Chapter 9 Mila
NINE
MILA
The bitter wind whipped across the castle courtyard, making Mila grateful for the luxurious cashmere sweater Cade had provided. The deep blue fabric hugged her curves perfectly, and paired with the black leggings and heavy winter coat, she felt both warm and oddly elegant.
“This is where Cade learned to fight,” Lyra announced, gesturing toward a large training ground bordered by weapon racks and practice targets. “Father started him with wooden swords when he was five. By ten, he could take down wolves twice his size.”
Mila studied the scarred earth, imagining a young Cade learning the deadly arts that would shape his future. The expectations that must have been placed on him from such an early age made her chest tighten with sympathy.
“That seems... intense for a child.”
“Everything about our family is intense,” Lyra said with a rueful laugh. “We don’t really do casual or relaxed. It’s all duty and honor and preparation for the crown.”
As they walked the castle grounds, Mila found herself quietly analyzing the intricate web of relationships she’d observed since arriving last night.
At breakfast, she’d watched the careful dynamic between Cade and his father—love tempered by formality, respect shadowed by unspoken pressures.
King Drake commanded attention effortlessly, even weakened by illness, but there was something in his eyes when he looked at Cade.
Pride, yes, but also a desperate urgency that spoke of time running out.
He’s trying to prepare his son for a crown that’s coming too soon.
And Cade... Mila’s heart clenched as she remembered the tension in his shoulders. The man carried the weight of an entire kingdom on his back, and it showed in every carefully controlled gesture.
“Your brother seems to take his responsibilities very seriously,” she said carefully.
Lyra snorted. “That’s the understatement of the century. Cade takes everything seriously. Sometimes I think he forgot how to laugh freely.”
The affection in Lyra’s voice was unmistakable, but so was the frustration. She clearly loved her brother fiercely, but she also saw what the burden of future kingship was doing to him.
“He wasn’t always like this,” Lyra continued, her voice softening.
“When we were children, before Mother died, he used to laugh all the time. Really laugh, not those polite chuckles he gives. He used to sneak out to explore the mountain paths, collect interesting rocks, and tell me stories about the places we’d visit someday. ”
The image of a carefree young Cade made something twist in Mila’s chest. She could almost see him—still serious because that seemed fundamental to his nature, but lighter somehow. Unburdened by the crushing weight of expectations.
“What changed?” she asked, though she suspected she already knew.
“Mother’s death broke something in Father. He became... harder. More focused on legacy and duty than on actually living. And Cade absorbed all of it like a sponge.” Lyra’s green eyes, so like her brother’s, flashed with old pain.
They paused near a fountain carved from white stone, its water somehow unfrozen despite the frigid air. Mila watched the crystalline streams cascade, thinking about the profound differences between her family and Cade’s.
At least here, they actually talk to each other.
Her father and Riley showed love through work, through providing, and through achieving. Emotions were practical things to be managed and set aside when they interfered with productivity. But here, even with all the formality and duty, she could see genuine care flowing between family members.
This is what family should look like.
The thought came unbidden, followed by a sharp pang of longing.
What would it have been like to grow up in a household where people actually listened to each other? Where intelligence and compassion were valued alongside ambition?
“Mila?”
She looked up to find Lyra watching her with curious eyes.
“Sorry, I was just... processing everything. Your family dynamic is so different from what I’m used to.”
“Different how?”
Mila considered her words carefully. “My family loves each other, but we don’t really... connect. We work together, we accomplish goals together, but we don’t share our hearts much. Here, even with all the protocol and royal expectations, I can see how much you all care about each other.”
Lyra’s expression warmed. “Cade needs someone who sees that. He gets so caught up in being the perfect wolf prince that he forgets he’s allowed to be human too.”
Human. The word carried extra weight in this context. Mila was the human in a world of wolves, the outsider trying to understand customs and instincts that weren’t part of her nature.
As if summoned by her thoughts, a figure emerged from a side entrance to the castle. It was Martin, King Drake’s Beta. Mila had noticed him hovering at the edges of conversations today, his brown eyes constantly assessing, cataloging, and evaluating.
He approached them with measured steps. “Princess Lyra, Miss Eldridge,” he said, nodding respectfully to each of them. “How are you finding Nova Aurora?”
“It’s breathtaking,” Mila replied honestly. “Though I’m still adjusting to everything.”
Martin’s gaze fixed on her with uncomfortable intensity. She couldn’t shake the feeling that he was conducting some kind of test, measuring her responses against criteria she didn’t understand yet.
“And the cold? Humans aren’t naturally equipped for our wolf shifter climate.”
There was something in his tone—not quite challenge, but close to it. Lyra shot him a warning look.
“Martin, don’t be rude.”
“I’m not being rude, Princess. I’m being practical. Miss Eldridge will face scrutiny from pack members, council elders, and neighboring territories. Better she understands the challenges now.”
Scrutiny. The word sent a chill through Mila that had nothing to do with the mountain air. She’d been so focused on her attraction to Cade and the magical nature of his world that she hadn’t fully considered the political implications of her presence here.
If I agree to become Cade’s mate, I would be a human queen in a world of wolves.
God, she didn’t really think about how impossible that would be. Every conversation, every interaction, every smile would be analyzed and judged by people who might already resent her for being different.
“What kind of scrutiny?” she asked, lifting her chin despite the anxiety coiling in her stomach.
Martin’s expression shifted slightly, showing the first hint of approval she’d seen from him.
“Honest question. Good. The pack will want to know if you’re strong enough to stand beside an Alpha wolf.
The council will question your ability to understand our shifter laws and customs. Other territories will test whether you can be intimidated or manipulated. ”
“Martin,” Lyra said sharply, but he held up a hand.
“She needs to know, Lyra. Cade is too caught up in his wolf’s recognition of her to think clearly about the practical challenges ahead.”
“I appreciate your honesty,” Mila said, forcing her voice to remain steady. “What would you recommend I focus on learning?”
This time, Martin’s approval was unmistakable. “Pack hierarchy and customs, council protocol and laws, and the history of the three royal packs and their current political tensions. Plus, combat basics, even if you’ll never be expected to fight.”
The list was daunting, but not impossible. Mila had spent the past eight years absorbing complex legal concepts and political maneuvering at her father’s firm.
This was just a different kind of work environment, right?
“I’m a fast learner,” Mila said.
“You’ll need to be.” Martin’s brown eyes softened slightly. “For what it’s worth, Miss Eldridge, the prince has never shown this much interest in anyone before. His wolf recognizing you as his mate suggests you have qualities that go beyond what we can see on the surface.”
A subtle thrill coursed through Mila at Martin’s words, warming her from the inside out. The knowledge that Cade had never shown this level of interest in anyone before made her heart skip with something she couldn’t quite name—hope, perhaps, or the dangerous flutter of possibility.
His wolf recognizing you as his mate.
The phrase echoed in her mind like a mantra, stirring something deep within her that she’d never felt before. Whatever this connection was between them, it seemed inevitable, like a thread that had been woven through time itself and was only now being pulled taut.
“I want to start learning all of this knowledge,” she said, surprised by the eagerness in her voice. “And begin combat training tomorrow if possible. But right now, I think I need to go to my guest suite and gather my thoughts until dinner, if that’s okay with you, Lyra.”
Lyra’s green eyes softened with understanding. “Of course. I totally get it—this whole situation must be completely daunting for you. We don’t want you to get overwhelmed and decide to leave Nova Aurora before you’ve really given it a chance.”
The casual mention of leaving sent an unexpected pang through Mila’s chest. The thought of walking away from this world—from Cade—already felt impossible, even though she’d only been here for less than twenty-four hours.
What is happening to me?
They headed back inside the castle from the courtyard, their footsteps echoing against the polished stone floors. The warmth enveloped them immediately, carrying with it the subtle scents of pine, leather, and something distinctly wolfish that made Mila’s senses tingle with awareness.
As they walked through the corridors lined with tapestries depicting wolf hunts and celestial scenes, Lyra glanced sideways at her with a mischievous smile.
“You know, I’ve never seen my brother quite so.
.. affected by someone before. He’s usually all duty and control, but with you around, there’s this energy radiating off him.
It’s like watching a carefully contained storm finally find its outlet. ”
Heat crept up Mila’s neck at the observation. She’d felt that same energy—the barely leashed hunger that pulsed beneath his polite exterior and the intensity in his green eyes that made her feel like he could see straight through to her soul.
When they reached her guest suite, Lyra paused at the doorway. “I’ll let you know when dinner is ready. Just relax for now. And hey, I’ll definitely help you train tomorrow.”
“Thank you. I would really love you to teach me everything I need to know,” Mila replied gratefully.
Lyra’s grin turned positively wicked. “I’ll make you the best queen-in-training if that’s what you really want.”
The words hung in the air between them, heavy with implication and possibility. Mila felt her breath catch slightly before she managed to respond.
“I think so.”
After Lyra disappeared down the corridor, Mila closed the door and leaned against it, finally allowing herself to process everything that had happened since arriving on Nova Aurora.
The magnitude of what she was considering—becoming not just Cade’s mate, but a queen in an alien world—crashed over her like a tidal wave.
She moved to the tall windows that dominated one wall of her suite, drawn by the golden glow of the twin suns over the crystalline peaks of the Ice Mountains.
How could someone like me ever be queen of a world so... magnificent?
The thought whispered through her mind, carrying with it all her old insecurities and self-doubt. She pressed her palms against the cool glass, watching her breath fog the surface slightly.
I’m just... ordinary.
But even as the familiar refrain played in her head, a voice that sounded suspiciously like her mother’s stirred inside her, gentle but firm.
You’ve never been ordinary, sweetheart. You just never had the right stage to show your light.
Her thoughts inevitably drifted to Cade—his presence that seemed to fill every space he occupied and the energy she could almost feel even now despite the distance between them.
There was something about him that bypassed all her rational defenses and spoke directly to a part of her she hadn’t known existed until yesterday.
Something primal in me must recognize him too.
But with that recognition came a sobering dose of reality. The idea of being his mate, his future queen, carried responsibilities she could barely fathom. Anxiety mingled with excitement as she contemplated the challenges ahead.
Could I ever live up to the role expected of me? What if I fail?
The questions circled in her mind like vultures, picking at her confidence. And underneath it all lurked the most terrifying possibility of all: If I fail, what would that mean for my connection to Cade? Would I have to leave Nova Aurora? Leave him for good?
The thought of walking away from him now, after feeling this connection, felt like contemplating cutting off a limb.
Outside, the snow shimmered gold under the fading light. Inside, Mila whispered to her own reflection, a quiet promise that sounded like courage.
“I’m not leaving.”