After two hours sitting in the sun with no sign of Vaelor anywhere, I finally admitted defeat.

Maybe I should go back to my room.

Honestly, I wasn't even sure anymore if I came outside for fresh air or because part of me hoped to see him.

Ridiculous.

The man was still arrogant.

Still impossible.

And apparently physically incapable of saying one genuinely tender thing to me.

Fine.

So what if I pet a werewolf?

To me Leonard had felt exactly like an oversized dog.

Nothing more.

I shut my bedroom door behind me and immediately groaned into my hands.

Worse than Vaelor getting angry was the fact that I suddenly cared what he thought of me.

Absolutely humiliating.

I dropped backward onto the bed just as my phone started ringing.

"Hello?" I answered too sharply.

"Whoa."

Alina immediately sounded suspicious.

"What happened?"

I bit my lip instantly.

"Sorry." I exhaled slowly. "Nothing happened."

"Lie to somebody else."

I could practically hear her smirking.

"Tell me."

"Seriously. Nothing."

Silence.

Then—

"It's Vaelor, isn't it?"

I stared at the ceiling dramatically.

"He's arrogant. Rude. Bossy." I rubbed a hand down my face. "And because he knows he's insanely attractive, he thinks he can get away with it."

Alina gasped loudly.

"Oh my God."

"What?"

"You called him insanely attractive."

"No, I didn't."

"Yes, you absolutely did."

"I said arrogant."

"And attractive."

"And rude."

"And sexy."

I covered my face with a pillow.

"You're suddenly developing hearing problems."

Alina laughed harder.

"Pretty sure my hearing beats yours."

Unfortunately true.

I groaned into the mattress.

"So." Alina's voice softened slightly. "What did he do this time?"

"The usual." I rolled onto my back again. "Every time he looks at me, his jaw tightens like he's trying not to attack somebody."

"Hm."

That sound immediately made me suspicious.

"What?"

"What if he is?"

I sat upright instantly.

"Excuse me?"

Alina sounded dangerously entertained now.

"Maybe not the kind of attack you're imagining."

"Oh my God." I grabbed a pillow and screamed into it briefly. "You're becoming exactly like your Alpha."

"That's not denial, Claire."

"I am denying everything."

"Sure."

I glared at my phone like she could somehow see me.

"He hates me, Alina."

"No." She sounded entirely too confident. "I don't think he does."

I flopped backward dramatically again.

"He avoids me."

"And?"

"He growls at me."

"Interesting."

"He gets angry when I touch people."

"Very interesting."

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously.

"You know something."

Alina stayed quiet for a second too long.

Then—

"Do you remember what I told you about wolves finding their mate?"

I sighed slowly.

"The wolf recognizes her immediately. Wants to claim her. Protect her. Love her forever."

"Right."

Alina's voice turned softer.

"But sometimes it's messier than that."

I frowned slightly.

"What does that mean?"

"When a wolf already gave up on finding his mate..." She paused briefly. "And she appears unexpectedly, the wolf and the man can react differently."

Silence.

Then—

"What are you implying exactly?"

"Sometimes confusion comes out as anger." Alina sounded far too pleased with herself now. "Or avoidance. Or frustration."

My mouth fell open slowly.

"No."

Alina laughed immediately.

"Oh, now we're getting somewhere."

"You cannot seriously be suggesting I'm Vaelor's mate."

"Honestly?" She sounded delighted. "It would explain a lot."

"No. Absolutely not."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

A pause.

Then quieter—

"Maybe."

Alina burst into laughter so hard I nearly hung up on her.

"You're unbelievable."

"And you're blushing right now."

"I hate you."

"No, you don't."

Unfortunately true.

I sighed heavily and dropped my head back against the pillow.

"But if it's true..." I stared at the ceiling. "That's insane coincidence."

"No, Claire."

Alina's voice softened completely this time.

"That's fate."

The word settled strangely in my chest.

Warm.

Dangerous.

Terrifying.

A few minutes later she finally ended the call after teasing me one last time by calling me "my Alpha."

I threw the phone dramatically onto the bed.

"This cannot be happening."

But the second the room went quiet again, my thoughts immediately drifted back to Vaelor.

Mate.

The word alone made heat climb into my face.

No.

Impossible.

He wanted a wolf beside him.

Not a human woman from Seattle who argued with him every five minutes.

Even if fate somehow made us mates—

would he even want me?

The thought hurt more than it should have.

I stood abruptly before I could think too hard about it and walked toward the office.

Maybe if I looked at him now, I'd understand something.

Anything.

Unfortunately the office sat empty.

No Vaelor.

No Kaelen.

Just silence.

I hesitated in the hallway for a second.

Part of me wanted to search the house for him.

The smarter part refused.

Better not to know.

Better not to get attached to feelings that might not even exist.

Then—

A soft flutter interrupted my thoughts.

I turned immediately.

A large gray owl landed quietly on the porch railing nearby.

Beautiful.

Absolutely beautiful.

"You're out early," I whispered while approaching slowly.

The owl didn't move.

Huge silver-gray eyes blinked at me calmly while I reached out carefully.

Soft feathers brushed beneath my fingers.

God.

This place really was unreal sometimes.

Wild animals everywhere.

No fear.

No cages.

I stroked gently along the owl's feathers, smiling immediately when it leaned into the touch.

Then—

"Do you pet literally every living creature you see?"

Vaelor's voice cracked through the silence again.

I jumped so hard I nearly scared the owl into another dimension.

"Do you always have to sneak up on me like that?"

Vaelor ignored the comment entirely.

His eyes stayed fixed on the owl perched beside me.

Tense.

Sharp.

Possessive.

I blinked once.

Then suddenly remembered everything Alina had just told me.

Oh.

Oh no.

I licked my lips nervously without thinking.

Vaelor's eyes dropped to my lips.

Heat flashed through his eyes so fast my pulse stumbled.

"Of course I like animals," I shot back. "I'm a veterinarian."

Then something clicked.

I frowned immediately.

"Wait."

My eyes widened slowly as I looked between him and the owl.

"You said someone."

Vaelor crossed his arms over his chest.

"Yes."

I stared at the owl again in horror.

"How many shapeshifters are there?"

"More than you think."

Vaelor stepped forward, lifted the owl carefully onto his arm, then looked directly at me.

"Which means," he said flatly, "you should start being more careful about who you touch."

Then he walked away.

Just like that.

Leaving me standing there stunned.

Because that definitely sounded like a warning.

A jealous warning.

And somehow—

instead of frightening me—

the thought of Vaelor punishing me for it made heat spread slowly through my entire body.