Page 25 of Seas the Day
The thought was no longer a political calculation. It was a primal, desperate truth. The kiss had proven the bond inevitability, but this… this display of her innate leadership proved the deeper, more terrifying compatibility. She was the missing piece in the life he’d built, the one that would turn a well-ordered structure into a true home.
But she was putting a professional distance between them. He could feel the deliberate wall she’d erected after pulling away from him in the ocean. Winning her wouldn’t be a battle of dominance. It would be a campaign of patience, of proof. And it would be the hardest fight of his life.
As the session wound down, his warriors hauling themselves from the pool with a new kind of exhausted respect, a plan crystallized in his mind. Simple. Direct. A strategic opening move to win back her trust.
The pack filtered out, following Kaelen and Sylar toward the locker rooms with muttered conversations about lactic acid and stroke tempo. Soon, the vast pool area was quiet, the only sounds the drip of water as Navira toweled off her hair. She stood alone, her back to him, the lines of her shoulders etched with fatigue and satisfaction.
Thalric rose from the bench and crossed the space, his own movements silent on the wet tile. He stopped a few feet away, giving her space, asserting his presence without crowding.
“That,” he said, his voice a low rumble that echoed slightly in the cavernous room, “was a lesson in command.”
She turned, her blue eyes meeting his. A flicker of surprise and maybe a spark of pleasure at his praise crossed her features, then the careful guard slid back into place. “They’re incredible athletes with raw power. My job is just to give it a sharper edge.”
“You did more than that.” He took a step closer, his gaze holding hers. He let his adNaviration show, pure and unguarded. “You saw their strength and potential and immediately knew how to forge it into a new kind of weapon. It was remarkable to witness.”
A faint pink flush colored her neck. “Thank you.”
He paused, the moment stretching. His wolf urged him to reach out, to bridge the gap. But he kept his hands at his sides. “We missed dinner last night. I’d like to rectify that.”
Her brows drew together slightly, the “no” already forming on her lips.
“No pressure,” he continued smoothly, before she could voice it. “No hidden agenda. Consider it a proper welcome to Nova Aurora. A celebration of a first training session that was far more than just successful.” The corners of his mouth lifted, the ghost of the smile he’d shared with her in the ocean. “I know a place in town. The food is spectacular. The view… lets you see the territory you’re helping to defend.”
He watched the war play out on her expressive face. Resistance, then curiosity, then a softening of the tension around her eyes. The mate bond pulled between them, a silent, persuasive current.
“Why not,” she finally said, the words a quiet surrender that sent a bolt of pure triumph through him. “I would like to see more of it.”
Thalric mastered the surge of victory, keeping his tone even and his posture relaxed. “Perfect. I’ll come by your suite at seven.”
He turned, leading the way out before he did something foolish like pull her into his arms. The walk to the sleek vehicle was made in a charged silence, the air between them now humming with a new, tentative possibility.
The strategy unfolded in his mind. Dinner was the first step. But to win her fully, he knew with a dread that was somehow exhilarating, he would have to do the one thing he’d spent a lifetime avoiding. He would have to let Navira see the man behind the Alpha.
SEVENTEEN
NAVIRA
The silence of Navira’s suite felt like a physical presence after the roar of the training facility. She leaned back against the cool wood of her door and closed her eyes, the day’s energy still buzzing in her veins like a live current. The image of twenty powerful sea wolf shifters, warriors who could tear her apart in seconds, hanging on her every word and following her drills with ferocious focus—it replayed behind her eyelids.
A laugh, breathless and incredulous, escaped her. It was better than the podium. The gold medals had been a testament to her own solitary drive, a beautiful, cold weight. But this coaching job… it was exhilarating beyond measure. She’d wielded their raw, predatory strength and shaped it into something sharper, more lethal.
This was the missing piece.
Not just coaching, but purpose. Not just winning races, but forging a defense. The hollow ache that had lived in her chest for five years was gone, filled with a fiery, terrifying certainty. This was what she was built for.
But then the euphoria crashed against a cold, sobering wall.
One month.
She only had a month of this. The thought was a punch to the gut. How could she possibly return to timed laps and pep talks for college girls after this? How could she go back to a life that now seemed like a faded version of her real self?
And there was him.
Thalric had watched respectfully from the shadows during her training session, his eyes missing nothing. He’d given her his warriors, then stepped back and let her command them. The praise in his low voice afterward had warmed her more than any victory ever had. Then he’d issued a dinner invitation that felt like a peace offering, not a demand. He was maintaining the line she’d drawn, even as the impossible pull between them threatened to erase it.
That was the worst part. The void she felt when he wasn’t near. The unsettling rightness that settled in her bones when he was, even across a crowded pool deck. It wasn’t just attraction; it was alignment.
Stop. This is a logistical and emotional nightmare. He’s an alien Alpha on another planet. You have a life on Earth. He’ll break your heart. He’ll have to.
