The question irritated him because he cared about the answer. Because her emotional state mattered to him in a way that defied logic. He’d spent decades focusing solely on threats that could harm his territory or clan, and suddenly he was hypersensitive to the feelings of one human woman.
Dangerous territory,his rational mind warned.Distractions cause mistakes. Mistakes get people killed.
The familiar mantra had guided him through every crisis and every decision that shaped his leadership. But now it felt inadequate, like armor that no longer fit properly.
By the time his cabin materialized through the trees, Korrak had reached a decision born of discipline rather than desire. He needed distance from Winslet. Space. Time to think without her scent clouding his judgment or her presence making his polar bear restless with need.
She’s temporary,he told himself, pulling into the detached garage beside his cabin.She said it herself—things change quickly, you have to adapt.
The polar bear inside him disagreed with violent intensity, claws raking against his mental restraint. Every instinct demanded he return to the outpost, stake his claim, make it clear that she belonged to him whether she understood it or not.
But he forced the beast down, his jaw clenching against the internal battle.
He would not act on impulse. He would not become the kind of man who lost himself to base instincts. His parents had raised him better than that, even if their time had been cut short.
The garage fell silent as he cut the engine, but Korrak remained seated, hands still gripping the wheel. The familiar space felt different now—smaller somehow, as if Winslet’s absence had changed the very air around him.
Get it together,he commanded himself.You have responsibilities. A clan to protect. A territory to maintain.
But even as he repeated the words that had anchored him for eighteen years, they felt hollow. Because for the first time since becoming Alpha, duty and desire were pulling him in opposite directions.
And he wasn’t sure which would win out.
Korrak finally got out of his Jeep and walked toward the front of his cabin. When he rounded the corner, he found Kol lounging against the porch rail like he owned the place, arms crossed and wearing that insufferable smirk that meant trouble. The sightof his Beta waiting for him sent irritation crackling through Korrak’s already frayed nerves.
Of course he’s here. Nothing stays quiet in this territory for long.
Kol straightened as Korrak approached, his gray eyes sharp with calculation despite his casual posture.
“Comfortable?” Korrak’s voice carried the edge of command, though he knew it would bounce off Kol like ice off stone.
“Always.” Kol’s grin widened. “I heard you’ve allowed another human into the territory.”
The words hit with deceptive casualness, but Korrak caught the undercurrent immediately. His polar bear bristled at the implied criticism, at the suggestion that he’d made a mistake.
“What’s your point, Kol?”
“You know humans bring trouble.” Kol pushed off the rail, his tone sharpening despite the conversational delivery. “Curiosity. Danger. Exposure. We’ve had this conversation before.”
Not about her, we haven’t.The thought came unbidden, fierce and possessive. Korrak forced his expression to remain neutral even as his hands curled into fists at his sides.
“She’s no threat.” The words came out more curtly than he’d intended, betraying the tension coiled tight in his chest. “I’ve assessed the situation personally.”
Kol’s eyebrows shot up, and that damned smirk returned full force. “You trust a human that quickly? Really? It took you over a year to fully trust Ellie, and she came with credentials and references.”
The comparison stung because it was accurate. Korrak had spent months evaluating Ellie’s every move, questioning her motives, testing her competence before allowing her to establish the research outpost. With Winslet, he’d made the decision to let her stay within minutes of meeting her.
Because she’s mine,his polar bear growled.
“Winslet is different.” The admission slipped out. “She adapts quickly. Knows enough to survive here.”
Kol’s expression sharpened, his head tilting with predatory interest. “How so? Because this all sounds a bit suspicious.”
Korrak felt the trap closing around him, and saw the knowing gleam in his Beta’s eyes. Kol had always been too perceptive for his own good, too quick to read between the lines of what Korrak didn’t say.
“She’s careful. Observant. Has good instincts.” Each word felt inadequate, failing to capture the way Winslet moved through the world with that guarded competence, the way she’d fit into his cabin like she belonged there.
“Uh-huh.” Kol’s smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth, amusement dancing in his gray eyes. “I can see it, you know. You’re already softening toward her. Don’t bother trying to hide it.”
