Chapter 11
ELEVEN
MILA
The royal car’s interior felt smaller on the return journey.
The silence between them was thick with unspoken promises and barely restrained desire.
Mila pressed herself against the leather seat, hyperaware of every breath Cade took beside her and every subtle shift of his powerful frame.
The wine from dinner had left her pleasantly warm and her inhibitions were softened around the edges.
He went through all that trouble for me.
The thought kept circling through her mind, sweet and disbelieving. The reserved restaurant, the perfect lighting, the way he’d listened to every word she said as if she were sharing state secrets instead of memories. No man had ever made her feel so... treasured.
So much for emotional distance.
The resolution she’d made last night—to keep things controlled, to make his life easier by staying detached—crumbled like ancient parchment.
How could she maintain her walls when he’d spent the entire evening dismantling them with gentle questions and that devastating smile?
Through the tinted windows, the Ice Mountains blurred past in crystalline peaks and shadow.
The twin moons hung low in the aurora-streaked sky, their pull strange and magnetic in her chest. She’d felt that same inexplicable tug since arriving on Nova Aurora, as if something deep in her bones recognized this alien world.
“Thank you,” she said softly, breaking the charged silence. “For tonight. For... everything you’ve done for me.”
Cade’s hands were clenched in his lap, his knuckles white with tension. “You don’t need to thank me.”
“Yes, I do.” She turned toward him, noting the rigid line of his jaw, and the way his green eyes seemed to glow in the car’s dim lighting. “I’ve never been treated like that before. Like I was someone worth spoiling.”
His head snapped toward her, something fierce and protective flashing across his features. “Any man who didn’t see your worth was a fool.”
The raw honesty in his deep voice made her heart beat faster. This was the real Cade—not the controlled prince, but the man beneath the crown. The one who’d told her stories about his mother, and who’d reserved an entire restaurant just to see her smile without judgment from curious eyes.
I’m falling for him, she realized with startling clarity. Hard and fast.
The car pulled up to the castle’s main entrance, and Martin appeared instantly to open their door. The Beta’s expression remained professionally neutral, but Mila caught the knowing look he shot Cade as the prince helped her from the backseat.
Cade’s hand on her back burned through the thin fabric of her cardigan as he guided her up the stone steps. The castle felt different now—not intimidating, but expectant, as if the very walls were holding their breath.
They walked through the grand corridors in loaded silence, their footsteps echoing in the vaulted spaces. Tapestries depicting ancient wolves watched them pass, and Mila wondered if those painted eyes could sense the electric tension crackling between them.
By the time they reached her guest suite, her heart was hammering so hard she was sure he could hear it. She turned to face him in the shadowed alcove outside her door, looking up into those intense green eyes.
“Thank you for letting me see the real you tonight,” she whispered, the words feeling inadequate but necessary.
Something shifted in his expression—his control wavering and the careful mask slipping. His wolf was there now, just beneath the surface, wild and wanting. She could practically feel the predator’s heat radiating from his skin.
“Mila...” Her name was a rough growl, part warning, part plea.
Neither of them moved to break the spell. The air between them shimmered with possibility. She was drowning in the intensity of his gaze, and in the way he looked at her like she was something miraculous he’d found in the wilderness.
Then he stepped closer with one fluid, deliberate movement that closed the distance between them.
“Cade,” she breathed, and it sounded like surrender.
The kiss was sudden and consuming. Not gentle or tentative, but desperate—a collision of souls who’d been circling each other for lifetimes without knowing it.
His mouth moved against hers with primal hunger, one large hand tangling in her hair while the other pressed against the small of her back, pulling her flush against his hard body.
This, her mind sang as she melted into him. This is what I’ve been waiting for my entire life.
He kissed her like he was claiming her, making sure she understood exactly what she meant to him. She responded with equal fervor, her hands fisting in his suit jacket, holding on for dear life.
Just as the kiss deepened, just as she felt herself losing all sense of reason, he tore himself away with a low, tortured growl. His eyes were glowing now—literally glowing with supernatural light—and his chest heaved as if he’d been running.
Confusion and longing crashed through her in equal measure. “Cade?”
“I can’t,” he forced out, his voice rough with restraint. “Not like this. Not yet.”
Before she could respond, before she could ask what he meant or beg him to stay, he was disappearing down the corridor, leaving only the lingering scent of pine and desire in his wake.
Mila stood frozen outside her door, her lips still tingling from his kiss and her body humming with unfulfilled need. Every instinct screamed at her to chase after him, to demand he explain what “not yet” meant, to throw caution to the wind and follow him to his chambers.
Instead, she fumbled for her door handle with shaking hands, practically throwing herself inside her guest suite before she could do something truly reckless.
Focus, she commanded herself as she leaned against the closed door, heart still racing. Tomorrow you start training. Tomorrow you learn what it really means to be part of this world.
But her traitorous body had other ideas. She could still feel the imprint of his hands on her skin and still taste him on her lips. The black dress that had felt so elegant during dinner now felt constrictive.
With jerky movements, she peeled off the cardigan, then the dress, letting them pool on the stone floor. The matching lace bra and panties followed, discarded without ceremony as she made her way to the massive bathroom on unsteady legs.
The shower controls were thankfully intuitive. She twisted the temperature to the coldest setting and stepped under the spray with a sharp gasp, letting the icy water shock her overheated system back to reality.
Get it together, Mila, she ordered herself as the cold water sluiced over her flushed skin. You’re here to learn about his world, and to see if you can really step into this life. Not to get completely consumed by the only man who’s ever made you feel truly desired.
But even as she stood under the punishing spray, she knew it was too late for that kind of rational thinking. She was already consumed, already falling, already lost to the magnetic pull of the wolf prince who’d kissed her like his life depended on it.
Tonight, she would dream of green eyes and desperate kisses and the promise of something extraordinary just within reach.
The rhythmic knocking the next morning dragged Mila from dreams that made her cheeks burn with remembered heat. Cade’s hands and his mouth—
“Mila! Rise and shine, future queen!”
Lyra’s cheerful voice cut through the fantasy like a blade. Mila groaned, burying her face in the silk pillows that still smelled faintly of pine.
Impeccable timing, she thought ruefully as the knocking intensified.
“I know you’re awake in there. I can practically hear you thinking about my brother.”
Mila’s eyes snapped open. Heat flooded her face as she stumbled to the door, still wearing the silky slip from the night before. When she cracked it open, Lyra’s knowing grin made her want to disappear into the floor.
“Good morning, sunshine. Sleep well? Dream of anyone in particular?”
“Lyra...” Mila’s voice came out as a croak.
“Relax, I’m not here to interrogate you about whatever earth-shattering kiss happened last night.” Lyra pushed past her into the suite with boundless energy. “Though Martin did mention Cade looked like he’d been struck by lightning when he returned to his chambers.”
Panic fluttered in Mila’s chest before Lyra waved a dismissive hand.
“Don’t worry about all that right now. We have bigger priorities than your romantic endeavors. It’s now time for your crash course in being a wolf shifter queen.”
Mila blinked, still trying to process the whirlwind that was Princess Lyra at dawn. “I thought we were taking things slowly—“
“Slowly?” Lyra laughed, the sound bright and infectious. “Honey, my brother doesn’t have time for slowly. Neither do you. Now get dressed in something comfortable—we’re covering everything from pack hierarchy to ceremonial traditions to light combat training.”
Combat training? Mila’s stomach lurched.
“I can see that panic in your eyes. We’ll start easy, I promise. But if you’re going to be Cade’s mate, you need to understand our world completely. No stone unturned, no tradition unexplored.”
Twenty minutes later, Mila found herself following Lyra through corridors she hadn’t seen before, dressed in fitted leggings and a soft t-shirt from her mysteriously perfect wardrobe. Her hair was pulled back in a practical ponytail, and her body hummed with nervous energy.
“First stop—the archives,” Lyra announced, pushing open massive oak doors. “History lesson before anything else.”
The library took Mila’s breath away. Vaulted ceilings soared overhead, painted with constellations that seemed to shift and move in the morning light. Ancient books lined shelves that stretched impossibly high, and the air smelled of leather, parchment, and something indefinably wild.
“This is impressive,” Mila whispered, running her fingers along leather-bound spines. “How old are these texts?”
“Some date back to the original packs, before the great migration.” Lyra pulled a heavy tome from a nearby shelf. “This one details the founding of the Ice Moon pack and our bloodline.”
As Lyra opened the book, something electric shot through Mila’s veins. The pages seemed to glow with their own inner light, and the ancient script looked almost... familiar.
That’s impossible. She’d never seen these symbols before, yet somehow her mind translated them effortlessly.
“The Ice Moon pack has always been blessed with strong mate bonds,” Lyra read, her finger tracing the elegant text. “Our wolves recognize their destined partners through an ancient magic that transcends species and time.”
Mila’s pulse quickened. “What do you mean, transcends species?”
Lyra’s green eyes sparkled with mischief. “Oh, you have a rare gift. Most humans can’t even read these texts without training, but you’re following along perfectly.”
“Yes, strangely I can read it,” Mila said slowly, the realization hitting her like a freight train. “I shouldn’t be able to, but I can.”
“Must be a natural ability with wolf shifter language,” Lyra murmured, watching Mila carefully. “It’s like you were born for this world.”
They spent the next hour diving deeper into the archives, and with each book Lyra opened, Mila felt more connected to something ancient and powerful.
Stories of humans who lived alongside wolf packs long ago, protecting their secrets and serving as bridges between the human and shifter worlds.
The Lunar Veil—an ancient bloodline of humans who could commune with shifters.
“Here,” Lyra said suddenly, pulling out a slim volume bound in midnight blue leather. “This might interest you. It’s about the humans who aided the packs during the great migration.”
Mila opened the book, and her world fundamentally shifted. There, written in the same glowing script, was a name she recognized. Celeste Aylward. Her mother’s maiden name had been Aylward.
“Lyra,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “This woman... Celeste Aylward. She was...”
“One of the most revered human guardians in pack history,” Lyra finished, leaning over to read.
“She helped establish the first fragile alliances between humans and shifters. Her bloodline was said to carry the moon’s blessing, making them natural protectors and.
..” Lyra’s eyes widened. “Aylward. That’s your mother’s family name, isn’t it? ”
Mila nodded, unable to speak. The text beneath Celeste’s name blurred as tears gathered in her eyes.
Wow, my maternal line historically lived among wolf shifters.
“This explains everything,” Lyra breathed. “The way Cade’s wolf recognized you instantly, how comfortable you feel here, your ability to read our texts. You’re not just any human, Mila. You’re our legacy.”
The revelation crashed over her in fierce waves.
All her life, she’d felt like she was searching for something, some missing piece of herself.
The strange pull she’d always felt toward the moon, the dreams of running through forests she’d never seen, and the inexplicable connection to Cade that had ignited the moment they met.
“I’m descended from wolf guardians,” she whispered, testing the words. They felt right, like coming home after a lifetime of wandering aimlessly.
“Not just any guardians,” Lyra corrected, her voice filled with awe. “The Aylward line was legendary. They were the bridge between our two worlds, the ones who could make true unity possible.”
This is why I’m here. The thought settled into her bones with perfect certainty. This is why I couldn’t say no to Gerri’s impossible offer. This is why Cade makes me feel complete.
“Does this change things?” Mila asked, looking up at Lyra with new understanding burning in her chest. “Knowing what I am?”
Lyra’s grin was radiant. “Change things? Mila, this makes everything perfect. You’re not just meant to be Cade’s mate—you’re meant to be our queen. The Ice Moon pack has been waiting centuries for another Aylward guardian.”
“And Cade? Does he know?”
“I don’t think so, but his wolf does. Wolves always know their destinies, even when their human sides are too stubborn to listen.” Lyra closed the book gently. “This is your legacy too, Mila. Your birthright. The question is—are you ready to claim it?”
Looking around the ancient library and feeling the rush of recognition flowing through her veins, Mila knew her answer. She was more than ready. She was finally where she belonged.