Page 34 of Seas the Day
His jaw tightened involuntarily. “It would disrupt both our lives in ways I can’t fully predict. For me... I would never be satisfied with anyone else. The completed bond doesn’t allow for replacement or substitution. Politically, it could harm my standing with the pack if they perceived it as abandonment or failure on my part.”
She was quiet for a moment, her fingers absently tracing patterns on his chest as she processed everything he’d told her. When she finally spoke, her voice was small but honest.
“That’s... a lot to process. The magnitude of it, the permanence—it’s not something I can take lightly.” She met his eyes again. “I’m not sure I’m ready for that level of intensity or commitment, but I know I want to keep exploring what’s between us.” She paused. “I don’t know exactly how it’s all going to work or when I might be ready to complete the bond. If ever.”
The honesty in her admission both reassured and frustrated him. His wolf wanted guarantees, wanted her commitment sealed in the most primal way possible. But the man in him understood her need for time, for certainty.
“There’s no pressure,” he said, meaning it despite his wolf’s protests. “I’m glad you want to explore what’s between us. For now, that’s enough.”
Before either of them could say more, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed from the hallway. Thalric’s head snapped toward the sound just as his bedroom door burst open without ceremony.
Sylar stood in the doorway, his copper hair disheveled and his blue-gold eyes bright with urgency. When his gaze landed on Navira’s naked form pressed against Thalric’s side beneath the silk sheets, his expression shifted to one of surprised confusion.
“Sorry for interrupting,” Sylar said, though his tone suggested the apology was perfunctory at best. “I didn’t know you had company.”
Thalric sat up, automatically shifting to shield Navira from view. “I didn’t tell you yet, but Navira is my fated mate.”
Sylar’s eyebrows shot up, and for a brief moment, something that looked suspiciously like annoyance flickered across his features. But that expression quickly transformed into something far more urgent.
“Well, that explains a few things,” Sylar said grimly. “But we’ve got bigger problems. Graven and his henchmen hit threeof our ships last night. Word is he’s furious about what happened to Luthira and he’s making it personal.”
Thalric’s blood chilled. “Luthira was close to the estate last night, attacking Navira in the ocean. I had no choice but to protect my mate. I injured her enough to send her retreating.”
“Well, congratulations,” Sylar said, his voice heavy with grim irony. “You just started the war that’s been looming over us for months.”
The implications hit Thalric like an arrow. Everything they’d been preparing for, all the careful strategizing and defensive positioning—it was no longer theoretical. Graven had escalated from raids and harassment to open warfare, and it was because Thalric had protected his mate.
He would make the same choice again without hesitation, but that didn’t make the consequences any less severe.
TWENTY-FOUR
THALRIC
Thalric threw back the covers, getting ready to stand. “Get all the pack enforcers together at the pack hall for an emergency meeting. Now.”
Sylar nodded curtly and turned to leave but paused at the doorway. “How long do you need?”
“Thirty minutes,” Thalric replied, already moving toward his wardrobe.
As Sylar’s footsteps receded, Thalric turned back to Navira, who had sat up and was watching him with clear, determined eyes. The sight of her—tousled and beautiful in his bed, but with steel in her expression—sent a surge of fierce pride through him.
“Looks like your training will have to be accelerated,” he said, pulling clothes from his wardrobe with efficient movements. “The war is here.”
Navira’s chin lifted, and when she spoke, her voice carried the unwavering determination that had most certainly made her an Olympic champion. “I’ll do whatever you need me to do. I want to help your pack defend this territory.”
Despite the gravity of the situation, despite the weight of impending conflict pressing down on them, Thalric felt his chest tighten with overwhelming emotion. Even without acceptinghis mark, even without completing their bond, she was already choosing to stand beside him. She was choosing his people, his fight, his world. His mate was already proving herself worthy of the Luna title in every way that mattered.
Thirty minutes later, the pack hall thrummed with restless energy as Thalric pushed through the heavy oak doors, Navira’s presence at his side both a comfort and a complication. Fifty of his finest enforcers filled the space—warriors who had sworn their lives to protect the territory, now gathered because their Alpha had been forced to escalate a conflict that had been simmering for months.
The sight that greeted him should have been reassuring. These were the wolves who had trained under his leadership for five years, who had followed him through diplomatic negotiations and territorial disputes with unwavering loyalty. But as his eyes swept across their faces, he caught the subtle signs of tension that made his wolf pace restlessly.
Whispered conversations died as he approached the front of the hall, but not before he caught fragments that made his jaw tighten.
...attacked his mate......triggered this war......incomplete bond...
The last phrase hit Thalric like a dagger between the ribs. They could sense it—the incomplete nature of his bond with Navira. In a shifter culture where mated pairs radiated a specific energy signature once fully claimed, the absence of that completion would be glaringly obvious to his pack. It wasn’t just that he hadn’t publicly announced their mating; it was that every wolf in this room could instinctively tell their Alpha hadn’t sealed the bond that would cement his political stability.
Perfect. As if I didn’t have enough to prove already.
