Instead, as his paws struck the soft earth and carried him past flowering vines and crystalline streams, one name echoed through his consciousness with every heartbeat.
Jade.
His fated mate. The woman who would arrive tomorrow expecting nothing more than a temporary job.
The woman who had absolutely no idea she just completely upended his carefully controlled world.
THREE
JADE
The morning air carried a bite that had nothing to do with Wyoming's mountain chill. Jade shifted her weight from foot to foot outside Murphy's Diner, her large duffel bag slung over one shoulder like armor against the unknown. Restorative sleep had abandoned her sometime around midnight, chased away by dreams that made no sense—panthers with glowing eyes stalking through purple jungles, and her running through those same purple jungles being chased by something she couldn't see but could feel so vividly.
By four AM, she'd given up on rest entirely. Two hours of brutal training in her home gym had burned through the restless energy coiling in her chest, followed by a scalding shower that did little to wash away the strange anticipation humming beneath her skin. The hearty breakfast she'd forced down after that sat like lead in her stomach, though she knew she'd need the fuel for whatever waited ahead.
This is insane.The thought circled through her mind like a mantra.Tell Gerri to forget it. Go home. Teach your classes. Live your safe, predictable life.
But her feet remained planted on the cracked sidewalk, her grip tight on the duffel bag's strap. Something deeper than logichad driven her here—the same restless hunger that had been clawing at her for months, demanding more than the quiet existence she'd built in these mountains.
A flash of purple caught her eye, and Gerri emerged from a sleek rental car with the kind of confidence that belonged on runways, not small-town Wyoming streets. Her designer pantsuit was an impossible shade of violet that somehow managed to look both elegant and slightly otherworldly, paired with heels that clicked against the pavement like punctuation marks.
"Good morning, darling!" Gerri's warm smile seemed to chase away the morning shadows, and despite every logical reason to be wary, Jade felt her shoulders relax slightly. There was something about this woman—an indefinable quality that invited trust even as it raised a dozen questions.
"Morning." Jade's voice came out rougher than intended, betraying the sleepless night. "I have to be honest, part of me wants to tell you to forget this whole thing."
Gerri's eyes—which seemed to shift between bright blue and gold in the morning light—sparkled with knowing amusement. "But you won't. Because your soul knows this is exactly what you need, even if your mind hasn't caught up yet."
The accuracy of that statement sent an uncomfortable shiver down Jade's spine. "You seem awfully certain about what I need."
"Honey, I've been doing this for longer than you might imagine. Trust me when I say that sometimes the best opportunities come disguised as the scariest leaps." Gerri glanced at her designer watch, and her expression shifted to something more urgent. "Speaking of which, we really must hurry. General Raikar doesn't appreciate tardiness, and we need to get across town to the power plant."
"Power plant?" Jade hefted her duffel bag higher on her shoulder, falling into step beside the smaller woman. "That's an odd place for interplanetary travel."
"Energy requirements, darling. Wormholes don't run on fairy dust and good intentions." Gerri's heels clicked a rapid rhythm toward the rental car. "Though I suppose they might, given how little we truly understand about the universe's more interesting mechanics."
Jade tossed her bag into the backseat and slid into the passenger seat, hyperaware of how bizarre this should feel—getting into a car with someone she'd met yesterday to travel to another planet. The leather seats smelled like vanilla and something electric, like the air before a storm.
"So tell me more about this General Raikar," she said as Gerri started the engine. The need for information gnawed at her—she'd never gone into any situation this blind, and it violated every instinct she'd honed through years of martial arts training.
Know your opponent. Know the terrain. Know the stakes.
Gerri navigated the quiet morning streets with practiced ease, though her gaze held a secretive quality. "He's very powerful, very capable. Don't be thrown off by his intense presence—it's just his alpha shifter nature. But it can be quite intimidating at first."
"I don't intimidate easily." The words came out flat, carrying the weight of truth earned through countless sparring sessions with opponents who'd underestimated her. "I've faced plenty of men bigger and stronger than me. Size doesn't equal skill."
"No," Gerri agreed, and something in her tone suggested she knew exactly how capable Jade was. "But this is different from anything you've encountered before. Panther shifters operate on instincts that humans don't always understand initially."
The power plant loomed ahead—a squat, industrial building that looked like every other utility facility Jade had everseen. Nothing about it suggested interdimensional travel, which somehow made the whole situation more surreal.
"How long will I be there?" Jade asked when Gerri finally pulled into a parking space and they climbed out of the car, the morning air carrying the faint hum of electrical equipment.
"That's not really up to me, darling." Gerri's non-answer sparked irritation in Jade's chest. "General Raikar will determine the length of your... assignment."
"Well then, where will I be staying?"
"I've arranged for you to stay with the most adorable twin sisters—Talia and Brenn. They're two of Raikar's warriors, so they can answer more questions than I really can. They'll help you acclimate to the territory and its customs."
More non-answers. Jade's jaw tightened as they approached the building's entrance. She'd built her entire adult life on control and information, and walking into this situation felt like stepping off a cliff blindfolded.
