Chapter 14 #2
“It can be overwhelming if you’re not into it.
But honestly? When it’s the right person, it’s kind of amazing.
Having someone who’s that devoted to you, who would literally fight anyone who tried to hurt you, who thinks you’re the most important thing in the world…
” Elise sighed. “It’s like being the center of someone’s entire universe. ”
The center of someone’s universe.
She had never been the center of anyone’s universe.
She’d learned early that attachment only led to disappointment, and built a life where she depended on nothing and no one except her own skills and her computer.
The idea of someone wanting her that intensely, needing her that completely, was terrifying.
It was also, she could admit in the privacy of her own head, incredibly appealing.
“But there’s something else,” Elise said quietly. “Being an Alpha comes with expectations, and traditionally, Alphas mate with female werewolves. Strong ones who can stand beside them, give them heirs, and help lead the pack.”
Her heart sank. “So a human wouldn’t be—”
“I’m not saying it’s impossible! Mixed matings happen. It’s just… rare. And the Moonstone pack is very traditional. The Elders would probably lose their minds if he chose a human mate. There’d be political implications, succession questions, all kinds of drama.”
“Right.” She swallowed past the sudden tightness in her throat. “Of course. That makes sense.”
“Harper, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”
“No, it’s fine. Really.” She forced her voice to stay light, casual. “I wasn’t thinking about mating, anyway. We barely know each other. I was just… curious. About the dynamics.”
“So you’re not interested in him?”
“I’m interested,” she admitted. “But also confused, and frustrated, and maybe a little bit obsessed in a way that’s completely unlike me.”
“That’s the mate bond,” Elise said matter-of-factly.
“The what?”
“The mate bond. It’s what happens when werewolves meet their fated mate—their perfect match, the one person they’re destined to be with. The attraction is immediate and overwhelming. Humans can feel it too, apparently, if they’re matched with a wolf.”
Her brain stuttered. “Are you saying Adrian might be my—”
“I’m saying it’s a possibility, but mate bonds don’t always lead to actual matings. Sometimes wolves resist them, especially if they’re scared or stubborn or have emotional baggage. And sometimes the bond fades over time if it’s not acted on.”
“So it might just be… regular attraction?”
“Human-wolf chemistry is weird. You could just be really into him in a normal, non-fated way.” Elise paused. “How do you feel when you’re around him? Like, physically?”
Harper considered the question seriously. “Like my skin is too tight. Like there’s electricity running through my veins. Like I can’t think straight because part of my brain is just want, want, want on repeat.”
“Yeah, that’s either a mate bond or some seriously intense horniness. Hard to tell the difference sometimes.”
“Helpful.”
“I know,” Elise said sympathetically. “So what are you going to do?”
She stared at her laptop screen, currently displaying a half-finished security analysis she couldn’t care less about.
What was she going to do? Pine pathetically from afar?
Pretend nothing had happened and maintain a professional distance?
That seemed like the sensible option, the responsible option, the option that wouldn’t lead to her getting her heart broken by an emotionally unavailable Alpha werewolf who would almost certainly end up mating with some beautiful, powerful she-wolf.
But she was tired of being sensible.
She’d spent her entire life being sensible. Being careful. Being the smart, dependable girl who never took risks, never reached for things she wanted, never let herself need anyone or anything because need was vulnerability and vulnerability was how you got hurt.
And where had sensible gotten her? Alone in a pack house pining after a male she couldn’t have, already more invested in this stupid assignment than she’d been in anything for years.
Maybe it was time to try something different.
“I think,” she said slowly, “I want to see where this goes. Whatever ‘this’ is.”
“Good for you!” Elise’s enthusiastic response made her smile. “Just… be careful with him. He’s carrying a lot of baggage, and he’s not going to make it easy.”
“When has anything worthwhile ever been easy?” she countered, feeling a spark of her usual defiance returning. “But I need to finish up here. The security breach won’t investigate itself.”
“Call me if you need anything. And I mean anything, Harper. Even if you just want to complain about werewolf idiocy.”
“I will,” she promised, and meant it. “Thanks, Elise.”
After ending the call, she sat for a long moment, staring at the beautiful, ancient forest outside her window. A week ago, this entire situation would have terrified her. A remote pack of werewolves, an Alpha with trust issues, a job with political minefields at every turn.
Now… Now she just felt determined.
She returned to her desk and pulled up the backdoor code, her mind shifting from romantic confusion to analytical focus.
The breach was her entry point into pack security, the leverage she needed to prove her worth beyond Adrian’s support.
If she could trace the breach back to its source, identify who was trying to compromise the pack, she wouldn’t just be the outsider with pink hair and strange ideas about security.
She’d be the person who had saved them.