The mate bond thrummed between them, warm and patient, waiting for her to choose it fully. And with every word she wrote, every honest emotion she poured onto the page, she felt herself moving closer to that choice.
Closer to embracing the future she’d never dared to believe she deserved.
SIXTEEN
RUNE
The cabin walls pressed inward as the sun began to set outside the large living room window. Rune stood near the stone fireplace, arms crossed, watching Electra work at her desk. She’d been writing for hours, lost in that fierce, beautiful focus that made his chest swell with pride.
The day had been productive in all the ways that mattered for her safety. Motion sensors now monitored every approach to the property. New deadbolts reinforced the doors. Forrest had adjusted patrol routes, tripling coverage around her cabin. The perimeter was as secure as Rune could make it without turning the place into a fortress.
But watching Electra pour herself onto the page, completely absorbed in her craft, triggered something dangerous in his chest. The instinct was pure wolf—possessive, protective, and utterly wrong. He wanted to keep her here, hidden away from pack politics and staring eyes, safe from everything that might threaten or judge or diminish her.
The thought crystallized with uncomfortable clarity. He could let this become their entire world. Her writing, his protection, the mate bond humming between them in perfect confinement. No challenges to navigate. No traditions toconfront. No difficult conversations about human mates and pack law.
But seclusion would turn to isolation if he let it. Keeping her locked away would only breed resentment, make her question whether he was ashamed of her. The idea made his wolf snarl with outrage. Ashamed? Of this incredible woman who’d claimed him as thoroughly as he’d claimed her? Never.
She deserved to be shown off, not hidden. The pack needed to see what he saw—her strength, her intelligence, the way she stood tall beside him instead of cowering behind his authority. When she finally chooses to accept the mate bond completely, he would present the truth to the council. This was the new way, and it was a better way. Pack law would adapt because it had to.
The decision settled in his mind with Alpha finality.
“Electra.” His voice cut through the quiet click of her keyboard.
She looked up, her green eyes bright with creative energy, a small smile tugging at her lips.
God, she was beautiful when she was in her element.
“How’s the writing going?”
“Better than I hoped. I think I’m finally capturing something real.” Her gaze sharpened as she took in his expression. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong.” He moved closer, his hand finding the back of her chair. “But I think we’ve been cooped up here long enough. How about dinner at Millie’s?”
Electra blinked, clearly not expecting the suggestion. “The diner? Tonight?”
“Unless you’d rather stay here and eat sandwiches.” He kept his tone casual, but they both knew this was about more than food. This was about stepping into the light together. About making a statement that couldn’t be taken back.
She studied his face with that sharp perception that never failed to unnerve him. “This isn’t just about dinner, is it?”
“No,” he admitted. “It’s not.”
A long moment passed between them, weighted with understanding. Then Electra saved her work and closed the laptop with deliberate precision.
“Give me five minutes to change.”
Relief and tension twisted together in his chest as she disappeared into the bedroom. When she emerged minutes later wearing a soft green sweater that brought out her eyes and dark jeans that hugged her curves perfectly, his wolf stirred with approval and anticipation.
“You look beautiful,” he said softly, reaching for her hand.
She blushed as he led her outside to his truck parked in her driveway. He opened the passenger door for her and gently helped her into his truck with careful attention, hyperaware of how right it felt to have her there beside him. How right this decision felt, despite the complications it would inevitably create.
“You know they’re all going to stare,” Electra said as he slid into the driver’s seat, her tone light but not quite hiding the nervous edge beneath.
“Let them stare.” His hand found hers across the center console. “I want them to see you with me.”
Twenty minutes later, the diner’s neon sign cut through the gathering darkness like a beacon, casting yellow and blue light across the parking lot. Rune felt the shift the moment he parked—that subtle ripple of pack awareness that meant they’d been noticed. The low hum of recognition spread outward, unmistakable to anyone with supernatural senses. They would smell her humanity, yes—but threaded through with his scent now.
Claimed. Tethered. His.
