This is what she’s been missing,he realized, the knowledge hitting him with startling clarity.This sense of being protected without conditions. Of being wanted without strings.
The possessiveness that roared through him was immediate and absolute. He wanted to give her that permanence, wanted to mark her so thoroughly that no trace of fear would ever touch her again. His canines elongated slightly at the thought of sinking them into the curve of her shoulder, of completing the bond that would tie them together for life.
But even as his body responded to the primal urge, his rational mind cataloged the complications that were already emerging. Yes, keeping her close felt right—necessary, even. But it also would draw immediate attention. His clan would not only notice their Alpha boarding a human in his sanctuary, but they would scent the change in the air between them. Kol had already guessed at the mate bond before Korrak had claimed her, and now that her scent was thoroughly mingled with his, there would be no hiding it.
They’ll have questions about a human’s capability to be mated to their Alpha and thriving in their territory. Concerns about what this means for the future of their clan. Demands that their Alpha is required per their ancient laws to complete the mate bond and wed their fated mate within a year of discovery. And if he cannot fulfill that for whatever reason, he will be forced to send her away and live a life of solitude permanently.
The political ramifications alone could destabilize and destroy everything before he even gets the chance to tell Winslet the truth. And then there was the more immediate danger—Bracken and his associates, who would see Winslet’s attachment to another man as both theft and challenge. The stakes wereimpossibly high, and the odds of victory were stacked against him.
Winslet stirred beside him, her hand seeking his warmth across the sheets, and Korrak’s internal debate evaporated. Politics and danger meant nothing compared to the soft trust in her unconscious movement. He caught her searching hand in his, their fingers intertwining naturally.
“Korrak?” Her voice was sleep-roughened and confused. “Is everything alright?”
“Storm’s getting worse,” he said, his thumb tracing across her knuckles. “We’re not going anywhere today.”
She blinked up at him, and he watched awareness return to her green eyes—awareness of where she was, what had happened between them, and the new reality they’d created together.
“Good,” she said simply, and the quiet conviction in her voice made his polar bear growl with satisfaction.
Mine,it whispered, and for once, Korrak didn’t argue.
Korrak rose from the bed with deliberate care. “I’ll get breakfast started,” he said, pulling on his jeans and a thermal shirt.
The domestic routine felt foreign yet oddly natural—another man might have panicked at the intensity of their connection and how fast things were moving, but Korrak found himself adapting with surprising ease.
Winslet stretched beneath the sheets, her dark hair spilling across his pillow, making his polar bear roar with joy. “I want to help,” she said, sitting up and reaching for her discarded clothes. “I’m not completely useless in a kitchen.”
“I never said you were.” He paused in the doorway, watching her dress with an intensity that bordered on territorial. Every movement she made in his space felt like a small claiming, marking his sanctuary as theirs instead of just his.
Once they were in the kitchen, they moved around each other with an ease that shouldn’t have existed between two people who’d known each other for less than a week. When she reached for the coffee filters at the same moment he moved toward the stove, her hand brushed his forearm, and the contact sent electricity through the mate bond. She didn’t pull away, and neither did he.
“Eggs?” he asked, already knowing the answer from the way she’d watched him cook the morning after she’d spent her first night here.
“Yes, please.” She measured coffee grounds with the precision of someone accustomed to logistics, her movements efficient despite the unfamiliar kitchen.
The domestic dance unfolded without awkwardness—she anticipated when he needed space at the stove, and he automatically handed her items from higher shelves she couldn’t reach. It was a choreography neither of them had learned, yet both performed flawlessly.
This is what I’ve been missing,Korrak realized as he watched her pour coffee into two mugs, steam rising between them like incense.Not just companionship, but partnership. Someone who fits into the spaces I didn’t even know were empty.
At the dining table, they settled into a comfortable silence punctuated by stolen glances and small smiles. The storm outside created a cocoon around them, insulating his cabin from the demands of leadership and the complications waiting beyond his walls. When he reached across the table to capture her fingers in his, she didn’t resist.
“I could get used to this,” she said quietly, her thumb tracing across his knuckles.
“So could I.” The admission came easier than it should have, but with her hand in his, the vulnerability felt like strengthinstead of weakness. “The storm will keep us locked in for at least another day or two. Gives us time to figure things out.”
Her green eyes searched his face. “What happens when it clears?”
“We deal with whatever comes next. Together.” He squeezed her hand, the promise settling between them like an anchor. “But first, I need to contact Ellie and Kol. Let them know about the new arrangements.”
After breakfast, Korrak retrieved his walkie from the charging station and Winslet soon curled beside him on the couch as he made the necessary calls. Ellie’s response was predictably knowing—she’d suspected something was developing between them and seemed relieved that Winslet would have additional protection. Kol’s conversation required more careful navigation.
“Increased patrols during the storm?” Kol’s voice crackled through the static. “That’s unusual, even for you.”
“We had an unwelcome visitor yesterday. I want to make sure he doesn’t return with friends.” Korrak kept his tone level and professional, giving no indication that the threat was personal.
“Copy that. Anything else I should know?”
“The human research assistant will be staying at my cabin for the duration of her assignment. Security purposes.”
