Chapter 10 Korrak
TEN
KORRAK
Korrak’s eyes opened before dawn painted the horizon, his internal clock attuned to the subtle shift in air pressure that preceded the storm’s escalation.
The wind outside had transformed from the steady howl of yesterday into something far more vicious—a full-scale blizzard that would lock down his territory for days.
The kind of weather that hadn’t ravaged Northland Bay in months, though he’d sensed storm season approaching in the restless way the ice shifted under the wind.
Gerri’s timing was too perfect, as always.
The realization settled in his chest with grim certainty.
The matchmaker hadn’t just known Winslet was his mate when she orchestrated this placement—she’d calculated the storm season into her equation.
Not only would his polar bear instincts drive him to protect his fated mate, but the weather itself would become an ally, making it nearly impossible for Bracken to reach her even if Viktor had indeed confirmed her location.
Clever woman. Manipulative as hell, but clever.
He should be furious at the petite woman for being outplayed so expertly, but as Winslet’s warmth pressed against his side, her breathing deep and even in sleep, he found he couldn’t summon genuine anger.
Not when the result was this—his mate safe in his bed, the mate bond thrumming between them like a live wire after last night’s claiming.
His polar bear was still restless though, and Korrak frowned at the sensation.
The beast should be satisfied, sated from finally claiming what belonged to them.
Instead, it paced with an urgency that made his muscles tense.
The claiming had been only the first step, his instincts reminded him.
Not the completion. She wasn’t marked yet, wasn’t fully bound to him in the way that would satisfy the primal demands of his nature.
Tell her the truth, his polar bear demanded. She needs to know what she is to us. Why Gerri really brought her here.
Korrak’s jaw clenched as he studied Winslet’s sleeping face, peaceful in a way he’d never seen before.
The fear that had shadowed her features since her arrival was absent, replaced by something that looked dangerously close to trust. How could he explain that she wasn’t just under his protection—she was his fated mate, the one person in the world designed specifically for him?
That Gerri hadn’t placed her here out of simple convenience, but because the universe itself had marked her as his?
She’ll think I’m insane. Or worse—she’ll think I’m just like him. Possessive. Controlling. Trying to trap her.
The comparison to Bracken sent a violent surge through the mate bond, and Korrak had to consciously steady his breathing to avoid waking her. His protection came from instinct and devotion, not ownership. But would Winslet see the difference?
He moved carefully, intending to slip from the bed and start coffee before she woke, but the moment he moved away from her, the mate bond yanked him back with such force his knees nearly buckled.
His hands gripped the edge of the mattress as the sensation crashed through him—not just physical, but emotional.
Her feelings threaded through his consciousness like a second heartbeat: safety, warmth, and a fragile hope that made his chest tighten.
This is what she’s been missing, he realized, the knowledge hitting him with startling clarity. This sense of being protected without conditions. Of being wanted without strings.
The possessiveness that roared through him was immediate and absolute.
He wanted to give her that permanence, wanted to mark her so thoroughly that no trace of fear would ever touch her again.
His canines elongated slightly at the thought of sinking them into the curve of her shoulder, of completing the bond that would tie them together for life.
But even as his body responded to the primal urge, his rational mind cataloged the complications that were already emerging.
Yes, keeping her close felt right—necessary, even.
But it also would draw immediate attention.
His clan would not only notice their Alpha boarding a human in his sanctuary, but they would scent the change in the air between them.
Kol had already guessed at the mate bond before Korrak had claimed her, and now that her scent was thoroughly mingled with his, there would be no hiding it.
They’ll have questions about a human’s capability to be mated to their Alpha and thriving in their territory.
Concerns about what this means for the future of their clan.
Demands that their Alpha is required per their ancient laws to complete the mate bond and wed their fated mate within a year of discovery.
And if he cannot fulfill that for whatever reason, he will be forced to send her away and live a life of solitude permanently.
The political ramifications alone could destabilize and destroy everything before he even gets the chance to tell Winslet the truth.
And then there was the more immediate danger—Bracken and his associates, who would see Winslet’s attachment to another man as both theft and challenge.
The stakes were impossibly high, and the odds of victory were stacked against him.
Winslet stirred beside him, her hand seeking his warmth across the sheets, and Korrak’s internal debate evaporated. Politics and danger meant nothing compared to the soft trust in her unconscious movement. He caught her searching hand in his, their fingers intertwining naturally.
“Korrak?” Her voice was sleep-roughened and confused. “Is everything alright?”
“Storm’s getting worse,” he said, his thumb tracing across her knuckles. “We’re not going anywhere today.”
She blinked up at him, and he watched awareness return to her green eyes—awareness of where she was, what had happened between them, and the new reality they’d created together.
“Good,” she said simply, and the quiet conviction in her voice made his polar bear growl with satisfaction.
Mine, it whispered, and for once, Korrak didn’t argue.
Korrak rose from the bed with deliberate care. “I’ll get breakfast started,” he said, pulling on his jeans and a thermal shirt.
The domestic routine felt foreign yet oddly natural—another man might have panicked at the intensity of their connection and how fast things were moving, but Korrak found himself adapting with surprising ease.
Winslet stretched beneath the sheets, her dark hair spilling across his pillow, making his polar bear roar with joy. “I want to help,” she said, sitting up and reaching for her discarded clothes. “I’m not completely useless in a kitchen.”
“I never said you were.” He paused in the doorway, watching her dress with an intensity that bordered on territorial. Every movement she made in his space felt like a small claiming, marking his sanctuary as theirs instead of just his.
Once they were in the kitchen, they moved around each other with an ease that shouldn’t have existed between two people who’d known each other for less than a week.
When she reached for the coffee filters at the same moment he moved toward the stove, her hand brushed his forearm, and the contact sent electricity through the mate bond.
She didn’t pull away, and neither did he.
“Eggs?” he asked, already knowing the answer from the way she’d watched him cook the morning after she’d spent her first night here.
“Yes, please.” She measured coffee grounds with the precision of someone accustomed to logistics, her movements efficient despite the unfamiliar kitchen.
The domestic dance unfolded without awkwardness—she anticipated when he needed space at the stove, and he automatically handed her items from higher shelves she couldn’t reach. It was a choreography neither of them had learned, yet both performed flawlessly.
This is what I’ve been missing, Korrak realized as he watched her pour coffee into two mugs, steam rising between them like incense. Not just companionship, but partnership. Someone who fits into the spaces I didn’t even know were empty.
At the dining table, they settled into a comfortable silence punctuated by stolen glances and small smiles.
The storm outside created a cocoon around them, insulating his cabin from the demands of leadership and the complications waiting beyond his walls.
When he reached across the table to capture her fingers in his, she didn’t resist.
“I could get used to this,” she said quietly, her thumb tracing across his knuckles.
“So could I.” The admission came easier than it should have, but with her hand in his, the vulnerability felt like strength instead of weakness. “The storm will keep us locked in for at least another day or two. Gives us time to figure things out.”
Her green eyes searched his face. “What happens when it clears?”
“We deal with whatever comes next. Together.” He squeezed her hand, the promise settling between them like an anchor. “But first, I need to contact Ellie and Kol. Let them know about the new arrangements.”
After breakfast, Korrak retrieved his walkie from the charging station and Winslet soon curled beside him on the couch as he made the necessary calls.
Ellie’s response was predictably knowing—she’d suspected something was developing between them and seemed relieved that Winslet would have additional protection.
Kol’s conversation required more careful navigation.
“Increased patrols during the storm?” Kol’s voice crackled through the static. “That’s unusual, even for you.”
“We had an unwelcome visitor yesterday. I want to make sure he doesn’t return with friends.” Korrak kept his tone level and professional, giving no indication that the threat was personal.
“Copy that. Anything else I should know?”
“The human research assistant will be staying at my cabin for the duration of her assignment. Security purposes.”
A long pause. Then Kol’s dry chuckle. “Security purposes. Right. I’m sure that’s all it is.”
“Kol.”
“Understood, Alpha. I’ll keep the patrols tight.”
When he set the walkie aside, Winslet was looking at him with an expression he couldn’t quite read. “You didn’t tell him about Bracken.”
“My clan doesn’t need to know about external threats unless they become immediate dangers.” The partial truth sat uncomfortably on his tongue, but revealing that his human mate had brought organized crime to their doorstep would create complications he wasn’t ready to handle.
“External threats,” she repeated softly. “Is that what I am?”
Korrak turned to face her fully, his hands framing her face with gentle authority. “You are the furthest thing from a threat. You’re...” He paused, searching for words that wouldn’t reveal too much too soon. “You’re important to me, Winslet.”
The afternoon passed in a haze of growing intimacy—conversations by the fire where she asked about the jagged scar across his ribs, and he found himself sharing stories he’d never told anyone.
The foolish mistake he’d made as a young Alpha, thinking dominance meant aggression, learning the hard way that true leadership required restraint and wisdom.
“I still can’t believe you became Alpha at just seventeen,” she said, tracing the line of his jaw. “That’s so young to inherit that much responsibility.”
“It’s old enough to learn that caring about people makes you vulnerable,” he replied, then caught himself. The words had slipped out without permission, revealing more than he’d intended.
“Is that what you think? That caring about me makes you weak?”
Korrak captured her wandering hand, pressing it flat against his chest where his heart thundered beneath her palm. “I think caring about you makes me dangerous to anyone who might try to hurt you.”
As the night deepened and exhaustion finally clawed at her, he carried her to bed with the reverence of a man handling something precious. When they were both bare beneath his sheets, skin against skin, the mate bond hummed with contentment.
“I don’t know why I’m so tired,” she murmured against his shoulder.
“Because you’re finally safe,” he said, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head. “Your body knows it can rest now.”
Outside, the snow continued to fall, and inside his sanctuary, Korrak held his mate as she drifted into a deep sleep, already planning how he would protect this fragile peace they’d found in each other.