“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” The words tumbled out.
The silence stretched, heavy with unspoken implications.
“I can control myself, Electra.”
She took a deep breath. “Alright. I can be there in an hour.”
“Good. One hour. I’ll text you the address.”
The line went dead, leaving her staring at her phone in a mixture of panic and anticipation.
What have you just done?
She’d agreed to dinner with a man who made her body ache with wanting, who claimed she was his destined mate, who could probably smell her arousal from across town with those supernatural senses. A man she’d been hiding from because being near him felt like standing too close to a bonfire—beautiful and warming and absolutely guaranteed to burn her if she wasn’t careful.
You could still cancel. Text him that you’ve changed your mind.
But her feet were already carrying her toward the bathroom, her reflection in the mirror showing flushed cheeks and eyes bright with something that looked dangerously like excitement.
One dinner. Just food and conversation. You can handle this.
She reached for her makeup bag, her hands steadier now that she had a purpose. If she was going to walk into his den, she was damn well going to look good doing it.
TWELVE
RUNE
Rune stared at his phone long after the call ended, the device warm in his palm from how tightly he’d been gripping it. The silence of his cabin pressed against him, but for the first time in seven days, it didn’t feel suffocating. She’d called. After a week of radio silence that had nearly driven him to the edge of sanity, Electra had reached out.
He’d been standing in his living room, keys in hand, about to head to the diner for Millie’s Thursday night special when his phone had buzzed. The sight of Electra’s name on the screen had frozen him mid-step, his wolf surging with desperate hope while his human side braced for rejection.
Seven days.Seven days of carrying his phone everywhere, checking it obsessively, and jumping at every notification. Seven days of patrolling past her cabin under the pretense of routine sheriff duties, noting the lights that stayed on too late. Seven days of fighting the primal urge to storm her door and demand she stop torturing them both with this separation.
He’d almost given up. This morning, staring at another sleepless dawn, he’d finally accepted that she’d made her choice. That whatever brief connection they’d shared had been overwhelmed by the impossibility of what he’d revealed. Ahuman woman, successful and independent, choosing to bind herself to a wolf shifter Alpha? It defied logic. He’d been a fool to hope otherwise.
But she’d called.
The relief in his voice when he’d answered had been impossible to hide, bleeding through despite his attempts at control. When she’d asked how he’d been, the invitation for dinner had tumbled out before he could second-guess it. Because the truth was he hadn’t been doing well at all in her absence. And he’d desperately needed to see her.
Just food and company, he’d lied. As if anything involving Electra could ever be that simple.
Now he had exactly one hour to prepare a meal that would nourish her properly without overwhelming her with too much intensity. She’d admitted to not eating much for a week—the knowledge hit his wolf like a physical blow. His mate had been suffering, struggling alone, while he’d forced himself to respect her need for space.
Never again.The vow formed without conscious thought. Whatever happened tonight, whatever she decided about the bond between them, he wouldn’t let her face anything alone again.
Rune moved through his kitchen with practiced efficiency, pulling ingredients from the refrigerator and pantry. Nothing too elaborate—she’d be suspicious if he went overboard. But nothing cold or impersonal either. Comfort food.
Chicken and dumplings. His mother’s recipe, one of the few things he remembered clearly from before her death. The familiar motions of chopping vegetables and seasoning the broth grounded him, giving his restless energy a purpose beyond pacing and worrying.
The scents filled his cabin as he worked—onions and celery, herbs and slowly simmering chicken. Homey smells thattransformed the austere space into something warmer and more welcoming. He caught himself arranging and rearranging the place settings, adjusting the lighting, and forced himself to stop.
Control,he reminded himself.She needs to feel safe, not overwhelmed.
Fifty-eight minutes after their call ended, he was setting the plates on his dining table when the doorbell chimed. His pulse spiked, wolf and man united in their desperate anticipation. She was exactly on time—punctual, probably as nervous as he was.
Rune took a steadying breath and went to answer the door. When he opened it, everything inside him went utterly, completely still.
She stood on his porch in a yellow sundress that turned her skin to warm honey and made her green eyes luminous in the evening light. Her dark brown hair fell around her shoulders, and she’d taken time with makeup—subtle but deliberate. The knowledge that she’d wanted to look good for him sent a dangerous thrill through his system.
