“He’s not going to stop.” The words came out flat. Rune’s wolf prowled beneath his skin, recognizing the scent of a predator who had moved far beyond rational boundaries. “This isn’t about rejection or unrequited feelings. He’s fixated, and fixation doesn’t respond to legal deterrents.”
Electra’s hands twisted in her lap. “Prison time didn’t stop him. I don’t know what else?—“
“You’re not staying at your cabin alone.” The Alpha command rolled through his voice before he could soften it, and Electra’s spine straightened in automatic response. He caught himself, forced his tone back to something more measured. “I know asking you to stay at my place might feel like too much, too fast. So I’ll stay with you.”
The relief that flickered across her face told him everything he needed to know about how scared she really was.
“You’d do that?”
“I’d do anything to keep you safe.” The truth settled between them, simple and absolute.
He reached for his radio, keying the channel that connected him directly to Forrest. “I need a full tactical setup at Electra’s cabin. Motion sensors around the perimeter, upgraded locks, and I want patrol schedules quadrupled in that sector.”
Forrest’s voice crackled back immediately. “Copy that, Alpha. How long-term are we talking?”
“Until the threat is eliminated.” He met Electra’s eyes as he spoke, letting her see the wolf that lurked just beneath his controlled surface. “This isn’t a sheriff’s department concern anymore. This is pack business.”
When he signed off, the station felt too small. His wolf wanted to hunt, to track down the man who dared threaten what belonged to him. Instead, he stood and moved around the desk to where Electra sat, taking her hands in his.
“Look at me.” She raised her eyes to his, and he saw the fear there—but also trust. “Nothing will touch you. Do you understand? Nothing.”
The promise burned through him like a brand, settling into his bones with the weight of an Alpha’s vow. His wolf howled with approval, finally given permission to protect without restraint.
Then the memory hit him unbidden—the strange truck he’d followed two weeks ago, the man who’d driven off when spotted. The license plate registered to a woman, the driver’s behavior wrong in ways that had set off every alarm bell he possessed.
That was him. Tyr Grodin, scouting her location while I was still trying to give her space.
The regret was a knife between his ribs. If he’d acted on his instincts then, hunted down the threat instead of maintaining professional distance...
But dwelling on missed opportunities was a luxury he couldn’t afford. Not when Birch was circling like a vulture and a delusional stalker was escalating toward violence.
His mate was caught between predators, human and supernatural alike. The civilized part of him—the sheriff, the leader who balanced justice with mercy—recognized the complexity of the situation.
But his wolf didn’t care about complexity. It cared about results.
Protect our mate at any cost.
FIFTEEN
ELECTRA
Consciousness crept through Electra’s mind like morning mist, soft and gradual, carrying with it the disorienting sensation of safety. Her queen-sized bed felt different this morning—warmer and more solid—and as awareness sharpened, she understood why. Rune’s arms encircled her from behind, his chest pressed against her back in a protective curve that had clearly been maintained throughout the night. Even in sleep, his body had positioned itself as a shield between her and the world.
The memory of yesterday crashed back with sickening clarity. Tyr’s note. Those carefully crafted words from her own novel twisted into a threat. The knowledge that he’d been watching her, hunting her, probably for weeks while she’d been blissfully unaware, falling for Rune and discovering the mate bond like some naive heroine in one of her own stories.
Her stomach churned with the violation of it. How long had he been out there in the shadows documenting her movements and her routines? Had he seen her with Rune? Witnessed their first kiss and their passionate night together? The thought made her skin crawl, as if invisible eyes still tracked her every breath.
But beneath the nausea and fear, something else settled into her bones—a profound relief that she didn’t have to face this alone. For eighteen months, Tyr had been her private nightmare. She’d handled the stalking, the legal proceedings, the constant looking over her shoulder, all by herself because that’s what she’d always done. Handle everything alone. Trust no one completely.
Yet here was Rune, solid and warm and utterly present, having chosen to stay at her cabin instead of commanding her to come to his sanctuary where he could control the situation more easily. He’d respected her need for autonomy and her attachment to this space that had become her creative sanctuary. That consideration meant everything.
The mate bond hummed between them, no longer the frightening exposure she’d feared but something that felt like being truly seen for the first time. Not trapped or diminished but held and understood. She could sense his protective instincts even in sleep, the way his wolf remained alert for threats while his human side offered comfort.
This was nothing like the domineering Alphas she wrote about in her novels. Those fictional males claimed and commanded, their mates becoming beautiful accessories to their power. Rune made her feel like she could thrive with him—not despite her independence, but because of how he honored it.
For the first time in years, she could picture a life where she didn’t carry every burden alone. Where someone stood beside her not to take over, but to share the weight. The relief of having him help navigate Tyr’s escalating obsession felt like breathing freely after months of suffocation.
Prison clearly hadn’t stopped Tyr. If anything, those six months had sharpened his fixation, given him time to plan and obsess and convince himself that she belonged to him. The note proved he still believed in his twisted fantasy where she was hisfated mate, where her rejection was just an obstacle to overcome rather than a boundary to respect.
