Vaelor had dealt with attraction before.

Plenty of it.

Women wanted him constantly.

That was normal.

This?

Wasn't.

Claire irritated him almost every second she breathed near him.

She challenged him.

Talked back.

Looked him directly in the eye like she forgot he was Alpha.

No wolf did that.

No woman ever had.

And yet his body reacted to her immediately.

From the beginning.

The first time she argued with him in that bedroom, his wolf nearly surfaced on instinct alone.

Not to hurt her.

To drag her across his lap and teach her what happened when she pushed too far.

Twice now he'd caught the scent of her arousal.

Twice his wolf responded with possessive hunger so violent it nearly snapped through his control.

And tonight—

God.

That sound she made at the table.

Soft.

Breathless.

Right in front of him.

His wolf wanted her underneath him immediately.

Wanted to taste her.

Touch her.

Claim her.

The worst part?

She wanted him too.

He could smell it.

Hear it.

Feel it every time she looked at him too long.

Which made no sense.

Their minds clashed constantly while their bodies reacted like they already belonged together.

Vaelor dragged a slow breath into his lungs and studied her across the kitchen table.

Chestnut hair.

Flushed cheeks.

Full lips wrapped around the edge of a coffee cup.

No.

Impossible.

This had to be coincidence.

A cruel one.

Because his wolf did not make mistakes.

And every second near Claire Dawson, the animal inside him wanted to hunt her down and keep her.

Mine.

The thought hit hard enough to make his chest tighten.

Then Claire looked up and caught him staring.

A small smile appeared on his face before he could stop it.

"What?" she asked immediately, suspicious.

Vaelor stiffened instantly.

His smile disappeared.

"What do you mean?"

"You were looking at me like you were about to say something awful."

Kaelen burst out laughing beside them.

"You two really need a mirror."

Claire frowned.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing." Kaelen grinned into his coffee.

Vaelor exhaled slowly and leaned back in his chair.

"I was making sure the food was acceptable."

Claire blinked once.

"That's why you were smiling at me?"

"Yes."

She looked genuinely confused by that.

Interesting.

"Well," she muttered awkwardly, "you usually look angry before insulting me, so."

Kaelen laughed harder.

Vaelor rubbed a hand over his jaw.

Unbelievable.

"You know," Kaelen said between laughs, "this conversation sounds completely insane from the outside."

"It is insane," Claire muttered into her coffee.

Vaelor ignored both of them.

Then his expression sharpened slightly.

"Speaking of insanity."

Claire sighed dramatically.

"There it is."

"You know too much about us."

He stood and walked toward the coffee machine while speaking.

"I know Alina told you."

Three cups.

Black coffee.

Controlled movements.

Too controlled.

"But how long have you known?"

Claire hesitated immediately.

Vaelor noticed the exact second nervousness touched her scent.

His wolf instantly focused.

"I'm not blaming Alina," she said quietly.

Vaelor sat back down slowly and slid a cup toward her.

"How long, Claire?"

Her tongue brushed briefly across her lips.

His grip tightened around the coffee cup hard enough to crack porcelain slightly.

Fuck.

Kaelen noticed immediately and hid another smile behind his hand.

Claire glanced toward him nervously.

Kaelen gave her a small nod.

Go ahead.

She looked back at Vaelor.

"Since our second year at university."

Silence.

Then—

"You've known since university?"

The growl slipped out before Vaelor could stop it.

Claire straightened immediately.

"Alina followed your rules," she said quickly.

Vaelor looked up sharply.

His name.

The first time she'd actually used it.

Not Alpha.

Not asshole.

Vaelor.

Something low and dangerous shifted inside his chest.

"She only told me because she had to save me."

Claire's voice softened suddenly.

Her gaze dropped toward her shaking hands.

"If she hadn't shifted that night..." She swallowed once. "He would've—"

The sentence died there.

Didn't need finishing.

Vaelor understood anyway.

Rage hit instantly.

Cold.

Violent.

His wolf surged hard beneath his skin.

Kaelen went still beside him.

Claire looked up again, startled by whatever changed in his expression.

Vaelor stood abruptly.

"Goodnight."

Both of them blinked at him.

Claire frowned immediately.

"What?"

But Vaelor was already moving toward the door.

Because if he stayed in that kitchen another minute thinking about someone touching her—

bad things would happen.

He left without another word.

The front door slammed a second later.

Claire stared after him in confusion.

"Okay... what the hell was that?"

Kaelen looked suspiciously amused again.

"You'll understand eventually."

"That sounded disturbingly mysterious."

"It's a wolf thing."

"That is not an explanation."

Kaelen laughed quietly and started collecting empty coffee cups.

"You know," he said casually, "it's good you came here."

Claire narrowed her eyes instantly.

"Why does that sound ominous?"

"Because you're overthinking it."

"That's easy for you to say. You people talk like cursed fortune cookies."

Kaelen nearly dropped a cup laughing.

"That might be the best description of wolves I've ever heard."

Claire crossed her arms.

"You're both impossible."

"Careful," Kaelen said while carrying dishes toward the sink. "You're starting to sound attached."

"Absolutely not."

"Hm."

He turned back toward her with a grin.

"Anyway. Your turn to wash dishes."

Claire stared at him.

"You're unbelievable."

Kaelen gave her a mocking bow near the doorway.

"Goodnight, Claire."

"Goodnight, Kaelen."

A few minutes later she stood alone in the quiet kitchen wondering how she somehow understood the wolves less now than before.

Vaelor made no sense.

Kaelen made even less.

And somehow both of them acted like she was missing something obvious.

By the time she showered and crawled into bed, exhaustion dragged at every part of her body.

Still—

sleep refused to come.

Because every time she closed her eyes, she saw Vaelor.

His mouth.

His hands.

That look in his eyes when he said her name.

Claire groaned loudly and threw a pillow at the bedroom door.

"Unbelievable," she muttered into the darkness.

Apparently even her sleep belonged to the Alpha now.