Chapter 3
THREE
THALRIC
The silence in Thalric’s office seemed more oppressive than usual today.
Five years. Five years since his adoptive father Alpha Roman had drawn his last labored breath in the very room where Thalric now stood staring out the window at the pink waters of Nova Aurora’s coastline.
His sea wolf prowled restlessly beneath his skin, demanding release, demanding to go into the ocean and swim away all his current troubles.
Control yourself. Roman taught you better than this.
But the discipline Roman had instilled in him—the careful emotional regulation, the strategic thinking that put pack welfare above personal feelings—felt like a straightjacket today.
A memory came unbidden and Thalric clenched his hands into fists at his sides.
Thirty years since Roman had found him wandering the territory, a five-year-old orphan with salt tears on his cheeks and nowhere to go.
Thirty years of being shaped into an Alpha worthy of the Orrivax name, even if it wasn’t his by blood.
Especially because it wasn’t his by blood.
Thalric began to pace, his long strides eating up the space between his desk and the bookshelves lined with Roman’s military treatises and diplomatic texts.
His wolf pressed harder beneath his skin, agitated by the confined space and the weight of memory.
The beast wanted nothing more than to dive into the pink depths of the ocean where instinct could drown out the persistent whisper that had followed him for five years.
You were chosen, but were you meant for this?
Some in the pack had accepted Roman’s decision without question.
They’d watched Thalric grow from a lost child into a capable leader, and had seen him master every lesson Roman offered.
But others... others still watched him with calculating eyes, especially now.
An unmated Alpha approaching his prime, leading them toward what felt increasingly like inevitable war with Graven’s growing fleet of fanatics.
The sea pirates had been a nuisance for months, but their attacks were becoming bolder. More coordinated. And behind it all, was Graven Tideborn—the self-proclaimed prophet who viewed sea wolves as corrupted evolution, false predators polluting waters that belonged to “true” predators like himself.
Roman would have seen the pattern sooner. Would have anticipated Graven’s next move.
The thought struck like a physical blow, and Thalric’s jaw tightened as he forced it away.
Roman was gone. Had been gone for five years, claimed by a wasting illness that no healer could cure, no strategy could outmaneuver.
And now Thalric carried the weight of leadership alone, with a pack that grew more restless by the day and enemies circling like sharks scenting blood in the water.
Which brought him to his latest strategic decision—one that felt both logical and deeply unsettling.
He’d contacted Gerri Wilder three days ago, swallowing his pride long enough to request her services.
A mate would stabilize everything. Give the pack confidence in their Alpha’s commitment to the future.
Provide the emotional anchor that Roman had always said was crucial for long-term leadership.
“An Alpha without a mate is like a ship without an anchor,” Roman had told him once. “You can navigate for a while, but eventually, the storm will push you onto the rocks.”
The problem was, Thalric had never felt the pull toward any female that other Alphas described.
No instant recognition, no overwhelming need to claim and protect.
He’d assumed it would come naturally when the time was right, but time was running out.
His pack needed to see strength, stability, and commitment.
They needed to believe their Alpha was thinking beyond the immediate crisis.
So he’d made the call to Gerri Wilder, the legendary matchmaker whose success rate was apparently flawless. If anyone could find him a suitable mate—someone who could fulfill the political necessity without disrupting his carefully maintained control—it would be her.
The sound of footsteps in the corridor made Thalric straighten, his pacing halting as he schooled his expression back into its usual composed mask.
The door opened without ceremony, and Kaelen stepped inside, his dark eyes immediately assessing Thalric’s posture with the keen attention of someone who’d served as Beta for the past five years.
“You’re wearing a groove in the floor,” Kaelen observed, closing the door behind him. “How are you holding up today?”
“I’m fine.” The response came automatically, polished smooth by years of practice.
Thalric moved to his desk, using the action to put physical distance between himself and his Beta’s too-perceptive gaze.
“Right. And I’m a mermaid.” Kaelen settled into the chair across from the desk without invitation, his casual posture at odds with the sharp intelligence in his brown eyes. “It’s the anniversary of your father’s death. You’re allowed to feel something about it.”
“Feeling something doesn’t change anything.” Thalric’s fingers drummed once against the desktop before he caught the tell and stilled them. “Roman’s gone. The pack needs leadership, not sentiment.”
“The pack needs an Alpha who’s present, not one who’s locked himself away in strategy mode.” Kaelen leaned forward slightly, his voice gentling. “You’ve been different these past few weeks. More... distant than usual.”
Thalric’s storm-grey eyes sharpened, a flicker of warning that would have made most pack members back down. Kaelen, to his credit, didn’t flinch.
“I’ve been focused on the growing threat from Graven’s fleet.
Someone has to be.” Thalric pulled up a holographic display from his desk, tactical information floating in blue light between them.
“Three more merchant vessels attacked this week. The trade routes are becoming unusable, and our patrols are stretched thin.”
“I’ve seen the reports.” Kaelen waved a dismissive hand at the display. “I’ve also seen you avoiding pack gatherings, skipping meals, and spending more time in this office than in your own bed. Whatever strategy you’re cooking up, it won’t work if you collapse from exhaustion.”
“I’m not going to collapse.” But even as he said it, Thalric felt the weight of sleepless nights pressing against his temples. “I’m working on a solution. Something that will address multiple problems at once.”
Kaelen’s eyebrows rose. “Such as?”
“I’ve engaged Gerri Wilder’s services.” The words came out more clipped than Thalric intended. “A mate will provide stability. Give the pack confidence that their Alpha is committed to building a future, not just surviving the present.”