Chapter 14
FOURTEEN
NAVIRA
Five years of emotional armor had worked just fine. Five years of independence and self-protection had kept her heart intact. She wasn’t about to throw that away for a man who lived on another planet, no matter how perfect his kisses were or how right it felt to swim beside him.
Wrapping the towel around herself like armor, Navira ran toward the estate without looking back, even as every instinct screamed at her to turn around and claim what that kiss had promised.
Navira soon burst through the estate’s doors, her bare feet slapping against marble floors as she fled deeper into the sanctuary of stone.
Her heart hammered as she navigated the maze of corridors, past oil paintings of stern-faced sea wolves and tapestries depicting ocean battles.
Every step carried her further from that devastating kiss, but the taste of him still lingered on her lips.
She finally reached her guest suite and slammed the door with enough force to rattle the frame. Pressing her back against the solid wood, she slid down until she hit the floor, her breathing ragged and uncontrolled.
I can’t believe I just lost myself in the ocean like that. Damn mate bond.
The mate bond—that’s what he called the electric current that had pulled them together like magnets.
She’d felt it the moment she’d walked into his office this morning, that inexplicable tug that made her want to step closer when every rational thought screamed to maintain distance.
But in the pink depths of Nova Aurora’s ocean, she’d surrendered to it completely.
And God, was it perfect.
The memory of his mouth moving against hers with such reverent hunger made her stomach flip. She’d never been kissed like that—like she was something precious and wild and necessary all at once. Jeremy had never kissed her with that kind of desperate worship.
But that was exactly the problem.
Navira peeled herself off the floor and shed her damp blue bikini, the fabric hitting the marble with a wet slap.
She grabbed an oversized t-shirt from her wardrobe—soft cotton that smelled like home and safety—and pulled it over her head like armor.
The familiar weight of it should have grounded her, but her pulse still raced with the aftershocks of desire.
My heart cannot afford this.
She’d come here to coach. Well, she’d been brought here under false pretenses to be a coach when really she was Thalric’s mate.
But he’d convinced her to stay and train his pack.
That was her job here. Her purpose. Not falling for the man, no matter how perfectly he fit against her in the water or how his storm-grey eyes seemed to see straight through to her soul.
The four-poster bed dominated the bedroom section of the suite, its emerald silk canopy and plush mattress looking impossibly inviting.
Navira dove under the covers and pulled them over her head—a childish gesture she’d perfected at five years old when the world became too overwhelming to face.
The familiar darkness cocooned her, muffling the sound of her thundering heartbeat.
Her rational mind cataloged all the reasons this was impossible: she was leaving in a month, she lived on Earth, she’d sworn off romance after Jeremy, she couldn’t survive another heartbreak.
But her traitorous heart whispered different arguments—the way Thalric had looked at her like she was a Naviracle, the rightness of swimming beside his wolf form, the electric promise in his kiss that suggested this could be something extraordinary.
No. She squeezed her eyes shut tighter. I’m not getting my heart broken again.
Within minutes, the exhaustion hit her like a tidal wave. Between the emotional upheaval, the wormhole travel, and the most intense swim of her life, her body finally surrendered. She fell into a deep, dreamless sleep that felt like being cradled by the ocean itself.
“Miss Navira? Time to wake up.”
Alira’s melodic voice cut through the fog of sleep like sunlight through water.
Navira surfaced slowly, blinking against the bright morning light streaming through the windows.
The estate attendant stood beside the bed holding a silver tray that made Navira’s stomach growl with sudden, fierce hunger.
“What time is it?” Navira’s voice came out rough with sleep as she struggled to sit up.
“It’s already the next morning.” Alira’s silver-blue eyes sparkled with gentle amusement as she set the tray on the sitting area’s marble table. “You slept twelve hours, straight through dinner.”
“Twelve hours?” Navira stared in disbelief. She’d expected to toss and turn all night, replaying that kiss until she drove herself mad. Instead, she’d slept deeper than she had in years. “That’s impossible.”
“Nova Aurora has restorative properties.” Alira smoothed her elegant sea-green dress and smiled. “The planet helps heal what’s been broken for too long. Now hurry—eat your breakfast and get ready. Kaelen and Sylar are already waiting for you to begin the pack training.”
Navira’s stomach clenched as the scents of exotic spices and perfectly cooked protein reached her. “Tell them I’ll be down in fifteen minutes.”
“Will do. I’m glad you at least got a good night’s sleep.” Alira headed for the door with her characteristic grace.
Alone again, Navira practically lunged for the breakfast tray.
The food was extraordinary—some kind of flaky fish with herbs she couldn’t identify, fruits that tasted like sunshine and ocean spray, and bread still warm from the oven.
She devoured every bite in five minutes flat, her body craving fuel with an intensity that surprised her.
What is wrong with me? First I sleep twelve hours, now I’m eating like I haven’t seen food in weeks.
But even as she questioned it, she felt something settling inside her—a restless energy that had plagued her for five years finally finding some peace. Nova Aurora wasn’t just healing her sleep and appetite. It was awakening parts of herself she’d thought were gone forever.
She dressed quickly in a practical black swimsuit, threw on shorts, slipped on some sandals, and grabbed a towel. Time to focus on work. Time to prove she belonged here as a coach, not as anyone’s mate.
Five minutes later, Navira strode down the marble staircase with newfound confidence. Two men waited near the entrance—one with dark hair and sharp brown eyes, the other a redhead built like a Viking warrior. Both radiated the controlled power she was beginning to associate with sea wolves.
Then Thalric stepped out from behind a pillar, and her breath caught.
He wore simple dark clothing that somehow made him look more dangerous than his formal Alpha attire. His storm-grey eyes met hers with a piercing intensity that made her knees wobble, but his expression remained carefully neutral. Professional. As if that earth-shattering kiss had never happened.
Good, she told herself firmly. That’s exactly how this needs to be.
“Navira.” His voice was rougher than usual, like he’d spent the night fighting his own demons. “These are my Beta, Kaelen Veyras, and my head enforcer, Sylar Tsdeken. They’ll assist with your training.”
She shook hands with both men, noting Kaelen’s calculating assessment and Sylar’s barely contained skepticism. They didn’t trust her yet—fair enough. She’d have to earn her place here through results, not destiny.
“I look forward to working with you both in the ocean.”
“Great. But we’re not going to the ocean today.” Kaelen’s tone was matter-of-fact as he led them toward a waiting vehicle. “We have a pool facility in town that’s more secure.”
Navira’s heart sank. “Why not the ocean?”
“More pirate activity.” Sylar’s blue-gold eyes scanned their surroundings with warrior vigilance. “The ocean isn’t safe right now.”
Just great. Now I can’t even train where I feel most alive.
Thalric must have sensed her frustration as they climbed into the sleek vehicle—him in the passenger seat, her in the back with Sylar while Kaelen drove.
“It’s just a precaution,” Thalric said, his voice carefully controlled. “For now.”
She crossed her arms, not trusting herself to speak. Being this close to him made the mate bond hum with renewed intensity, threatening to unravel her carefully constructed resolve.
“Will you be attending all the training sessions?” The question slipped out, though she tried to keep her tone neutral.
Thalric’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. “Just this one. To ensure everything goes smoothly and the pack understands your role here.”
Good, she thought, even as something inside her protested. Distance is exactly what I need.
“I’ll give you space to work after today,” he added, and she caught something that might’ve been regret flickering across his features.
She nodded, staring out the window at Nova Aurora’s alien landscape. Maintaining distance from Thalric should be simple. Professional. Easy.
But as the mate bond continued to pulse between them in the confined space, Navira suspected that staying away from him might be the hardest thing she’d ever attempted.