To my surprise, I slept through the entire night.

No nightmares.

No wolves breaking down the door.

Just silence.

Which became unbelievably boring after an entire morning trapped inside that bedroom.

By noon I was starving.

Actually starving.

Nobody knocked.

Nobody offered breakfast.

At this point I genuinely started wondering if wolves even ate.

Fine.

If nobody planned on feeding me, I'd handle it myself.

I grabbed my bag, checked the cash inside, and slipped out of the house before anyone noticed.

Or stopped me.

A small diner sat near the center of town.

The second I walked in, conversations slowed.

Not many people inside.

Still enough to notice me.

I smiled awkwardly and picked a table near the counter, immediately distracted by the food sitting behind the glass display.

God.

Actual food.

A young waitress approached with a curious smile.

"What can I get you?"

"Chicken sandwich, one slice of pizza, orange juice."

The words came out embarrassingly fast.

Her eyebrow lifted slightly.

"That all?"

"For now."

She laughed quietly under her breath.

"I'll be right back."

The pizza barely survived five minutes.

I was halfway through the last bite when someone sat down across from me.

I already knew who it was.

Of course I did.

I ignored him completely and finished my food anyway.

Vaelor sat there silently, watching me.

Arms crossed.

Dark shirt stretched across broad shoulders.

Every muscle in his body looked tense.

Which honestly should not have been attractive.

And yet.

God.

Maybe I was ovulating.

That had to be it.

No sane woman looked at an arrogant, controlling Alpha and thought yes, absolutely, ruin my life.

"What exactly are you doing here?"

His voice rolled low across the table.

I pointed at my empty plate.

"Eating."

His jaw tightened.

"Why didn't you have lunch at the house?"

I looked at him properly for the first time.

Big mistake.

His eyes caught mine instantly.

Green.

Sharp.

Focused entirely on my mouth.

Heat crawled slowly up my throat.

Then my gaze dropped to his lips.

Full mouth.

Rough-looking.

The kind that probably kissed like a warning.

Jesus Christ.

I looked down at my plate immediately.

Pull yourself together, Claire.

"I wasn't sure prisoners got meal invitations," I muttered.

"You're not a prisoner."

The way he said it sounded almost offended.

"You locked me in a room."

"You were safe there."

I snorted softly.

"Sure."

Vaelor leaned closer over the table.

Slowly.

Deliberately.

"You know exactly what you are here."

The words landed heavy.

Mine.

That was what he meant.

Not guest.

Not prisoner.

Mine to watch.

Mine to keep track of.

I swallowed once.

"Didn't feel very welcoming this morning."

His gaze stayed fixed on me.

Then lower.

Slow.

Careful.

My pulse stumbled hard.

Damn him.

"You should've eaten with us."

"That invitation somehow got lost."

A flicker of irritation crossed his face.

Actually irritation at himself this time.

Interesting.

"That was our mistake."

Finally.

A little guilt.

"From now on," he said, "you eat with me and Kaelen."

I blinked once.

"That sounds terrifying."

"It wasn't a request."

Of course it wasn't.

"I like it here," I said sweetly, gesturing around the diner. "Nice atmosphere. Better company."

His eyes narrowed immediately.

There it is.

"Don't push me, Claire."

The growl beneath his voice brushed straight down my spine.

God.

Everything about him felt physical.

Heavy.

Hot.

Dangerous.

I leaned back in my chair slowly.

"Trust me," I said lightly. "I'm trying very hard not to."

Vaelor stared at me for another long second before standing.

"We'll have dinner tonight."

The tone made it sound less like dinner and more like a command from God himself.

Then he walked out.

The entire diner watched him leave.

The second the door shut behind him, both waitresses practically melted against the counter.

One of them sighed.

Actually sighed.

I stared after him too.

Annoyed.

For several reasons.

Mostly because my body still reacted every time he looked at me.

Which was deeply humiliating.

God, he was unbearable.

And apparently every woman in town agreed he was beautiful.

Fantastic.

I took a long drink of orange juice, trying to cool down both my throat and the rest of me.

Not happening.

Images kept flashing through my head anyway.

Vaelor above me.

Vaelor's mouth on mine.

Vaelor pinning me against a wall somewhere dark.

Absolutely not.

I nearly choked on my own thoughts.

"Nope," I muttered under my breath.

I immediately ordered coffee and a massive slice of brigadeiro cake.

Clearly I needed sugar.

Or therapy.

Maybe both.

After lunch, I spent the afternoon exploring the town.

And honestly?

It was beautiful.

Quiet streets.

No traffic.

No city noise.

Just mountains, trees, and wolves pretending to be normal people.

The place had everything.

Bank.

Post office.

Movie theater.

Even a library.

The library won immediately.

Small building.

Warm lighting.

Old bookshelves.

Computers tucked into corners beside surprisingly fast internet.

The town looked old-fashioned at first glance, but the pack clearly hadn't fallen behind the rest of the world.

I left with three books in my arms and finally started relaxing a little.

Which lasted exactly until dinner.

Vaelor appeared outside the diner again just after sunset.

And this time he looked irritated before he even walked through the door.

Wonderful.

He crossed the room in long strides and stopped directly in front of my table.

Hands flat against the surface.

Leaning down until we were eye level.

"When," he said quietly, "are you going to start taking me seriously?"

My pulse jumped immediately.

Not fear.

Worse.

His mouth was too close.

Mint.

Woods.

Wolf.

"I do take you seriously."

His eyes darkened.

"No. You don't."

He gestured toward the diner around us.

"You're still here."

I bit the inside of my cheek hard enough to hurt.

Focus.

"I don't understand the problem."

The lie sounded weak even to me.

Vaelor leaned closer.

Warm breath brushed my skin.

"I told you we were expecting you for dinner."

"No." I lifted my chin. "You said you'd see me at dinner."

A smile appeared slowly at the corner of his mouth.

First real smile I'd seen from him.

Dangerous mistake.

"Fine," he murmured. "Maybe words aren't working for you."

Before I could react, his hand closed around my wrist.

Warm.

Strong.

"What are you doing?"

I tried pulling free immediately.

Didn't work.

"Teaching you."

"Oh my God." I stared at him. "Did wolves skip feminism entirely?"

His eyes flashed bright gold for half a second.

"You haven't seen anything yet."

Then suddenly—

the floor vanished beneath me.

I gasped sharply as he lifted me straight over his shoulder like I weighed nothing.

"Vaelor!"

One of his arms locked around my thighs instantly.

Hard muscle pressed against my stomach.

Heat flooded my entire body so fast it made me dizzy.

Completely humiliating.

I shoved against his back uselessly while he carried me toward the exit without slowing down once.

"Put me down!"

"No."

"Caveman!"

"That one again?" His voice sounded almost amused now.

"I hate you!"

"Liar."