Chapter 4

I should have walked away. Instead, I stood there. So did he.

 The noise of the celebration seemed to fade around us. I could still see people moving, glasses raised, musicians playing somewhere behind me, but none of it felt important anymore. All I could notice was him. And that scent — still there, warm and musky, clean with something earthy underneath that made my Lycan restless every time I breathed it in. I'd never felt anything like it. Neither, apparently, had he. He looked almost as lost as I did.

 His eyes moved over my face, then flicked briefly toward the crown behind me. When they came back to mine, he looked nervous again, and that made me feel strangely better. At least I wasn't the only one with no idea what to do.

 He cleared his throat. "I suppose we should talk."

 "Probably."

 Another silence. Then he smiled, a little awkward. "This is harder than I imagined."

 I couldn't help laughing. "You imagined this?"

 "Not exactly this."

 "What did you imagine?"

 "I don't know." He glanced around the crowded hall. "Something less public."

 I looked around too. He had a point. Half the room was pretending not to watch us. The other half wasn't even bothering to pretend. "I think everyone's waiting for us to do something."

 "That's what I'm afraid of."

 I smiled. He looked at me again. "I should introduce myself properly."

 "You should."

 "Garret." He seemed to catch on that I was waiting for more. "Garret Hale."

 "I'm Evelyn."

 His mouth curved. "I know."

 "Right. Everyone knows."

 "Not everyone."

 "What?"

 "I didn't."

 I stared at him. "You didn't know who I was?"

 He shook his head. "I knew there'd be a royal celebration tonight. I knew the heir would be announced. I just didn't know what you looked like." Something about that made me smile despite myself. "And now I know far more than I expected to."

 I glanced toward the crown. "Neither of us expected this."

 His eyes followed mine. "You're the heir."

 "Yes."

 "Then I suppose I should congratulate you."

 "You can."

 "Congratulations."

 "Thank you." We both smiled, and it felt strangely normal — almost too normal for two people who'd just discovered a mate bond in front of an entire kingdom.

 I looked at him more carefully. There was no arrogance in the way he carried himself, no attempt to impress me. Even his clothes were plain next to the nobles around us. Curiosity won out. "So, what do you do?"

 He blinked. "Besides stand here?"

 I laughed. "Yes. Besides that."

 "I'm a Delta."

 I waited. He raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't tell you anything?"

 "Not really."

 "You don't know much about me yet."

 "I just met you."

 "Fair." He glanced toward the crowd, then went on. "I'm the Delta of the Eastern Pack."

 "So you're part of the Alpha's inner circle?"

 "Yes."

 "What does that actually mean?"

 He seemed to think about how to put it. "I help with pack matters. Negotiations. Disputes between territories. Trade agreements."

 "You negotiate?"

 "Most of the time."

 "Most?"

 "Sometimes people don't want to."

 "And then?"

 "I try harder."

 I laughed. "That sounds frustrating."

 "It can be."

 "You like it?"

 "I do." There was something different in his expression when he talked about the work — not pride, exactly. More like real interest.

 "What made you choose that?"

 "I didn't really choose it. I've always been more interested in understanding people than fighting them."

 "That sounds unusual for a Lycan."

 "I've heard that before."

 "You don't like fighting?"

 "I didn't say that." He smiled. "I just don't think every problem needs a sword."

 I liked that answer. "What do you prefer, then?"

 "Words."

 I laughed. "You really are a diplomat."

 He gave a small shrug. "I suppose I am."

 "And you're a Delta? How long?"

 "A few years."

 "You became one young."

 "Yes." I looked at him with new curiosity — he wasn't much older than me, and he'd already earned a position that ran on trust. "You must be good at it," I said.

 His expression shifted slightly. "I try to be." There was something humble in the answer. He wasn't pretending to be the best. He just knew what he was capable of, and I liked that too.

 "And when you're not negotiating?"

 "Reading."

 I stared at him. "Reading?"

 He laughed. "Is that surprising?"

 "A little."

 "What did you expect?"

 "I don't know." I looked him over. "Someone who spends his free time training."

 "I train too."

 "Good."

 "Good?"

 "You're still a Lycan." We both laughed, and for a few seconds the strange tension between us eased.

 Then I realized something. "I don't even know where you're from."

 "The Eastern Pack."

 "I know that." I stopped, not sure what I was actually trying to ask. He seemed to understand anyway.

 "My family's from there. I've lived there my whole life."

 "Do you have siblings?"

 "A younger sister." His face softened when he said it.

 "You're close?"

 "Very."

 I smiled. "Then you understand."

 "Understand what?"

 "Being protective."

 "I do."

 I looked down at my hands. The conversation suddenly felt more personal than I'd expected. I'd known him for minutes, and yet the bond made every small thing feel strangely important. I thought about the moment I'd walked away from him earlier, and my stomach tightened.

 "I should explain something."

 His expression turned attentive.

 "When you were walking toward me earlier—"

 He nodded.

 "I left."

 "Yes."

 "I saw my father. I had something important to discuss with him." He didn't ask what. "I wasn't leaving because I didn't want to meet you."

 His eyes softened. "I know."

 "You do?"

 "I saw the way you looked at him. You looked worried."

 I hadn't realized he'd caught that. "I was."

 "Then you had a reason."

 I gave him a faint smile. "I'm still sorry."

 "You came back." His voice was gentle. "That matters."

 For a moment neither of us said anything. The bond stirred again, and warmth spread through my chest. Garret's fingers curled slightly at his side.

 "You feel that every time?" he asked quietly.

 I nodded. "Do you?"

 "Yes." He looked almost embarrassed admitting it. "I don't know how long it takes to get used to."

 "Maybe we don't have to get used to it yet."

 His eyes met mine. "Maybe not."

 Someone called my name. I looked over — my father, again. I sighed. "I really have to go."

 "Of course."

 I took a step away, and my Lycan protested immediately. I almost laughed — apparently she'd already decided she liked him. I turned back.

 "Garret?"

 "Yes?"

 "We'll talk again?"

 His smile came easy this time. "I'd like that."

 "Good." I turned and walked toward my father, and this time, leaving my mate didn't feel like running away. It felt like the start of something I didn't understand yet. And for the first time that night, I wasn't afraid of it.