Several days passed.

And Vaelor got weirder with every single one of them.

He avoided me constantly now.

No more arguments.

No more hovering.

Half the time I barely even saw him.

Fine.

If the mighty Alpha wanted distance, I could give him distance.

So I stayed mostly inside my room trying not to think about him.

Which failed spectacularly.

By the fourth day, I felt restless enough to climb the walls.

I needed sunlight.

Fresh air.

Something besides four bedroom walls and unresolved sexual tension.

I slipped quietly through the hallway and headed downstairs.

The house stayed unusually silent.

Good.

Maybe Vaelor was busy somewhere else.

The second I stepped outside, cool air wrapped around me carrying the sharp scent of eucalyptus from the forest surrounding the pack lands.

God.

Finally.

I stretched slowly beneath the sunlight and sat down on the porch steps with a relieved sigh.

The warmth settled across my skin gently.

Peaceful.

For once.

I leaned back against the wooden railing and closed my eyes.

Then—

A low sound interrupted the silence.

Not a growl exactly.

More curious than threatening.

I opened my eyes immediately, already expecting Vaelor.

Instead—

A massive gray wolf stood a few feet away watching me carefully.

Oh.

Oh wow.

He was beautiful.

Different shades of gray layered through thick fur.

Huge body.

Bright gold eyes.

The wolf lowered his head slightly and moved closer in slow, cautious steps.

Submission.

Alina taught me that posture years ago.

He was showing me he meant no harm.

When he stopped beside me, he turned slightly and waited.

Those golden eyes stayed fixed on me quietly.

Patiently.

Like he wanted something.

A smile pulled at my mouth instantly.

"You want attention, don't you?"

The wolf's tail thumped once against the porch.

Cute.

Very cute.

I slowly reached out and touched his back.

Soft.

Warm.

Thick fur slid beneath my fingers like velvet.

The wolf immediately pushed closer.

That startled me enough to pull my hand back instinctively.

His ears lowered immediately.

Then, before I could react, he rubbed his head directly against my palm.

Manipulative little thing.

I laughed softly and started petting him properly this time.

Over his head.

Behind his ears.

Down his back.

The wolf practically melted between my knees with a deep rumbling sound in his chest.

Not quite a growl.

Almost a purr.

"Oh, you definitely like this," I teased while scratching both sides of his neck. "Look at you."

The wolf pressed harder against me immediately.

Spoiled.

Absolutely spoiled.

"You're ridiculously soft too."

His tail wagged harder.

I ran both hands through the thick fur along his neck and shoulders, rubbing him the same way I used to with large dogs at the veterinary clinic.

The wolf nearly collapsed against me from happiness.

Then—

"What exactly do you think you're doing?"

Vaelor's voice cracked across the porch like thunder.

I jumped so hard I almost fell backward down the stairs.

"Jesus Christ!"

Hand over my chest, I glared at him immediately.

"You scared me!"

Vaelor barely looked at me.

His eyes stayed locked on the wolf pressed against my legs.

Cold.

Sharp.

Dangerous.

"Inside," he said flatly.

The wolf immediately lowered his head.

Oh.

Interesting.

"You cannot seriously be angry because I pet a wolf."

Vaelor finally looked at me then.

Bad idea.

His jaw tightened instantly.

"I wasn't talking to you."

Excuse me?

I stared at him in disbelief while the wolf slowly backed away from me with his ears lowered.

The second he turned toward the house, his tail wagged once in my direction.

Vaelor growled immediately.

A real growl this time.

The wolf disappeared inside without hesitation.

The office door slammed a second later.

I sat there blinking at absolutely nothing.

What the hell was that?

The wolf clearly understood Vaelor better than I did.

And apparently petting someone in wolf form had just caused a diplomatic incident.

Wonderful.

I dropped back against the railing with an annoyed sigh.

No.

Absolutely not.

I was not going to hide in my room because the Alpha had emotional problems.

I didn't do anything wrong.

To me, petting a wolf was just—

petting a wolf.

If they wanted to turn everything into some weird territorial thing, that sounded like their issue.

Not mine.

"Exactly," I muttered to myself.

The sunlight warmed my skin again slowly.

Still—

my mind wouldn't stop spinning.

Why had Vaelor looked so angry?

Why did he keep avoiding me?

And worst of all—

why did I care so much?