Chapter 10
The packhouse was alive with noise when Rowan arrived later that night. Wolves gathered in the great hall—some lounging, some sparring in the open training space, others simply waiting for his word. The air carried the familiar scents of pine, musk, and firewood, but beneath it all, Rowan caught the faintest ripple of unease.
They’d noticed his distraction.
He strode through the hall, his presence enough to silence conversations. Heads dipped, bodies stilled, but he felt their eyes tracking him, curious, questioning.
Elias followed at his side. “They’re restless,” he murmured.
“They’ll settle,” Rowan replied, though his tone was clipped.
The Beta didn’t press, but when Rowan entered the council chamber, the unease crystallized. Several of his senior wolves were already gathered around the long oak table. Tension hung thick in the air.
Marcus, one of his oldest enforcers, leaned forward on his elbows. “We’ve heard whispers,” he began, voice rough with challenge. “That our Alpha spends his evenings in town. Alone.”
A low growl built in Rowan’s chest, but he kept it contained. “Is that a problem?”
Marcus’s lips curled. “It could be, if your attention is… diverted. The Hollow still stirs at the edges of the forest. Rogues have been sighted twice this month. And yet our Alpha walks into town as if we aren’t on the brink of war.”
Rowan’s wolf bristled, ready to bare fangs. Instead, Rowan straightened, letting his dominance settle over the room like a heavy cloak. “Do you question my ability to lead?”
The silence was immediate. Marcus bowed his head, though not without a flicker of defiance.
“No one questions your strength,” Elias cut in, his voice smoother, a balm against the tension. “But the pack needs reassurance. They sense your focus has shifted.”
Rowan’s jaw clenched. His wolf demanded he snarl the truth—that his mate lived in that town, that she mattered more than any forest border or rogue threat. But revealing that now would only deepen their unease. A human mate? They would see weakness. Vulnerability.
“I walk the town because it is ours as much as the forest,” Rowan said at last, his tone even but edged with steel. “Every shop, every street, every family within it is under my protection. You’ll remember that.”
Some of the tension eased, though suspicion lingered in a few pairs of eyes.
Elias dismissed the council soon after, leaving only Rowan and the echo of his own restraint.
He moved to the wide window at the end of the chamber, looking out toward the dark line of trees that marked the edge of his territory. Beyond them, the town slept. She slept.
His wolf pressed hard against his skin, restless. Claim her. Bring her home. Ours.
Rowan closed his fists. “Not yet,” he muttered. “Not until she’s ready.”
But the truth hung heavy in the air. His pack wanted answers. The rogues circling their borders were a real threat. And somewhere in the middle of it all was Clara—human, fragile, utterly unprepared for the storm she was about to step into.
Rowan’s jaw tightened, resolve hardening like iron. He would find a way to balance it. Alpha. Protector. Mate. He had to.
Because if he failed, he wouldn’t just lose his pack.
He’d lose her.
