Chapter 2
POV: Amara
I gave him a stiff nod. “Thank you for your hospitality, Alpha.”
His expression didn’t change.
But those impossible blue eyes followed me the entire way out of the room. Beta Leon gave me a nod before staying to talk to Riven.
The second the doors closed behind us, I exhaled sharply.
God.
“What was that?” I muttered under my breath.
Lyra laughed softly beside me as we walked down the long corridor. “I was wondering the same thing.”
I glanced at her. “Is he always like that?”
“Cold?” she asked.
“Yes.”
She hummed thoughtfully. “Riven has never exactly been warm. Especially with strangers.”
Somehow that didn’t make me feel better.
Because it hadn’t felt like simple coldness in there.
It had felt… personal.
“He usually hides it better,” Lyra admitted after a moment.
I frowned slightly. “That’s comforting.”
A grin pulled at her lips. “Don’t take it to heart. My brother was practically born forty years old.”
That startled a laugh out of me before I could stop it.
The tension inside me loosened a little more as we descended the large staircase toward the lower levels of the packhouse.
“And since I officially stole you from the Beta’s schedule,” Lyra continued, “I can either show you your rooms… or I can show you the laboratories.”
My head snapped toward her immediately.
“The labs.”
Her grin widened. “I had a feeling you’d say that.”
By the time we reached the research wing, the strange heat beneath my skin had dulled into a faint simmer instead of the overwhelming pressure I’d felt upstairs.
Weird.
I almost mentioned it.
Almost told Lyra that standing near Riven Oak had made my entire body feel like it was malfunctioning.
But the thought sounded ridiculous the second it formed.
Stress, I told myself firmly.
Travel.
New territory.
That was all.
Still…
As Lyra opened the doors leading toward the silver laboratories, I couldn’t stop remembering the look in Riven Oak’s eyes when he’d stared at me.
Or the way his fist had clenched like he was holding himself back from something.
The laboratories were bigger than my entire university department back home.
I genuinely stopped walking when Lyra pushed the glass doors open.
Rows of advanced refinement equipment stretched across the massive room, silver filtration systems humming softly beneath bright overhead lights. Digital monitors covered entire walls while workers in dark uniforms moved efficiently between stations carrying mineral samples and data tablets.
My mouth actually fell open.
“Oh my God.”
Lyra laughed beside me. “That’s usually the reaction.”
I barely heard her.
I moved farther inside automatically, my eyes scanning the machinery with growing disbelief.
They had triple-stage purification chambers.
Actual industrial molecular separators.
And—
“No way,” I whispered, stepping closer to one of the systems. “Is that a thermal stabilization unit?”
“Imported last winter,” Lyra confirmed.
I turned toward her so fast my braid swung over my shoulder. “Do you have any idea how expensive those are?”
Her grin widened. “Apparently my brother does.”
I stared at the equipment another second before laughing softly under my breath.
This place was insane.
Back home, I spent half my time improvising solutions because we lacked proper resources. Here?
Here they had technology I’d only read about in research journals.
For the first time since arriving at Oak territory, excitement overpowered my anxiety completely.
I walked deeper into the laboratory slowly, almost reverently.
“This is incredible.”
“You’ll have full access while you’re here,” Lyra said. “The Alpha approved it personally.”
That surprised me enough to glance back at her.
Approved it personally?
For someone who clearly didn’t want me here, Riven Oak was apparently willing to hand me millions worth of equipment access.
Confusing man.
Very confusing man.
Lyra showed me through the rest of the research wing before leading me farther down the corridor.
“That’s the medical sector,” she explained, gesturing toward another set of secured doors. “I oversee most of the hospital operations here.”
The faint scent of antiseptic drifted through the hall.
“If you need absolutely anything while you’re in Oak territory,” she continued gently, “you come to me first. Understood?”
Something warm settled in my chest.
“I appreciate that.”
Her expression softened. “You’re far from home, Amara. Someone should at least pretend to take care of you.”
I smiled despite myself.
I liked Lyra already.
A lot.
The further she guided me through the territory, the more impossible it became not to feel overwhelmed.
Oak Pack wasn’t just wealthy.
It was powerful.
Everywhere I looked, wolves moved with purpose and confidence. Training grounds stretched across entire fields while military vehicles lined secured compounds near the eastern walls.
Even the hospital was larger than some territorial capitals I’d visited.
And then we reached the mines.
My heart nearly stopped.
Massive steel structures carved directly into the mountainside towered above us while transport systems carried raw silver ore between processing sectors. Workers moved in organized groups beneath giant floodlights as machinery thundered in the distance.
It was beautiful.
Not in the traditional sense.
But to me?
This was art.
Innovation.
Progress.
Possibility.
“You must be Doctor Vale.”
I turned at the sound of the voice.
A broad man with dark blond hair approached us wearing heavy mining gear and a warm smile.
“Michael Hayes,” he introduced himself, offering his hand immediately. “Head of mining operations.”
I shook it quickly. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted this partnership finalized,” he admitted.
I blinked in surprise.
Michael laughed at my expression. “I’ve read your work on silver stabilization ratios. Your theories about heat resistance during weapon forging?” He shook his head. “Brilliant.”
Heat rushed unexpectedly into my cheeks.
“Oh.”
“I’m serious,” he continued enthusiastically. “You solved problems we’ve been struggling with for years.”
That… honestly meant more than I expected.
Most wolves saw silver as weapons and little else.
Very few people respected the science behind it.
“You’ve already changed the field,” Michael said. “Having you here is huge for us.”
I smiled for real this time.
Not polite.
Not forced.
Real.
“Well,” I said lightly, glancing back toward the massive mining sectors, “I was planning to spend today settling in, but tomorrow I’d love a full walkthrough.”
“You’ll have it,” Michael promised immediately.
Lyra smirked beside me. “Congratulations. You officially have another scientist obsessed with you.”
Michael looked entirely unapologetic. “Absolutely.”
I laughed softly.
And for the first time since entering Oak territory…
I started feeling like maybe coming here had been the right decision.
?By the time Lyra finally showed me my rooms, exhaustion had started settling into my bones.
The guest suite alone was nearly the size of my apartment back home.
Large windows overlooked the forests surrounding Oak territory while dark oak furniture filled the elegant space with the same ancient richness as the rest of the packhouse.
“This wing is quieter than the others,” Lyra explained as I set my bags near the bed. “Less traffic. Easier to work.”
“Thank you,” I said sincerely.
She leaned lightly against the doorway. “There’s a private training area behind the western gardens too. Running trails, if you prefer outdoors.”
That immediately caught my attention.
Maybe exercise would help.
Because despite how incredible the day had been…
My body still felt wrong.
Too warm.
Too aware.
Like something restless had settled beneath my skin and refused to quiet.
Stress, I reminded myself again.
Travel stress.
Nothing else.
“I might actually take advantage of that,” I admitted.
Lyra smiled knowingly. “Thought you might.”
After she left, I unpacked slowly, organizing my notebooks, research files, and equipment with practiced precision.
Routine usually calmed me.
Tonight?
Not so much.
The strange pressure low in my stomach returned while I folded clothes into drawers.
Annoying.
Restless.
My pulse kept speeding up for no reason at all.
By the time I finished unpacking, I needed movement before I lost my mind.
So I changed quickly into black running leggings and a fitted long-sleeve shirt before pulling my hair into a high braid.
The evening air outside felt cool against my overheated skin.
Better.
At least a little.
The running trails curved through the outer sections of the territory beneath towering oak trees wrapped in golden lights. Guards stood stationed throughout the pathways exactly like Lyra promised, but the farther I ran, the quieter everything became.
The movement helped.
At first.
My lungs expanded easier while tension slowly loosened from my muscles.
But then—
That heat returned.
Harder this time.
I slowed slightly, pressing a hand against my lower stomach as warmth spread sharply through my body.
What the hell was wrong with me today?
My heartbeat accelerated again.
Too fast.
Too heavy.
I pushed farther down the trail, trying to ignore it.
Then suddenly—
A scent hit me.
Cold rain.
Smoke.
Forest.
Male.
My steps faltered instantly.
Oh no.
A large figure emerged from the darker section of the trail ahead.
Riven Oak.
Of course.
Because apparently the universe hated me.
He wore dark athletic clothes this time, the sleeves pushed to his forearms while sweat lightly dampened the collar of his shirt.
And somehow that looked even worse.
Or better.
Definitely worse for me.
His eyes landed on me immediately.
The same impossible blue.
Sharp.
Controlled.
Dangerous.
And just like earlier, my body reacted before my brain did.
Heat flooded through me so suddenly I nearly stumbled.
God.
I stopped a few feet away from him, trying very hard not to visibly malfunction.
“You run too?” I asked before realizing how stupid that sounded.
Brilliant, Amara.
Absolute genius.
One dark eyebrow lifted slightly.
“I do.”
Right.
Of course he did.
Silence stretched between us.
The pressure low in my stomach tightened painfully while his scent wrapped around me like smoke.
Something about him made my wolf restless in ways I couldn’t understand.
I forced myself to smile politely despite it.
“The trails are beautiful.”
“They’re safe.”
Not exactly conversational.
I shifted awkwardly. “Your sister recommended them.”
At the mention of Lyra, something unreadable flickered briefly across his face.
Then his gaze dropped lower.
Not intentionally.
Like instinct.
Toward my throat.
My waist.
My legs.
Heat exploded through my bloodstream.
His jaw tightened instantly afterward.
And there it was again—
That strange tension inside him.
Like he was forcing himself to stay perfectly still.
“I should continue my run,” he said abruptly.
Cold.
Controlled.
Dismissive.
The rejection irritated me far more than it should have.
“Right,” I replied tightly. “Wouldn’t want to interrupt your evening, Alpha.”
His eyes snapped back to mine at my tone.
For one dangerous second, neither of us moved.
Then his hand curled slowly into a fist at his side.
And without another word, he stepped around me and disappeared farther down the trail.
Leaving me standing there breathless.
Confused.
And burning alive from the inside out.
By the time I returned to my rooms, the strange pressure inside my body had become unbearable.
I stripped out of my damp clothes immediately before stepping beneath the cold spray of the shower.
It helped.
Barely.
The water slid down overheated skin while I pressed both hands against the tiled wall, breathing slowly.
My body felt… sensitive.
Wrong.
Aching in ways I didn’t understand.
My mind betrayed me briefly with the memory of Riven’s voice.
His eyes.
The way he’d looked at my body before dragging his attention away like it physically hurt him.
Heat curled low in my stomach again.
Instinctively, my hand brushed lower—
Then I froze.
What was I doing?
I jerked my hand away immediately, horrified with myself.
This was ridiculous.
I wasn’t some hormonal teenager.
I was stressed.
Overworked.
Exhausted from travel.
That was all.
By the time I dressed for dinner, my skin still felt too warm.
And standing outside the dining hall doors, one horrifying realization suddenly hit me.
Riven Oak was probably inside waiting.