaths. Slowly, the lethal black in his eyes ebbed back into a stormy, turbulent gray. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed Julian onto the stone floor like a sack of trash. The young noble gasped violently for air, clutching his neck as he scrambled backward in total terror.

"If I see your face in this packhouse past midnight, Julian," Kaelen warned, his voice an icy promise of death, "I will rip your heart out through your ribs. Get out of my sight."

Julian didn't need to be told twice. He scrambled to his feet and fled down the corridor as fast as his trembling legs could carry him.

Kaelen turned to Elara, his stormy eyes scanning her from head to toe, checking every inch of her skin for injury. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she whispered, her heart still beating rapidly, though now it was from the overwhelming intensity of Kaelen's protective aura. She reached out, gently touching the sleeve of his jacket. "Let's go before someone sees."

Without a word, Kaelen took her hand, his warm, broad fingers lacing securely through hers. He led her past the conservatory, down a narrow, hidden service staircase, and up toward the highest tower of the estate.

At the end of a deserted stone hallway, they reached a blank, solid stone wall with no doors or handles in sight.

Elara frowned, looking around the empty corridor. "Where are we? I've explored most of the packhouse over the years, but I've never seen a balcony up here."

"That's because no one is permitted in this wing," Kaelen murmured, stepping up to the blank stone. "And because the path is protected by ancient territorial glamour."

He placed his broad palm against the smooth stone surface. A ripple of translucent, pale blue magic flared beneath his skin, cascading across the rock like liquid ice. The solid wall dissolved into thin air, revealing an open archway leading out into the crisp night.

Elara gasped as she stepped out onto the expanse of the northern balcony. It was a private, sunless sanctuary carved directly into the cliffside, completely open to the night sky and overlooking the snow-capped mountain peaks surrounding Silvercrest. In the center of the frosted stone terrace sat a massive, sunken hot tub built from dark slate, hot steam swirling gently into the freezing night air.

Near the edge of the tub, resting on a woven wicker lounger, was a folded piece of pale blue fabric.

"It's incredible," Elara breathed, walking toward the glass railing, marveling at the vast, uninterrupted view of the moonlit valley. "No one below can see this?"

"The glass wall is spell-forged," Kaelen explained, walking over to the wicker chair. "It's soundproof, one-sided, and reflects the color of the night sky from the outside. To anyone standing on the grounds below, this cliff face looks like jagged, empty rock."

He picked up the pale blue fabric and held it out to her. It was a stylish, delicate two-piece swimsuit in a shade of soft dusty blue that perfectly matched her eyes.

"I placed this here for you earlier," Kaelen said, his voice dropping into a low, gravelly register. "Change out of that heavy gown and get into the water."

Elara’s cheeks flushed a bright, feverish pink as she looked from the tiny swimsuit to the massive Alpha standing in front of her. "I... here? Turn around then!"

Kaelen let out a low, dark chuckle, his gray eyes dancing with wicked amusement, though he dutifully turned his back to her, facing the snowy valley. "I've seen plenty of women in my life, little wolf, and I'll end up seeing every inch of you eventually anyway. But... I respect your modesty."

"Don't be arrogant," Elara muttered under her breath, her face burning as she hastily unzipped the sapphire dress, letting the heavy silk pool around her ankles. She stepped out of her heels and quickly slipped into the pale blue swimsuit, tying the halter straps behind her neck.

The hot water of the tub called to her exhausted body. Stepping down the submerged stone stairs, she sank into the steaming pool with a soft, involuntary sigh of pure bliss. "Oh, wow... that feels amazing."

"I told you," Kaelen said, turning around.

Elara turned to look at him and instantly froze, her mouth dropping open in a sharp gasp.

Kaelen had peeled off his formal black tuxedo jacket, his silk tie, and his crisp white shirt, revealing a chest made of dense muscle, broad shoulders, and dark, faded battle scars tracing his golden skin. His hands were currently on the waist of his trousers, pushing them down along with his boots.

Elara whipped her head around so fast her neck popped, staring fixedly at the frosted stone wall of the tub. "Kaelen! What are you doing?!"

"I can't exactly swim in a wool tuxedo, can I?" Kaelen laughed, a rich, genuine sound that sent a flutter through her stomach. "Relax. I put on swim trunks underneath before the gala started."

She heard the heavy splash of water as his massive frame broke the surface behind her. The water level rose, and a wave of intense heat washed over her back.

"Keep your voice down," Elara whispered, still shy, though her pulse was hammering against her ribs. "What if someone hears us?"

"I just told you, the glass is completely soundproof," Kaelen rumbled softly, his voice coming from right behind her ear. "You could scream as loud as you want out here, and not a single soul in the packhouse would hear a thing."

Before she could process the dark double-meaning of his words, Kaelen reached out. His large, hot hands settled firmly onto her shoulders, gently pulling her back until her spine was flush against his broad, bare chest.

Elara melted against him with a small whimper as his heavy thumbs began working deep, slow circles into the tight knots near the base of her neck.

"You've been holding an incredible amount of stress today," Kaelen murmured, his breath fanning across her damp hair as his hands moved down to knead the sore muscles of her upper back.

"It was a busy morning," she admitted, letting her head drop forward as his calloused hands worked absolute magic on her body. "Managing the delegates... the seating charts... avoiding you."

Kaelen let out a quiet growl, his hands sliding down to her lower back, pressing firmly into the aching curve above her hips. "You're terrible at avoiding me."

With smooth, effortless strength, Kaelen shifted her in the water, lifting her onto one of the submerged stone seats. He reached down into the bubbling water, taking one of her slender legs and resting her foot on his muscular thigh, his hands sliding over her calf to massage the sore muscles left behind by hours of standing in high heels.

"Oh... God, that feels incredible," Elara groaned softly, closing her eyes as the deep aches in her legs dissolved under his touch. "Is there something in this water?"

"Yes," Kaelen said, his hands moving to her other leg with practiced care. "I had the healers mix lavender, dried juniper, and winter-bark mineral salts into the heating pumps. It flushes fatigue out of the muscles."

"That was very thoughtful of you, Alpha," Elara murmured, opening her eyes to look at him through the rising steam. "Here... let me return the favor. You've been carrying the weight of three territories on your shoulders all week."

She reached forward to touch his broad, scarred shoulders, but Kaelen caught her wrists in mid-air, holding her hands gently in his. His gray eyes had darkened into a deep, volatile charcoal, burning with an intense heat that made her mouth go completely dry.

"I wouldn't advise touching me right now, Elara," he growled low, his voice thick and rough.

Elara blinked, confused. "Why not?"

"Because," Kaelen rasped, his gaze dropping to her slick, wet lips, "my hard friend down here is practically rock-solid, and I am trying with every ounce of my willpower to take things slow with you. Even though every animalistic instinct in my body is screaming at me to ravish you right now on this stone."

Elara’s entire face flushed scarlet, a sudden, thrilling wave of heat pooling deep in her core.

Instead of pulling away, a spark of playful courage flared in her chest. She didn't pull her hands back. Instead, she leaned forward, shifting herself off the seat and straddling his lap, bringing her body flush against his in the warm water.

Kaelen let out a low, ragged groan, his hands slamming instantly onto her bare hips to hold her still. Elara felt the rigid, heavy length of his arousal pressing firmly against her core through the thin fabric of their swimwear.

"Elara... you're playing with fire," he warned, his voice dangerously dark.

"Then let me burn"