Chapter Three – 2026
The coffee shop became my refuge. At first, I told myself it was just for caffeine, just for routine. But by the third morning, I knew the truth: I was going there for him.
Kael was always at the same table by the window, a newspaper folded neatly beside his cup. He had a way of looking up at me as if he'd been waiting, though he never said it outright.
"Back again?" he teased lightly, sliding me a spare packet of sugar.
I smirked. "You're here more than I am."
"Maybe I like the company," he said simply.
Our conversations stretched longer each day. We spoke about books, childhood memories, the city's shifting skyline. Kael never pressed, but his questions carried weight, as if he wanted to understand me beyond the surface.
When I mentioned Elias, his expression softened. "He sounds like a remarkable kid."
"He is," I said, pride warming my voice.
Kael nodded. "You're doing well. Even if you don't always feel it."
Something in his tone made me believe him.
By the end of the week, our conversations spilled into the day.
Kael: Surviving the office chaos?Selene: Barely. The copier hates me.Kael: Maybe it's jealous. Machines sense strength too.
I laughed at my desk, earning a curious glance from Marcy.
Later that afternoon, another message buzzed.
Kael: What's your escape when work gets too heavy?Selene: Elias. Always Elias.Kael: Then he's your anchor. Everyone needs one.
His words lingered with me long after I put my phone down.
That night, when Elias was asleep, my phone buzzed again.
Kael: You don't sleep much, do you?Selene: Not really. Too many thoughts.Kael: Sleep is overrated.Selene: Spoken like someone with too much on his plate.Kael: Maybe. But some things are worth losing sleep over.
I stared at the message for a long time, wondering if he meant me.
The next was more direct.
Kael: If you weren't tied to routine, where would you go?Selene: Somewhere quiet. Somewhere no one knows me.Kael: I'd go with you.
My breath caught. I didn't reply right away, but the words burned in me.
Elias curled against me on the couch, his head heavy on my shoulder.
"Mom," he murmured, "you're smiling at your phone a lot lately."
I froze. "Just a friend."
He studied me. "You look lighter. Like you're not alone anymore."
I kissed his hair, throat tight. "Maybe."
At the office, whispers grew louder, sharper, tinged with fear.
Marcy leaned close, her voice low but urgent. "The brothers are back. No one knows their names, but you can feel it. One's supposed to be the good one, the other… dangerous."
Darren added, "They own everything. Stay out of their way. And—" He lowered his voice further. "There's talk about the wild one. He had this girlfriend… total lunatic. She trashed a hotel lobby once, screaming his name. People say she tried to claw another woman's face for looking at him."
Marcy shivered. "They say she's still obsessed. Shows up at parties, causes scenes. If he's back, she won't be far behind."
I forced a laugh, though my hands trembled around the coffee cup. "Rumors are just rumors."
Marcy smirked. "Maybe. But around here, they usually mean something."
Their voices blurred, my pulse racing. Whoever these brothers were, they carried shadows with them. And if the dangerous one had a lover like that… then trouble was inevitable.
Orion's POV
The air shifted the moment she walked into the corridor.
I froze, every muscle tight, as her scent hit me like a blade. Sweet, sharp, familiar. My wolf surged forward, snarling, clawing at the edges of my control.
Mate.
The word ripped through me, primal and undeniable.
She moved past, head down, clutching a stack of files, unaware of me. Six years, and she still didn't know. Six years, and she still walked like she carried the weight of the world alone.
I drank her in. The curve of her jaw, the way her hair fell loose around her shoulders, the tired grace in her steps. Older now, stronger, but still the same fire.
My wolf pressed harder. She's ours. Claim her.
I clenched my fists. Not yet.
Desire burned through me, raw and violent. I remembered the hotel room, the way she had trembled under my hands, the way her lips had tasted of defiance and surrender. I remembered waking alone, the sheets cold, her scent fading.
She had left.
And now she walked past me as if I were a stranger.
Mate, my wolf growled again, louder, insistent. She belongs to us.
I stepped closer, unable to stop myself. Her scent wrapped around me, intoxicating, pulling me under. My chest ached with the bond, the tether that had never broken.
She glanced up briefly, eyes brushing mine, but there was no recognition. No spark. Just polite distance, the kind she gave to anyone in the building.
My wolf roared in fury. She denies us. Wake her. Make her see.
I swallowed hard, forcing the beast back. She didn't know. Her wolf was silent. She couldn't feel what I felt.
But I did. Every heartbeat, every breath, every step she took away from me was agony.
I let her pass, my gaze locked on her retreating form.
Mate, my wolf whispered, softer now, aching. She is ours. And we will not let her go again.
Later, Kael appeared in the break room, calm and steady. He didn't say much, just offered me a cup of coffee. "You look pale," he said softly.
"I'm fine," I lied.
His gaze lingered, thoughtful. "If anyone bothers you, you tell me."
The words were simple, but the weight behind them was heavy. Protective. I nodded, unable to speak.
That night, Elias noticed my silence. "Mom," he whispered, "did something happen?"
I kissed his hair, forcing a smile. "Just work."
But his eyes searched mine, too sharp, too knowing. "You look scared."
I swallowed hard. "I'm not."
He frowned. "You are. I can feel it."
I pulled him close, chest tight. "You don't have to worry about me."
But inside, I was unraveling. Orion had found me. Kael was watching me. And my wolf was clawing to awaken.
Sleep came in fragments. I dreamed of Orion's hands, his tattoos, his piercing gaze. His voice echoed: You're fire. And I want to burn. I woke in a sweat, my wolf stirring violently this time, clawing at the edges of my silence.
"Not now," I whispered into the darkness. "Please, not now."
But the silence pressed in, heavy with promise. The storm was here.