Rylan's Perspective
The council chamber was uncomfortably still, a stark contrast to the chaos roiling inside me.
Ella sat across the large oak table, her body tense yet her chin held high in that defiant way I recognized too well. Her warm, distinctly human scent brushed against my senses like a provoking challenge.
Since the incident at the border, she hadn't said a word to me. Each moment of her silence felt like a heavy burden weighing me down.
The council members droned on about patrol schedules, alliances, and the growing threat posed by the Crescent Claw Pack… but my attention remained fixed on her.
Her fingers tapped once against the table's surface. Controlled. Precise. Too composed.
Finally, our eyes locked. She didn't look away.
That alone infuriated me more than it should have.
"Alpha Wolfe," Elder Kael interrupted, pulling me back into the conversation. "Your Luna has brought up a valid point. Perhaps you should consider…"
"My Luna can speak directly to me," I cut in.
Ella briefly froze before slowly turning her gaze toward me. There it was again. The quiet fire. The defiance.
"Fine," she said coolly. "Your patrol strategy leaves the eastern border exposed at night. If the Crescent Claws are planning something, that's precisely where they'll strike."
The atmosphere in the room shifted, attention shifting between us.
I leaned back in my chair. "You've been here for, what, two days? And you believe you know my territory better than I do?"
Her eyes narrowed slightly. "I didn't claim to know it better. I merely pointed out something you missed."
A murmur spread through the council members.
Frustration, admiration, and something else I was reluctant to face sparked within me.
"Dismissed," I ordered abruptly.
Chairs scraped against the floor. The elders hurriedly exited.
Ella remained seated.
Good.
Because I had more to say to her.
"You seem keen to defy me," I remarked once the door was closed.
She adjusted her posture. "I'm not defying you. I'm trying to help."
"By undermining me in front of my council?"
Her jaw tightened. "You invited me to take on the role of Luna. I can't fulfill that role if I ignore threats to this pack. To your people."
Her voice softened at the end, and I hated how it affected me.
For a moment, neither of us broke eye contact.
The air thickened with tension, a charge both familiar and unsettling.
I forced myself to look away first. "Get ready. We leave in an hour."
"Where are we going?"
"To the eastern border. If you believe it's a threat, you're coming with me to assess the situation."
She stiffened but conceded with a nod.
Good. Let her maintain that fire. I'd prefer her anger over her silence.
Ella's Perspective
I couldn't breathe properly until I was outside the council chamber.
Rylan Wolfe was maddening.
Arrogant. Distant. Quick to anger.
Yet… somehow unwavering in a manner that both comforted and frightened me.
The instant our eyes met earlier, something sharp coursed through me. Something I couldn't comprehend, didn't want, yet couldn't disregard.
I exhaled, rubbing my arms as I headed to my room. I needed to change quickly if he was taking me to the border.
A knock interrupted me at the door.
Mara, the head house attendant, smiled gently. "Luna… the Alpha asked me to bring something for your journey."
She handed me a fitted dark jacket lined with light armor.
"It's not too heavy," she said quietly. "But it will keep you safe."
Safe.
He moved around the vehicle and ignited the engine. The sound of gravel crunching beneath the tires resonated as we left the camping site and ventured into the forest.
An awkward silence hung between us, thick and tense.
After a moment, he softly remarked, "If you ever feel uneasy, just tell me."
It wasn't an order.
It felt more like… concern.
I looked at him. "Rylan…"
"Ella," he interrupted, keeping his attention on the road, "just do it. Please."
Please.
That word surprised me more than anything else today.
The Alpha King seldom requests.
He usually issues commands.
Yet here he was, a bit exposed, cautious, revealing a truth he probably wished he hadn't.
I turned my gaze to the outside, my heart pounding.
Maybe he wasn't just infuriating.
Maybe he was complex.
And maybe, just maybe…
That made everything even more dangerous.
That word hadn't been familiar to me for a while.
However, once I donned the jacket, it fit my form perfectly. Almost too perfectly.
As if it had been crafted for me long before this instance.
I dismissed the thought.
When I exited, Rylan was already at the jeep, arms crossed, his expression difficult to read.
He examined me slowly, his gaze evaluating.
"Good," he commented. "At least you sometimes follow orders."
I shot him a glare. To my surprise, he gave a slight smirk.
Just a small one, but enough to make my stomach flutter unexpectedly.
He opened the passenger door for me.
The act took us both by surprise.
His hand hovered near the handle as if he instantly regretted his decision.
I got into my seat without uttering a word.