Chapter 3
ALARA
The walk back to Nightbriar felt longer than it ever had, even though we were on a familiar path carved into the side of the mountain. Caelan kept himself glued to my side, silent and vibrating with tension.
Behind us, four males surrounded Booker in a loose but unmistakably restrictive formation, ensuring he didn’t get close to me.
“Hold on a second,” I murmured before darting to the side to snag my dress from the tree I’d left it hanging from earlier.
A growl rumbled up my brother’s throat as I stepped into the soft cotton and slid it on under Booker’s shirt. A second one followed from my mate when I went to remove the oversized shirt so I could give it back to him.
“Keep it.”
I wasn’t thrilled about the female members of our chain seeing him bare-chested, but my lynx purred at the idea of wearing something that smelled like him. “Okay.”
Even with the distance between us, I felt Booker. His presence tugged at me with every step, a steady pulse beneath my ribs that was as constant as breathing. I’d never felt anything like it before.
I risked a glance over my shoulder. Booker walked with the kind of restrained power that made it impossible to look away. It wasn’t just the mate pull that made me feel that way.
At six foot four, he was taller than any lynx shifter I’d ever seen, with broad shoulders and a muscular chest. His dark brown hair was shaggy, falling into his eyes in a way that made him look both wild and devastatingly handsome.
They were blue with a ring of gold flickering at the edges, and his jaw was shadowed with scruff.
I’d never cared about a man’s looks before, but one glance at Booker sent heat rolling over my body.
Desire was finally more than just a word to me.
I was experiencing it firsthand, and I didn’t want to lose the feeling.
To miss out on a lifetime of passion just because my brother was overprotective and our chain didn’t like outsiders.
The cliff we called home finally appeared through the trees. Usually, the sight eased something inside me. Today, I wanted to grab Booker’s hand and run far away together.
Caelan must’ve sensed my urge to flee because he gripped my elbow and lengthened his stride, guiding me inside.
“We’ll sort this out,” he murmured, low enough only I heard.
My inner lynx bared her teeth at him, uncaring that he was my alpha. As far as she was concerned, there wasn’t anything to sort out because Booker was my mate.
Caelan stopped in front of a rarely used guest room reserved for the occasional visiting alpha or representative from another chain. He turned to his men. “Put him here. Keep two guards posted at all times.”
One of the men opened the door, and Booker stepped forward. For an impossibly short moment, his gaze met mine, then the door slid shut between us.
My lynx howled in protest, and I reminded her that he was still in our territory. He’d refused to be run off.
“Let’s talk.”
I couldn’t just obey. For the first time in my life, I refused to swallow my feelings and defer to my brother as alpha. Not when every instinct inside me screamed that the man behind that door wasn’t a threat. Mates didn’t hurt each other.
Caelan’s shoulders were tight, and his jaw was rigid. He was holding himself together by sheer force of will. “Come.”
I followed him through the winding corridors until he opened the door to our family chamber—one of the only places where we had absolute privacy.
He shut the door behind us and turned, every muscle coiled. “You should not have been alone out there.”
The accusation was fair, but I had no regrets about breaking the rule, since I wouldn’t have met Booker otherwise. “And you have no right to lock up my mate.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling a rough breath. “You don’t know him, Alara. Wolves don’t understand our ways. They don’t live by our values. They don’t—”
“Those are all just excuses.” I stepped forward, refusing to let him retreat into alpha authority where feelings didn’t have to be acknowledged.
“They’re not excuses. They’re reasons,” he insisted.
His lynx flashed in his eyes, but I only sensed fear for me coming off him. It softened something in my chest, but it didn’t change my stance. “Fate chose him for me. You don’t get to send him away because it makes you uncomfortable.”
Caelan’s gaze hardened. “Mates must strengthen the chain, Alara. Not divide it.”
“Then trust me not to shatter it.”
He flinched. Barely, but I caught it.
Silence stretched before he spoke again, his voice low and unguarded. “When our parents died, something in me broke. Suddenly, I was alpha, with a whole host of responsibilities. I swore nothing else would slip through my fingers. Especially not you.”
My chest tightened, and I stepped a fraction closer. “I’m not them. And Booker isn’t dangerous. We never would have been tied together if he were.”
“Maybe.” He looked away, a muscle in his jaw ticking. “But I won’t risk you without something more concrete.”
“So you’re keeping him locked up?” I challenged, heat rising under my skin as my lynx pushed me to make him understand. “That’s almost worse than sending him away. I can feel him, Caelan. Every second. He’s right there, and I can’t just ignore that.”
Caelan’s expression wavered, heartbreak flickering at the edges. “If he’s truly your mate, he won’t break from a little restraint.”
“If,” I hissed, planting my fists on my hips. “You may not have found your fated mate yet, but you know exactly why I have no doubt who Booker Redmond is to me. And I’m pretty sure you don’t want me to say it out loud.”
He grimaced at the reminder that his baby sister was experiencing desire for the first time. “This is the only compromise I can offer until I decide on our next steps. For your safety and the chain’s stability.”
I didn’t bow my head and accept his decision like I normally would. Instead, I turned on my heel and stormed away, fury burning hot beneath my skin. But resolve burned hotter.
This wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.
The hallway outside the guest chamber was quieter than before. Two guards stood rigidly on either side of Booker’s door, their expressions blank in the way that meant they were working very hard not to look curious.
As I approached, a soft rumble drifted from behind the wood. A low growl that vibrated with pure longing, tugging at something deep inside me.
My lynx prowled under my skin, restless and frustrated, pressing me toward him while the guards shifted uneasily.
“I’m just passing through,” I murmured.
My feet carried me down the corridor before my brother could reappear and herd me somewhere safe. The walls felt like they were shrinking again, each step making my chest tighter in my lungs. I pushed through one of the side doors into the open courtyard.
The fresh air helped a little, but I still felt him.
A sudden flicker of movement from above caught my eye. Booker stepped into view in one of the higher windows. Our gazes collided through the glass, and I froze.
The guard near the corner of the building bristled, tension spiking until Booker stepped back into the shadows again. We hadn’t said a word, but I somehow knew he wasn’t fighting back because of me.
My breath shuddered out, and I turned away before anyone could read too much in my expression. I wished my brother understood that fate wasn’t something you could lock behind a guarded door.
I moved toward the edge of the courtyard, my fingers brushing the stone wall as I whispered, “I’m not going to let anyone keep me from my mate.”
The truth settled inside me with startling clarity. A faint tremor ran along my spine, and the hairs along my arms lifted.
I needed to figure out what to do because I wasn’t sure how long I’d last being kept away from my fated mate.