My heart stopped.

"Dad, breakfast!"

Sienna's voice.

Bright. Cheerful. Normal.

Right outside the door.

The word hit me harder than anything.

Dad.

Dad?

My body went cold.

I sat up too fast, the blanket sliding off me. Roman's shirt hung loose on my skin. His scent clung to me. Warm. Dangerous. Familiar.

Dad.

My brain refused to connect it.

Then it did.

And everything crashed at once.

The door handle moved.

I panicked.

Roman stepped in front of me instantly.

Blocking me.

Shielding me.

Like he already knew what I was thinking.

"Don't open it," he said slowly.

"I wasn't going to," I whispered.

My voice shook.

Not from fear.

From shock.

Sienna knocked lightly.

"Dad? Are you awake?"

Dad.

Again.

Each time felt like a slap.

Roman didn't answer her.

He kept his eyes on me.

Watch me carefully.

Too carefully.

Like I might run.

Like I might break.

"Say something," I whispered.

His jaw tightened. "In a minute."

"She called you Dad."

"I know."

"She called you Dad."

"I heard her, Elena."

My chest felt tight.

My throat burned.

"Sienna is my best friend," I said slowly. "My only friend."

He said nothing.

The silence told me everything.

"You're her father?" I asked.

He nodded once.

That was it.

Just one small nod.

Like it wasn't a bomb.

Like it wasn't ruining my entire world.

I laughed.

A small, broken sound.

"You're joking."

"I'm not."

"This is a mistake."

"It isn't."

"No," I said, shaking my head. "No. No. No. This can't be real. I work for her family. I slept over at her house. I tell her everything. Everything. And you"

My voice cracked.

"And you're her father?"

He stepped closer.

"Lower your voice."

"Don't tell me what to do."

"She'll hear you."

"I don't care!"

I did care.

But I was too hurt to admit it.

Memories hit me all at once.

Sienna laughing with me in the kitchen.

Sienna talking about her strict father.

Sienna says, He never smiles. He's scary. But he loves me.

My stomach twisted.

Roman.

She meant Roman.

All this time.

"You knew," I said quietly.

He didn't answer.

"You knew who I was the whole time."

"I suspected."

"Don't lie."

His eyes flickered.

That was enough.

"You knew," I repeated.

"Yes."

The word was heavy.

Honest.

And it hurt more than a lie.

"Since when?" I asked.

"The moment I smelled you at the gala."

"Smelled me?"

"My wolf recognized you."

I swallowed.

"And then?"

"And then I checked the staff list."

My chest tightened.

"So you investigated me."

"Yes."

"Like I'm some threat?"

"No," he said sharply. "Like you're something precious."

I stared at him.

Anger. Confusion. Heat.

Too many emotions at once.

"You should have told me," I said.

"I couldn't."

"Why?"

"Because the second you knew who I was, you would've run."

He wasn't wrong.

And that made me angrier.

"So what?" I asked. "You thought sleeping with me first would make it easier?"

His face darkened.

"Don't say it like that."

"Like what? Like the truth?"

"Last night wasn't manipulation."

"It feels like it."

He flinched.

Actually flinched.

Like I had stabbed him.

His voice dropped.

"Last night was the first time in years I wasn't alone."

That stopped me.

"You think this is easy for me?" he continued. "You think I planned to want you? You think I planned for my daughter's best friend to be my mate?"

Mate.

That word again.

It twisted my heart.

"I hate it," he said quietly. "I hate how complicated this is. I hate how dangerous it is. But I don't hate you."

Silence.

Soft. Painful.

"I can't," he added. "I tried."

My anger cracked a little.

Just a little.

Because his voice wasn't cold.

It was tiring.

Lonely.

Real.

"I feel stupid," I admitted.

"For what?"

"For trusting you so fast."

"That wasn't stupidity," he said. "That was instinct."

"Or weakness."

"No." His voice hardened. "Don't call yourself weak."

"You don't know me."

"I know enough."

He stepped closer.

Too close.

My heart reacted instantly.

Traitor.

"I know you stayed calm when those men grabbed you," he said. "I know you fought even when you were drugged. I know you still worried about your friend while you were scared."

His eyes softened.

"You're stronger than half my pack."

My throat tightened.

No one had ever said something like that to me before.

But the problem was still there.

Huge.

Unavoidable.

"Sienna," I whispered. "She trusts me."

"So do I."

"This will hurt her."

"I know."

"Then what are we doing?"

He didn't answer.

Because neither of us knew.

A knock again.

Louder this time.

"Dad? Are you okay?"

I froze.

Roman closed his eyes briefly.

Then he spoke through the door.

"I'll be down soon."

"Okay! Don't skip breakfast again!"

Her footsteps faded.

The silence afterward felt heavier.

I wrapped my arms around myself.

"I should go," I said.

"No."

The word came fast.

Sharp.

Possessive.

I blinked. "What?"

"You're not leaving."

"I can't stay here."

"You can't leave either."

"That's not your choice."

"It is."

My anger came back. "You don't own me."

"I'm trying to protect you."

"From what?"

"From my enemies."

My stomach dropped.

"What enemies?"

He stared at me.

Measuring.

Then he said quietly, "Last night wasn't random."

"What do you mean?"

"The men who drugged you? They weren't drunk idiots."

My heart pounded.

"They were sent."

"Sent by who?"

"Rival packs."

My mouth went dry.

"Why me?"

His eyes darkened.

"Because you're connected to me."

"But they didn't know that," I said.

"They suspected."

"How?"

"Because someone told them."

The words hung heavy.

Betrayal.

Inside job.

My chest tightened.

"Someone in your pack?" I whispered.

He nodded.

"Yes."

Twist.

Another one.

Nothing felt safe anymore.

Not the house.

Not the people.

Not even my friend's family.

"So if I walk out that door..." I said slowly.

"They'll take you," he finished.

"Use you against me."

My hands trembled.

"I didn't ask for this."

"I know."

"I just wanted a job. A normal life."

"I know."

"But now I'm in some war because of you."

His voice broke.

"I'm sorry."

He rarely apologized.

I could tell.

The word sounded foreign in his mouth.

Heavy.

Real.

And that made it worse.

Because I believed him.

"I need time," I whispered.

"You don't have time."

"Don't say that."

"They're moving fast."

"So what? I just stay locked in your room forever?"

"If that's what keeps you safe, yes."

I stared at him.

"You really would cage me."

"I'd burn the world first."

My heart betrayed me again.

Because part of me liked that.

Liked how fiercely he cared.

Even if it scared me.

"I don't know what we are," I said softly.

His answer came without hesitation.

"Mine."

My breath caught.

Then he added quietly, "If you'll have me."

Before I could reply

Knock.

Soft.

Then the door handle turned.

My blood ran cold.

Sienna's voice floated in, confused and curious.

"Dad? Why is the door locked?"

My heart slammed.

Roman and I locked eyes.

Too close.

Too guilty.

Too late.

The handle moved again.

And she said

"... Elena? Are you in there?"

I shouldn't want her.

The thought repeated in my head like a warning that refused to fade.

Yet the scent of Elena Cruz still clung to my skin.

My wolf refused to calm down.

Mine.

The word kept rising in my chest like a growl.

I walked away from my bedroom slowly, forcing my expression back into the cold mask my pack knew.

Control first. Emotion later.

Always.

But control felt thin today.

Dangerously thin.

Damon was waiting for me outside the corridor.

He leaned against the wall with his arms folded. His eyes moved once over my face.

Sharp.

Observing.

He knew something was wrong.

Damon Graves had fought beside me for years. He could read my mood faster than most wolves could smell blood.

"You look terrible," he said flatly.

"I slept badly."

He snorted.

"That's a lie."

I kept walking.

He followed.

"That girl is still here," Damon added.

I stopped.

Slowly.

My wolf stirred at the way he said it.

That girl.

Like she meant nothing.

Like she was replaceable.

"She has a name," I said quietly.

"Elena."

Damon studied me again.

"That's the problem," he said.

My jaw tightened.

"What problem?"

"You care already."

The accusation landed harder than it should have.

I didn't answer.

Silence was often enough.

But Damon wasn't one of my soldiers. He didn't fear pushing.

"You brought her into your private wing," he continued. "You dismissed guards. You ordered the staff not to speak about her."

His voice lowered.

"You're hiding her."

"I'm protecting her."

"That's the same thing right now."

My wolf stirred again.

Protect.

The instinct was sharp.

Violent.

I kept my voice calm.

"She was targeted last night."

"I know."

"You saw the men?"

"I interrogated one before he died."

That made me turn.

"What?"

"He bit through his own tongue before he spoke," Damon said.

My stomach tightened.

Coward's escape.

Or trained loyalty.

"Someone sent them," Damon continued. "That part is obvious."

"Yes."

"But they weren't sent randomly."

I said nothing.

Because I already knew.

My wolf had known the moment Elena walked into that gala.

The moment her scent wrapped around me like a memory.

Like fate.

Like something I had lost once already.

Damon's eyes sharpened.

"You know why they targeted her."

I looked away.

"That girl smells like a claim."

My chest tightened.

"She smells like your territory."

My silence confirmed everything.

Damon ran a hand over his face.

"Roman..."

His voice lowered.

"Tell me you didn't."

The words felt heavy.

But I didn't lie.

"My wolf recognized her."

Damon froze.

"No."

"Yes."

"That's impossible."

"So I thought."

My mind flashed back to the moment upstairs.

Steam in the air.

Her wide brown eyes.

The moment her skin brushed mine.

Lightning.

Recognition.

Mate.

A second chance my wolf had howled for.

And a curse I never asked for.

Damon's voice pulled me back.

"You already had a mate."

"I know."

"She died."

"I remember."

His eyes darkened.

"We buried her together."

The memory burned.

Blood.

Smoke.

Her broken body in my arms.

The ambush had been meant for me.

She paid the price.

That was the day I decided love was my weakness.

And weakness got people killed.

"Roman," Damon said carefully, "wolves don't get two mates."

"Rarely."

"Almost never."

"And yet here we are."

Silence stretched.

Then Damon spoke again.

"Does she know?"

I thought of Elena's face in the bed.

Confused.

Angry.

Hurt.

"I told her."

"How did she react?"

"She looked like the ground disappeared under her."

Damon sighed.

"That sounds right."

We started walking again.

My thoughts were heavier now.

Elena's voice still echoed in my mind.

You investigated me.

Yes.

I had.

The moment my wolf recognized her scent I had ordered a background check.

Name: Elena Cruz.

Age: twenty-two.

Student.

Two jobs.

No criminal record.

No pack affiliation.

Humans.

Except she didn't feel human.

My wolf knew that instantly.

Damon spoke again.

"She's the Alpha princess's best friend."

"Yes."

"That alone is a disaster."

"I know."

"If Sienna finds out"

"She will."

"Then your house becomes a battlefield."

I said nothing.

Because that part had already begun.

Damon lowered his voice.

"You lost your first mate because someone used your heart against you."

"I remember."

"History might repeat itself."

My wolf growled.

Low.

Threatening.

"Not this time."

Damon's stare hardened.

"You sound like a man who already chose."

Maybe I had.

Maybe my wolf had chosen for me.

Because every time Elena looked scared...

Something inside me snapped.

A violent instinct.

Touch her and die.

The thought came easily.

Too easily.

Damon spoke again.

"Tell me something honestly."

"Go on."

"If someone comes for her... what will you do?"

The answer came without thought.

"I'll kill anyone who tries."

Damon closed his eyes briefly.

"That's what I was afraid of."

We reached the stairs.

Voices from downstairs echoed faintly.

Pack members.

Breakfast.

Politics.

Normal life.

But nothing felt normal anymore.

Because upstairs in my bedroom was a girl who could break everything I built.

Damon leaned closer.

"You need to think clearly."

"I am."

"No," he said bluntly. "You're thinking like a wolf. Not a king."

I turned slowly.

"You forget who you're speaking to."

"I remember exactly."

His voice was steady.

"You rule thousands of wolves."

"Yes."

"Your enemies are waiting for a mistake."

"Yes."

"And right now your biggest weakness is a twenty-two-year-old girl who doesn't even know the rules of our world."

His words were cruel.

But they weren't wrong.

That was the problem.

I spoke quietly.

"She didn't ask for this."

"They never do."

"I dragged her into danger."

"You did."

"So I will protect her."

Damon looked at me carefully.

"Even if the council disagrees?"

"Yes."

"Even if the pack questions your judgment?"

"Yes."

"Even if Sienna hates you for it?"

My chest tightened.

But my answer didn't change.

"Yes."

Damon exhaled slowly.

"You're serious."

"I always am."

He rubbed his temples.

"This is going to explode."

"It already has."

"You haven't even seen the worst part yet."

I frowned slightly.

"What do you mean?"

Damon pulled a small folded paper from his pocket.

"A message arrived ten minutes ago."

"From who?"

"The council."

My wolf stiffened.

The council rarely contacted me directly.

Not unless something serious was happening.

I took the paper.

The message was short.

Urgent.

Cold.

Alpha King Roman Blackwood is required to attend an immediate council meeting.

Matters concerning pack security and suspected internal betrayal will be discussed.

Attendance is mandatory.

My eyes narrowed.

"They move fast."

Damon nodded.

"Too fast."

Which meant something worse.

Someone had already spoken.

Someone inside my pack had already started whispering.

"Elena," Damon said carefully, "is the center of this storm now."

"I know."

"They'll ask about her."

"I expected that."

"They might demand you hand her over."

My wolf exploded inside my chest.

A violent snarl clawed up my throat.

"No."

The word came out like steel.

Damon watched me carefully.

"If they force the issue?"

"They won't."

"You're sure?"

"I'll make sure."

But deep down...

A darker thought formed.

The council was powerful.

Old.

Traditional.

They hated uncertainty.

Elena Cruz was uncertain walking on two legs.

A human girl tied to the Alpha King.

A possible mate.

A weakness.

Or a weapon.

Damon spoke again.

"You should leave guards on her door."

"They're already there."

"Good."

"Quiet guards."

"Even better."

He studied me one last time.

"Roman."

"What."

"Be honest with me."

I waited.

He spoke slowly.

"Is this really about protection?"

I frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"You could send her away. Hide her somewhere safe. Another territory."

My wolf rejected the idea instantly.

A deep, savage refusal.

"No."

Damon noticed.

His eyes darkened.

"That's what I thought."

He stepped closer.

Lowered his voice.

"You're not protecting her."

"What are you saying?"

"You're keeping her close because you can't stand the thought of someone else touching her."

The truth landed like a blade.

I didn't answer.

Because I couldn't.

Damon sighed.

"Mate bond or not... that kind of obsession gets kings killed."

My voice dropped to a dangerous whisper.

"Then anyone who tries will die first."

Damon shook his head.

"You're impossible."

"Maybe."

"But you're still my Alpha."

"And you're still my Beta."

He stepped back.

"The council meeting starts in twenty minutes."

"I'll be there."

"And Elena?"

"I'll deal with her after."

But the moment I said it...

My wolf stirred again.

Uneasy.

Alert.

Something felt wrong.

Damon noticed my expression.

"What is it?"

I looked back toward the upper hallway.

Toward my bedroom.

Toward the girl who had already changed everything.

"Elena is alone," I said slowly.

"Yes."

"And half the pack knows she exists now."

Damon's face hardened.

"That's not good."

"No."

A cold feeling crawled down my spine.

Because enemies didn't always attack with claws.

Sometimes they used whispers.

Sometimes they used people.

Sometimes...

They used betrayal.

My wolf growled.

Low.

Warning.

Danger.

And suddenly I had one terrifying thought.

What if someone inside this house already moved against her?

I turned sharply.

"I'm going back upstairs."

Damon frowned.

"The council"

"Can wait five minutes."

"That's risky."

"So is leaving her alone."

I started walking fast.

My heartbeat picked up.

Something was wrong.

I could feel it.

That instinct had kept me alive through war.

And right now it was screaming.

Behind me Damon muttered,

"This day just keeps getting worse."

I reached the hallway.

My bedroom door was still closed.

But one thing made my blood run cold.

The guards I had placed outside were gone.

Gone.

No footsteps.

No voices.

No wolves.

Just silence.

My wolf exploded with rage.

I grabbed the door handle.

Twisted it open.

"Elena"

The word stopped in my throat.

Because the room was empty.

And the window was wide open.

My mate had disappeared... and the council was already calling me to judgment.