Jade disappeared inside without another word, leaving him standing alone on the doorstep like a beggar. Brenn offered him a small smile before closing the door, and then he was truly alone with his frustrated panther and the mate bond that pulled at him like a physical chain.
The walk back to his estate felt three times longer than the journey there. Without Jade's warm presence beside him, the night seemed colder, emptier. His panther whined with distress at the separation, at being denied what should have been theirs by right.
By the time he reached his front door, his skin felt too hot, too tight. Her lavender and citrus scent clung to his clothes, to his home, driving him to distraction. He could still taste her on his lips, could still feel the phantom weight of her body pressed against his.
In his dining room, the remnants of their perfect evening mocked him. Candles burned low in their holders, casting flickering shadows across the table set for two. Wine glasses sat abandoned, lipstick traces on hers a painful reminder of what he'd almost had.
He began clearing the table with methodical precision, carrying plates and glasses to the kitchen, loading them into the dishwasher. The mundane task should have helped center him, should have provided the distraction his fractured control desperately needed. Instead, every surface seemed to hold her scent and her presence.
This is hopeless,he realized as he wiped down the dining table.She's claimed this place as surely as she's claimed my mind.
Exhaustion finally drove him toward his bedroom, though he doubted sleep would come easily. The past twenty-four hours had upended his carefully ordered existence, introducing chaos in the form of a brown-eyed human who didn't even know she was his mate.
He stripped off his clothes, his skin still burning from the memory of her touch and climbed into bed naked. But when he closed his eyes, all he could see was Jade's beautiful face, the way she'd looked in that green sundress, the desire that had darkened her brown eyes before fear had chased it away.
Her scent lingered everywhere—in his hair, on his skin, woven into the very fabric of his home. It would drive him mad before morning came.
Tomorrow,he promised himself and his restless panther.Tomorrow I'll find a way to get closer to her again.
But even as he made the vow, he knew Jade would be on guard now, would fight the connection between them with every ounce of her considerable will. And with each passing day, the council grew more impatient for him to choose a mate.
The irony wasn't lost on him—he'd finally found his perfect match, and she was the one person he couldn't simply command.
Dawn light filtered through the carved windows of Raikar's ancestral home, casting elongated shadows across the hardwoodfloors as he stirred in his massive four-poster bed. The mahogany frame had sheltered generations of his bloodline, but this morning it felt more like a prison than a sanctuary. His body ached with exhaustion despite managing a few precious hours of sleep—enough to function, at least, though his mind remained fractured between duty and desire.
The taste of Jade's kiss still lingered on his lips, and her lavender and citrus scent clung to his skin like a brand. His panther paced beneath his ribs, whining for their mate with an intensity that bordered on physical pain. Every instinct demanded he track her down and claim her properly. But the memory of her wide, panicked eyes as she'd pulled away from him served as a cold reminder of reality.
She's not ready. Push too hard and she'll run back to Earth.
He stretched his arms above his head, muscles protesting as he worked out the tension that had kept him rigid throughout the night. Just as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed, the sharp trill of his communicator shattered the morning quiet.
The device sat on his nightstand like a coiled serpent, its red light blinking ominously. He already knew what this call would bring—nothing good ever came from early morning summons.
"General Raikar speaking."
"General." Councilor Xylen's precise voice carried through the speaker with arctic authority. "Your presence is required immediately at the council chambers."
Of course it was. The timing couldn't be more perfect—or more disastrous. His mate had just arrived, their first real connection had ended in her retreat, and now the council wanted to discuss his political obligations.
"Understood."
The line went dead without pleasantries, leaving him alone with his racing thoughts. He knew exactly what awaited him in those ancient stone halls. They would want to formalize hismating with Sera, announce it publicly, bind him to a woman who meant nothing while his true mate slept miles away.
Sera.The name sat bitter on his tongue. Beautiful, accomplished, politically perfect—everything a General should want in a mate. Everything that left him completely cold.
Raikar pushed himself to his feet, his naked form casting imposing shadows in the morning light. Years of combat training had honed his body into a weapon, but what good was physical strength against political machinations? He moved to his wardrobe with measured steps, each motion controlled despite the chaos raging in his chest.
His general’s uniform hung pressed and ready—black pants that emphasized his powerful legs, crisp black shirt that stretched across his broad shoulders, polished boots that had carried him through countless battles. The black coat with its gleaming insignia and hard-earned medals completed the transformation from conflicted man to commanding officer.
Standing before the full-length mirror, he smoothed his dark hair into its usual controlled style. The reflection staring back looked every inch the distinguished General—composed, authoritative, unshakeable. But beneath the surface, his panther clawed at his ribs, desperate to break free and hunt down their mate.
How am I supposed to function when I can't get her out of my head?
The question haunted him as he left his estate. The walk to the council chambers stretched before him like a death march—just a few miles through territory he'd protected for a decade, but it might as well have been a thousand. Every step carried him further from where his instincts demanded he go, further from Jade's warm presence.
The purple jungle called to him from the distance, its wild beauty a stark contrast to the civilized stone pathways. Undernormal circumstances, the sight of his homeland would center him, remind him why he'd dedicated his life to protecting this place and these people. Today, it only emphasized how trapped he felt between duty and desire.
She's probably awake by now,he thought, imagining Jade in Talia and Brenn's home.Probably planning to keep things strictly professional after last night.
