"Come in." His voice held the kind of authority that expected immediate compliance, low and controlled in a way that suggested he rarely needed to raise it to achieve results. "Have a seat. We need to discuss your training and assignment."
He stepped back from the doorway without offering his hand, and Jade wondered briefly if physical contact wasn't customary among panther shifters. The thought provided welcome distraction from the way her skin seemed to hum with awareness as his gaze settled on her.
She entered his office, her duffel bag feeling heavier with each step. The space reflected its occupant—functional furniture arranged for efficiency, maps covering one wall, and weapons displayed with the reverence of someone who understood their lethal potential. Everything spoke of a mind that prioritized results over comfort, duty over personal preference.
Jade forced her spine straight, her expression neutral and her breathing steady. Professional. Controlled. Ready to prove she belonged here despite being human, despite the way her pulse hammered whenever those predatory blue eyes focused on her face.
This is already more complicated than I imagined.
The thought whispered through her consciousness as she settled into the chair he indicated, fighting to maintain hercomposure while something indefinable crackled in the air between them. Whatever she'd expected from this temporary assignment, it hadn't included this strange magnetic pull toward General Raikar.
FOUR
RAIKAR
Raikar settled into his chair behind his desk and kept his hands deliberately still against his desk's surface. He should have offered his hand when Jade entered—basic courtesy demanded it, professional protocol required it. But touching her would activate the mate bond completely, and his control had already been fraying for eighteen hours straight.
Gerri's asking me to do the impossible.
The matchmaker's plan required him to pretend Jade was here for training and missions when every cell in his body recognized her as his fated mate. His panther had been prowling restlessly since yesterday's call, demanding he claim what belonged to him as soon as Jade stepped foot on Nova Aurora. The beast didn't understand political maneuvering or careful courtship—it only knew possession and protection.
Meanwhile, the council's patience had finally snapped, and Councilor Xylen had reached out last night to confirm just that. Within days, they would announce Sera as his chosen mate and expect a mating ceremony that would secure his promotion to High Commander. The timing couldn't be worse, crossing every plan he'd made.
Sleep had been impossible. Every time he'd closed his eyes, he'd imagined sitting across from Jade without blurting out the truth, without pulling her into his arms and consequences be damned.
Now she sat mere feet away, and her scent was unraveling his sanity thread by thread. Lavender and citrus wrapped around him like silk, infiltrating his senses until he could taste it on his tongue. His control, built through decades of military discipline, was crumbling by the second.
"Well, Raikar," Gerri's voice cut through his internal battle, "before you dive into all the formalities, why don't you introduce yourself properly? Explain a bit about who you are so Jade knows exactly who she's working for."
Damn meddling matchmaker.
Her suggestion was a trap wrapped in social courtesy. She knew he couldn't appear cold or distant—not if he wanted Jade to warm to him. And time was running out faster than he'd anticipated. The council wouldn't wait much longer, and he needed to convince Jade of their connection before they forced his hand with Sera.
Which would never happen. He would never accept Sera over Jade.
Raikar leaned forward and extended his hand across the polished surface of his desk. "General Raikar Veyth."
Jade leaned forward to accept the gesture, and his breath caught as her blouse shifted, offering a glimpse of smooth skin and the curve of her cleavage. His panther surged forward with predatory hunger, and then their palms connected.
The mate bond exploded through his nervous system like lightning finding ground. Every nerve ending ignited as recognition slammed into him with the force of a physical blow. His panther roaredminewith such intensity that he nearly shifted right there in his chair.
He found himself gripping her hand harder than intended, his fingers tightening around hers as their eyes locked. The world narrowed to this moment, this connection, this woman who was finally within reach. Her pupils dilated, darkness replacing the warm brown, and he realized with satisfaction that she felt it too.
Good. She's not immune to the mate bond.
The brief contact had awakened every possessive instinct, and now his panther would be impossible to control. The beast would demand more until Jade was properly claimed and marked. Sleep would become even more elusive, and his focus compromised by the need burning through his veins.
"Wow, is it stuffy in here or is it just me?" Gerri's voice sliced through the charged atmosphere.
Reality crashed back. Raikar released Jade's hand and leaned back in his chair, fighting to project casual composure while his pulse hammered against his throat. "It's just the jungle atmosphere. Takes some adjustment."
He forced his voice into a professional tone, though his panther protested every word that wasn't a claiming growl. "Jade, let me give you a brief background of myself. I've been General of the Southern Jungles territory for a decade. My father held this position before me, and his father before him. Leadership runs in our bloodline, and the clan respects and trusts my family implicitly."
Jade nodded, but her attention seemed focused on him with an intensity that went beyond professional interest. She was trying to mask it behind controlled composure, but he could scent the shift in her pheromones and the way her heartbeat had accelerated.
"Tell me about yourself," he said, needing to hear her voice, to learn everything about the woman fate had chosen for him.
"I served four years in the Army on Earth. That taught me structure, discipline, and teamwork." Her voice carried crisp authority. "After my service ended, I became a martial arts competitor and advanced to expert level. I'm a fifth-degree black belt in karate. Eight years ago, I opened my own dojo and have been teaching various forms of martial arts since."
