Chapter 4

KING CARLTON

I stood over Jillian as she lay curled on the sofa bed in my office, shivering beneath the blanket. The pack doctor moved around her quietly, checking her temperature, her pulse, and muttering reassurances. Even sick and weak, she looked fragile, yet there was something more—something I couldn't name.

Even as I watched her, I couldn't look away. Something about her—the slight tremble of her hands, the way her lashes rested against her flushed cheeks—pulled at me in a way I didn't understand. My eyes lingered, stubborn and unyielding, as if some invisible force demanded I stay fixed on her.

First time I've seen you act this way, Gary's voice resonated in my mind, a low rumble only I could hear. My wolf's words startled me.

"What do you mean?" I asked, frowning, leaning closer to Jillian. I adjusted the blanket over her shoulders.

You're... interested. Attracted. It's the first time since Luna Bianca died that you've looked at another she-wolf like this, Gary said, almost teasing.

I bristled, though I couldn't hide my gaze from Jillian. "Of course not."

Even as I said it, a dull ache throbbed in my chest. Bianca had been gone for years, yet the shadow of her absence lingered in every corner of my heart. I remembered her laugh, soft and warm, the way her presence had anchored me, made me feel whole. And now... I couldn't shake the pull I felt toward Jillian. It was subtle, almost imperceptible at first, but it was there, simmering beneath the surface, unsettling and impossible to ignore.

Was I ready for another mate? Could I open my heart again without betraying her memory?

Don't lie, Gary growled softly. You've never looked at another woman before. Not like this. Not until Jillian.

I shook my head, staring down at her peaceful, pale face. "She's still young. The same age as Larson. I can't..."

Why not? Gary pressed. She's eighteen. You're thirty-five. Age doesn't matter in the blood. And still... she's smart, clever, and modest. Even an orphan, and an omega. She deserves admiration.

I swallowed, my throat dry. I had spent years suppressing every personal desire, every thought beyond the kingdom, the pack, my grief. My Luna was gone, and with her, any trace of softness in my heart. I had convinced myself it would stay that way forever.

And very pretty as well, Gary continued. Mating night is tomorrow. What if the Moon Goddess shows you that Jillian is a possible mate?

I frowned, uneasy, pacing a few steps across the office. "Then... let's see." My voice was low, cautious, almost like I was testing myself. "But now... I do not want to scare her. I will not look creepy. I will not—"

While you carried her earlier, Gary interrupted sharply, your heart beat faster than I've ever felt it, sire.

I froze. My gaze drifted to the spot where she had collapsed in my arms, weak and trembling, and the memory of her shivering against my chest made my pulse spike again. Control, I muttered. Focus. She's sick, not a temptation.

Gary growled low, almost amused. Control is futile, sire. She's stirring something inside you. Something you've buried for too long.

I shook my head again. "She is a student. She's barely an adult. Larson—my son—he is the same age. I cannot..."

Yet your blood, sire, it pulls to hers. Gary's tone was firm, insistent. Do not deny the truth of the scent, the pull, the fire inside.

I gritted my teeth, clenching my fists. Scent? Pull? Fire? All words for what I should not be thinking, not for a mere omega. But every fiber of my being rebelled. My wolf growled in approval, in excitement, as though it understood what my mind refused to admit.

I took a cautious step closer to the sofa. She shivered under the blanket again. My throat tightened at the sight. I wanted to reach out, to touch her hair, to make sure she was safe, to hold her close and never let her go.

See? Gary whispered, a rumble of satisfaction in my skull. Your instincts, your wolf, it knows what you fear to admit. You desire her. You are drawn to her.

I clenched my jaw, looking away. "I admire her. That is all. She is intelligent, resourceful, modest... even in her position as an omega, she handles adversity better than most betas."

Admiration does not make your pulse race this fast, Carlton.

I ignored him, yet I could not hide the heat crawling up my neck, the tightness in my chest whenever my gaze accidentally fell on her delicate hands, the faint tremor in her shivering body. My wolf stirred violently inside me, alert and insistent.

Tomorrow, Gary continued, you will see the truth. Mating night will show whether the Goddess favors you both.

I exhaled sharply, pacing again. "Mating night," I murmured. My fists unclenched, and I pressed a hand to my temple. I will not frighten her. I will not force her. I will observe. Protect. That is all.

Yet even as I spoke the words, I felt the truth pressing against the walls of my self-control. Her scent lingered in the office, a mixture of wild pine, faint citrus, and something undefinably soft and thrilling. I inhaled subtly, aware of every heartbeat, every subtle movement she made under the blanket.

She is an omega, I reminded myself, and an orphan. That alone should make this... impossible. Do not lose your mind.

Impossible is a human word, Gary said, with a hint of growl. For wolves, for blood, for scent... nothing is impossible. Not now, not ever.

I exhaled slowly, forcing my shoulders to relax, though my mind raced. Her small shivers, the faint fever flush on her cheeks, her closed eyes... it pulled at me like no other wolf ever had. My wolf pressed insistently against my consciousness, whispering the word I had not dared to say.

Mate.