POV: Darius
She hadn't touched her dinner.
I stood in the doorway of Elara's room, studying the untouched tray that Luna had returned to the kitchen with disappointment written across her features. The food had gone cold hours ago, but the defiance it represented was still warm.
Most humans would have eaten by now. Hunger, fear and the basic survival instinct to maintain strength would have overridden any concerns about drugs or poison. But not my little lamb. She was still fighting, still refusing to accept her situation.
"Good morning," I said, stepping into the room.
Elara sat curled in the window seat, still wearing yesterday's clothes. Her dark hair was mussed from sleep and there were shadows under her eyes that suggested she hadn't rested well. But her gaze was sharp, alert and filled with a stubbornness that made my wolf pace with anticipation.
"Let me guess," she said, not bothering with pleasantries. "You're here to gloat about your successful kidnapping?"
"I'm here to escort you to breakfast." I gestured toward the door. "Unless you prefer to continue your hunger strike?"
She uncurled from the window seat with fluid grace, as I found myself appreciating the way her jeans hugged her curves. She was smaller than the women I usually preferred—more delicate, more breakable. But there was nothing fragile about the fire in her eyes or the steel in her spine.
"And if I refuse?"
"Then I'll carry you." I let my gaze travel deliberately down her body and back up. "Though I suspect you'd find that undignified."
Color flooded her cheeks, but she lifted her chin in that gesture of defiance I was beginning to recognize as purely hers. "You really think you can just keep me here indefinitely? People will notice I'm missing."
"Will they?" I stepped closer, backing her against the window. "You live alone in a studio apartment. No close family, few friends. You interview for jobs but never quite commit to staying in one place. Tell me, Elara—who exactly will come looking for you?"
The hurt that flashed across her face was quickly hidden, but I'd seen it. And felt an unexpected twist of... regret? Impossible. I was stating facts, not making judgments.
"You've been watching me," she said quietly.
"I had you investigated after your interview yesterday. Standard procedure." The lie came easily. In truth, I'd known precious little about her until Marcus's team had compiled a dossier in record time. But she didn't need to know that her mere presence had prompted such focused attention.
"Standard procedure for what? Making job offers? Or kidnapping?"
I smiled, and saw her shiver at the expression. "Both, apparently."
For a moment, we simply stared at each other. She was close enough that I could see the gold flecks in her brown eyes, could smell that intoxicating scent of roses and rain that made my blood heat. Close enough to touch, to taste, to—
"I need coffee," she said abruptly, breaking the spell.
"Then you'll join me for breakfast."
It wasn't a question, and we both knew it. After a moment, she nodded stiffly.
"Fine. But I want answers."
"I'm sure you do."
I led her through the corridors toward the breakfast room, noting how she catalogued every turn, every exit, every potential escape route. Clever girl. But the estate was designed to confuse intruders and she'd need at least weeks to map it properly. Weeks I had no intention of giving her.
The breakfast room was one of my favorite spaces—all windows and warm wood, with a view of the gardens where morning light danced through ancient oaks. Luna had already set the table with my usual fare: black coffee, fresh fruit, and the kind of protein-heavy breakfast that satisfied both human and wolf appetites.
Elara took the seat across from me, her movements careful and controlled. She was still afraid—I could smell it on her—but she was managing it, using it instead of being used by it. Impressive.
"Eat," I said, pouring coffee into her cup.
"Not until you tell me what this is about." She wrapped her hands around the cup but didn't drink. "What you want from me."
"What makes you think I want anything?"
"Men like you don't kidnap women for fun. There's always an agenda."
Men like me. If only she knew.
"Perhaps I simply found you... intriguing."
"Intriguing enough to commit felonies?" She leaned forward, and I caught another wave of that maddening scent. "I may not know much about corporate law, but I'm pretty sure holding someone against their will violates a few basic principles."
"Laws are written by humans, for humans," I said carefully. "They don't always apply to situations like this."
Her eyes narrowed. "Situations like what, exactly?"
I could tell her. Could lay out the truth about lycanthropes and territories, about prophecies and ancient bloodlines, about the supernatural world that existed alongside her mundane human reality. But truth was a weapon that could cut both ways, and I wasn't ready to arm her with it. Not yet.
"Drink your coffee, Elara."
"Stop trying to control me."
"I'm not trying." I met her gaze steadily. "I am controlling you. There's a difference."
The cup rattled against the saucer as she set it down hard. "You arrogant—"
"Careful." The word came out sharper than intended, carrying enough dominance to make her freeze mid-sentence. "You're angry, and you have every right to be. But choosing your words wisely would be... prudent."
For a moment, I thought she might explode. Might finally give in to the emotions she'd been holding in check since yesterday. Instead, she took a deep breath and smiled—a expression that was all teeth and no warmth.
"Of course. Wouldn't want to upset my gracious host."
The sarcasm was thick enough to cut with a knife, but I found myself appreciating her spirit. Lesser women would have dissolved into tears or hysteria by now. But not my little lamb. She adapted, regrouped, and came back swinging.
"Tell me about the job," she said, changing tactics. "The real reason you hired me."
"You interviewed well. Your credentials are impressive."
"My credentials are adequate at best, and we both know it. So why?"
Because you walked through psychological barriers that should have turned you away. Because my wolf recognized you before my mind even processed your existence. Because ancient prophecies don't leave much room for coincidence.
"Because you were in the right place at the right time," I said instead.
"And where exactly is this place? What is this estate?"
"My home."
"Your home, your company, your territory." She was putting pieces together, and I could see the moment understanding dawned. "You're not just wealthy, are you? You're something else entirely."
Too perceptive by half. I'd need to be more careful.
"I'm a businessman, Elara. Nothing more complicated than that."
"Businessmen don't usually have armed guards patrolling their gardens. Or staff members who look at them like they're gods walking among mortals."
She'd noticed more than I'd given her credit for. The security presence, the deference of the household staff, the way even Marcus tempered his advice with respect born of fear. All things that marked me as more than human to those who knew how to look.
"Perhaps you're overthinking—"
"And perhaps you're lying." She leaned back in her chair, studying me with those sharp eyes. "What aren't you telling me?"
Everything. The truth about what I was, what she might be, what her presence here could mean for both our species. The prophecy that had haunted my family for generations. The dreams that had been growing stronger, more vivid, centered around storm-gray eyes that matched hers perfectly.
But truth was dangerous, and this situation was delicate enough without adding supernatural revelations to the mix.
"I'm telling you what you need to know," I said. "For now, that's enough."
"For now?" Her voice rose slightly. "How long exactly do you plan to keep me here?"
The honest answer was forever. The moment she'd stepped onto my territory, my wolf had claimed her as mine. But honesty wasn't always wise, especially not with humans who didn't understand the nature of supernatural bonds.
"As long as necessary."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only answer you're getting."
We stared at each other across the table, and I could see her weighing her options. Fight or flight, submission or rebellion. In the end, she surprised me by doing neither.
Instead, she picked up her fork and took a bite of fruit.
"Fine," she said, chewing thoughtfully. "But I want my phone back. And access to news, internet, something to prove the outside world still exists."
"No."
"Then I stop eating again."
The threat was delivered calmly, matter-of-factly, but I could see the determination behind it. She meant it. Would starve herself out of spite if I pushed too hard too fast.
Stubborn, impossible, magnificent creature.
"You'll have supervised access to news," I conceded. "But no communication with the outside world. Not yet."
"When?"
"When I decide you're ready."
She nodded as if she'd expected that answer. "And my job? The one you supposedly hired me for?"
"You'll start Monday. Luna will show you to the office wing after breakfast."
"Office wing?" Her eyebrows rose. "Just how big is this place?"
Big enough to house a pack of twenty, with room for guests and the kind of security infrastructure that kept supernatural secrets safe. But again, honesty wasn't wise.
"Big enough," I said.
She finished her fruit in silence, and I found myself watching the way her lips closed around the fork, the delicate movement of her throat as she swallowed. Everything about her was designed to drive me to distraction, and I was beginning to suspect that wasn't entirely accidental.
The prophecy mentioned a female who would change everything. It hadn't mentioned that she would be a constant test of my self-control.
"I have meetings this morning," I said, rising from the table. "Luna will see to your needs."
"Of course she will." Elara looked up at me, and I caught something calculating in her expression. "This has been... illuminating."
"Has it?"
"Oh yes. I'm beginning to understand the situation much better now."
The way she said it sent warning bells through my mind. But before I could question her further, Marcus appeared in the doorway, his expression grim.
"Sir? The council representatives have arrived. They're waiting in your office."
Damn. I'd hoped to have more time before they came sniffing around, drawn by whatever supernatural disturbance Elara's presence had caused. But the supernatural world moved quickly when prophecies were involved, and my claiming of an unknown female would have set off alarm bells from here to the East Coast.
"I'll be right there." I looked back at Elara, who was watching this exchange with obvious interest. "Remember what I said about choosing your words wisely. It applies to actions as well."
Her smile was innocent as morning sunshine and twice as dangerous. "Of course. I'll be the perfect guest."
That smile followed me out of the room and down the corridor, a reminder that I'd just made a crucial mistake. I'd underestimated her. Again.
And something told me I was going to pay for that error sooner rather than later.