Chapter 6 Cade
SIX
CADE
Cade prowled through the guest suite where Mila would be staying and inspected every detail for the third time in an hour. The dark jeans and white henley he’d changed into felt more comfortable than his formal suit jacket and slacks, but nothing could ease the restless energy coursing through him.
She’d actually said yes to coming to Nova Aurora.
The thought sent another wave of anticipation through his chest, followed immediately by a spike of anxiety. What exactly did “test it out” mean? The phrase had been circling his mind since they left Earth, and he still couldn’t decipher whether it was promising or ominous.
“Her new wardrobe arrived an hour ago,” Martin, Ice Moon’s Beta, called from the doorway, his arms crossed as he watched Cade adjust the already-perfect arrangement of fresh flowers on the nightstand. “Three of each piece of clothing she could ever want, just like you requested.”
“Good.” Cade moved to the floor-to-ceiling windows, checking that the view showcased the best angle of the aurora-lit mountains. “Did you get her shoe size from Gerri?”
“Size seven, and yes, the boots, heels, and casual shoes are all in the closet.” Martin’s tone carried that familiar note of gentle exasperation.
Cade’s jaw tightened. “I just want her to feel welcome.”
“By drowning her in designer Nova Aurora fashion?” Martin stepped into the room, his sandy brown hair catching the moonlight streaming through the windows. “Cade, you’ve never done this for anyone.”
Because no one has ever mattered like this.
His wolf paced restlessly, remembering the electricity in Mila’s touch, and the way her blue eyes had darkened when they’d first met. That sweet scent of her still lingered in his memory, making his chest tighten with want.
“She’s different,” Cade said simply, but the words carried the weight of absolute certainty.
Martin’s expression grew serious. “Different enough to upend everything? Because that’s what bringing a human mate here means, and you know it.”
The reminder hit like ice water. Cade turned from the windows, his eyes flashing with alpha authority that made Martin straighten instinctively.
“The pack reports,” Cade said, changing the subject with the force of a command. “What’s the current mood?”
Martin’s shoulders relaxed slightly, but his gaze remained watchful. “Nervous. Half of them are questioning whether you can fill your father’s position, and the other half are worried about what happens if you can’t.”
The words stung, but Cade had expected them. His father had ruled with absolute authority for thirty-five years, earning respect through strength and strategic brilliance. Following that legacy felt like trying to step into the footprints of a giant.
“And what do you think?” Cade asked, his voice deceptively calm.
Martin’s loyalty had never wavered, but he’d also never been afraid to speak truth to power. “I think you’re twice as smart as your father and half as patient with politics. You’ll be a different kind of leader, but not a lesser one.”
“The pack won’t see it that way, especially if I officially claim a human mate.” Cade resumed pacing, his restless energy finding no outlet. “They’ll see weakness.”
“Some will,” Martin agreed. “Others will see strength in choosing love over convenience.”
The word ‘love’ made Cade’s wolf surge forward. Too soon. Too dangerous to think that way.
“It’s not about love,” he lied. “It’s about survival. I need a mate to claim the High Sovereign position, and Gerri found one. Simple as that.”
Martin’s knowing look called out the falsehood, but he didn’t press. Instead, he moved to stand beside Cade at the windows, both of them gazing out at the mountain peaks that had shaped their lives.
“You know what your real concern is?” Martin’s tone was carefully neutral. “It’s not whether she can handle our world. It’s whether you can handle having her in it.”
The observation hit its target with surgical precision.
Cade’s hands clenched into fists at his sides as memories of their Earth brunch flashed through his mind—Mila’s intelligence as she’d discussed her work, the spark of humor when she’d teased him about his embarrassing childhood stories, and the way her cheeks had flushed when he’d complimented her smile.
I wanted her. Right there in that human café, surrounded by witnesses, I wanted to pull her against me and claim her mouth until she forgot everything but me.
The intensity of his reaction to her had been staggering. He’d spent thirty years maintaining perfect control, and one five-foot-seven human with golden hair and curious eyes had nearly shattered his composure in mere hours.
“Because she’s human,” he said finally, the words scraping against his throat. “Gentle. Breakable. What if I can’t control myself around her?”
Martin turned to study his friend’s profile, noting the tension in Cade’s jaw and the way his hands trembled almost imperceptibly.
“When was the last time you lost control with anyone?” Martin asked.
“Never,” Cade admitted. “But I’ve never felt like this before. Like I could lose myself completely.”
The confession hung between them, raw and vulnerable in a way that Cade rarely allowed himself to be. His wolf clawed at his restraint, wanting to break free and claim what belonged to him, while his human side fought to maintain the discipline that had defined his entire life.
A distant sound made both men freeze—the faint hum of a wormhole activation echoing across the mountain peaks.
Cade’s head snapped up, his enhanced senses immediately detecting something that made his pulse race and his wolf surge to attention. Even from miles away, carried on the crisp mountain air, he caught the faintest trace of a scent that stopped his breath.
Mila.
“She’s here,” he breathed, his voice thick with an emotion he couldn’t name.
Martin’s eyebrows rose. “You can sense her from this distance?”
But Cade was no longer listening. His wolf had taken control of his senses, every nerve ending alive with the knowledge that his mate was finally within reach.
The careful preparations, the security reports, the political concerns—everything faded into background noise as primal instinct roared to life.
His muscles coiled with the need to shift, to run through the crystal-blue snow and find her, to eliminate the distance between them with raw speed and desperate want.
“Cade.” Martin’s voice carried a warning note. “Remember what we discussed. Control.”
The word hit like a physical slap, forcing Cade to drag in a shuddering breath and fight back the transformation that threatened to overwhelm him. His eyes burned with golden fire as his wolf raged against the restraint, demanding immediate action.
Patience, he told himself, though every instinct screamed otherwise. Don’t scare her. Don’t overwhelm her. Don’t lose this before it begins.
But beneath the desperate self-control, anticipation hummed like electricity through his veins. She was here.
Twenty minutes felt like hours as Cade paced the castle’s grand foyer, adjusting the lighting and smoothing nonexistent wrinkles from his henley. Every few seconds, his enhanced hearing caught the distant approach of footsteps on the stone pathway leading to the castle’s entrance.
Control yourself. She’s here to test this out, not to be overwhelmed by a wolf who can’t manage basic restraint.
Suddenly, the massive oak doors opened with a resonant thud that echoed through the grand foyer. Gerri’s cheerful voice carried through the entrance first, followed by a softer feminine laugh that sent a jolt straight through Cade’s chest.
Then Mila stepped into view, and every thought in his head scattered like leaves in a windstorm.
She’d changed from her Earth business attire into dark jeans that hugged her curves and a cream sweater that skimmed her breasts in ways that made his mouth go dry.
A heavy winter jacket hung open over her shoulders, revealing the graceful line of her neck and the way her golden hair caught the warm light from the crystal chandeliers overhead.
His wolf surged with such force that Cade had to lock his muscles to keep from shifting on the spot.
Mine.
“Your castle is absolutely breathtaking,” Mila said, her blue eyes wide as she took in the soaring ceilings and intricate stone carvings that adorned the walls.
“I’ve never seen anything like it. The way the moonlight streams through those tall windows, and the crystals embedded in the stone—it’s like something from a fairy tale. ”
Her voice carried that same nervous energy he’d noticed at their Earth brunch—the rapid pace of someone trying to fill silence before anxiety could creep in. But beneath it, he caught genuine wonder, and the combination made something in his chest loosen and expand simultaneously.
“And the mountains on the way here,” she continued, gesturing with animated hands, “I couldn’t believe the blue snow.
Gerri tried to explain it but seeing it in person is completely different.
Does it always shimmer like that? And those auroras—are they visible every night?
On Earth, you can only see them in certain places, but here they seem to dance across the entire sky. ”
Cade stepped forward, his movement smooth and deliberate despite the chaos in him. Mila’s gaze found his, and that electric shock of recognition passed between them—stronger now, more intense than it had been on Earth.
“They’re most visible during autumn months,” he managed, his voice roughened. “The twin moons create stronger magnetic fields this time of year.”
Her smile brightened, and he felt his composure slip another notch. “Right. The twin moons. I keep forgetting that detail. It’s all so incredible.”
Without thinking, he moved closer, close enough to have her intoxicating scent envelop him completely. His hands reached out instinctively as she began to shrug out of the heavy winter coat.
“Allow me,” he said, his fingers brushing hers as he helped slide the jacket from her shoulders.
The contact was brief, barely a whisper of skin against skin, but it sent heat racing through his veins like wildfire. Her breath caught audibly, and when he looked down at her, he saw her pupils dilate.
She feels it too. The recognition.
“Thank you,” she breathed, her voice softer now, more intimate despite Gerri’s presence just a few feet away.
The jacket felt impossibly light in his hands as he hung it on the ornate coat rack near the entrance, but his wolf was hyperaware of her warmth still clinging to the fabric.
“How was the travel?” he asked, forcing himself to step back to a respectable distance. “The wormhole can be disorienting for first-time users.”
Mila’s face lit up with excitement, chasing away some of the nervous tension.
“It was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.
Gerri warned me it might feel strange, but it was actually magical.
Like floating through liquid starlight.” She paused, biting her lower lip in a way that made his wolf want to howl.
“Is that how it always feels, or was I just lucky?”
“The sensation varies,” he replied. “Some find it unsettling. I’m glad your experience was pleasant.”
Gerri stepped between them with a knowing smile. “Mila’s been such a wonderful sport about all this,” she announced, her tone carrying warm approval. “Not everyone would be brave enough to travel to an alien planet, but our girl here has adventure in her blood.”
Pride flared in Cade’s chest at the compliment to Mila, followed immediately by a possessive surge that made his jaw clench. Our girl. The phrase sat wrong, even coming from Gerri. Mila wasn’t theirs—she was his. The certainty of it pulsed through their fledgling mate bond like a drumbeat.
“I have to admit,” Mila said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear in a gesture that was both nervous and endearing, “I’m still processing everything. Your world is so beautiful, but so different from Earth. I keep expecting to wake up and find out this was all an elaborate dream.”
“You’re not dreaming,” Cade said firmly. The certainty in his tone made her eyes widen slightly, and he forced himself to soften his expression. “Though I understand the feeling. Nova Aurora can be overwhelming for outsiders.”
The fragile mate bond between them hummed with her nervous energy, and he could sense her trying to project confidence while battling uncertainty beneath the surface. Everything in him wanted to step closer, to offer comfort and reassurance, but he held himself back.
Gerri clapped her hands together with satisfaction. “Well, I can see you two are going to get along just fine,” she announced. “Mila, dear, you must be exhausted after such a long day. I should let Cade show you to your room so you can rest.”
She moved toward the entrance with her characteristic efficiency, pausing for just a moment. “You’re going to do wonderfully here,” she murmured to Mila, just loud enough for Cade to hear. “Trust your instincts.”
Then she was gone, leaving them alone in the grand foyer with only the soft illumination of crystal chandeliers and the distant sound of wind through mountain peaks.
Cade’s wolf immediately surged against his restraint, recognizing the opportunity and demanding action.
Finally alone with her. Take her to your chambers. Forget the guest suite.
But when he looked closer at Mila, he saw the exhaustion Gerri had mentioned. Her fingers twisted together in front of her, and she was standing just a bit too straight, like someone on the verge of collapsing.
His protective instincts flared alongside his desire, creating a war between what his wolf wanted and what she needed.
“Gerri’s right. You must be tired,” he said finally, his voice gentler than before. “It’s been a long day, and the difference between our worlds can be jarring. Let me show you to your guest suite.”