Jade's POV
Riven dragged her out of the bedroom before she could protest.
His hand was firm around her wrist, completely unmoved by her attempts to slow him down. She hadn't slept. She'd spent the entire night thinking about what he'd said, about her mother, about the mate bond, and she'd come to the conclusion that she needed to disappear. Last night. Before breakfast.
But Riven had other plans.
He pulled her down a hallway and then down a massive staircase toward noise. Lots of noise. As they got closer, Jade could hear voices and laughter and the clinking of dishes. Fifty wolves all gathered in one place.
Her heart started racing.
The dining hall was enormous. Long tables ran the length of the space with wolves sitting shoulder to shoulder, eating and talking and laughing like this was just a normal morning. The noise was overwhelming. The scent of pack bonds was overwhelming. Everything was too much at once.
Riven led her straight to the head table. Of course he did. He had her sit directly beside him while he took the seat that clearly belonged to the Alpha. Everyone watched her. She could feel their eyes on her, could sense their curiosity, could smell the questions rolling off them.
Kael sat across from her with Maya on his other side. Maya smiled warmly like Jade hadn't just been kidnapped and locked in a room.
"Good morning," Maya said brightly. "Are you hungry? We have eggs and toast and bacon. There's also fruit if you prefer something lighter."
Jade didn't answer. She was too busy trying not to have a panic attack.
Riven filled her plate without asking. Eggs. Toast. Bacon. A small portion of fruit. He set the plate in front of her and kept his hand on the small of her back. That touch was possessive and casual all at once, like he had every right to be there, like he wasn't claiming her in front of fifty wolves who were watching.
She hated that it felt comforting.
"Eat," he said quietly.
She wanted to refuse just to be difficult. But her stomach was growling and she realized she hadn't eaten since the diner yesterday. So she picked up her fork and tried to ignore the way his hand moved from her back to adjust her posture slightly.
"How do you like your coffee?" Maya asked, still keeping the conversation light and normal like Jade hadn't just spent six years avoiding her species.
"Black," Jade said quietly.
"Coming up," Maya said, and she got up to grab it without making a big deal out of it.
Throughout breakfast, Riven kept doing things. Small things. Cutting her toast because apparently she couldn't do it herself. Refilling her water glass. Moving her plate slightly when she wasn't eating fast enough. Touching her constantly. A hand on her arm. Fingers brushing her hair back. His thigh pressed against hers under the table.
Every touch made her wolf settle a little more. Made her feel a little safer. Made everything feel a little more right.
She hated that too.
"You're doing well," Riven said quietly, his mouth close to her ear.
She didn't answer. She was too busy trying to figure out what was happening to her. This wasn't how she was supposed to feel. She was supposed to be angry. She was supposed to be planning escape routes. She wasn't supposed to be sitting here feeling like she belonged.
Then a young male wolf approached their table.
He was massive like all of them, with dark hair and an eager smile. He looked nervous but determined. He bowed slightly to Riven before turning to Jade.
"I'm Devon," he said. "I wanted to welcome you properly to Shadowfang. If you ever need anything or want a tour of the territory—"
The growl cut him off.
It came from Riven. Deep and absolutely terrifying. It reverberated through the entire dining hall and everyone went silent. Even the wolves in the far corners of the room stopped what they were doing and turned.
Devon's face went white.
Riven stood up slowly. Devon immediately took a step back. Then another. His entire posture shifted into submission, his eyes dropping, his neck exposed. He was showing throat to an Alpha. Apologizing without words for something that apparently constituted a massive offense.
"Don't approach her again," Riven said quietly.
His voice was calm but the danger in it was unmistakable. It was worse than yelling would have been. It was the voice of someone who had killed before and would kill again without hesitation.
Devon practically ran from the dining hall.
Every wolf at every table had watched the entire interaction. Nobody moved. Nobody spoke. Jade could feel their shock and something else. Surprise maybe. Or recognition of something significant.
Riven sat back down. He took Jade's hand under the table like he hadn't just terrified his entire pack. Like he hadn't just made it clear that some line had been crossed.
"Finish eating," he said.
She couldn't. Her stomach had gone tight with tension. She pushed her plate away and Riven didn't force it. He just kept her hand clasped in his, his thumb running across her skin in a possessive circle.
After breakfast, before she could figure out what was happening, Kael grabbed her arm gently and pulled her aside.
Maya stayed with Riven at the table, which seemed deliberate. Like she'd planned this.
Kael led her out of the dining hall to a quiet corridor. His expression was serious in a way she hadn't seen before.
"We need to talk," he said.
"About what?" Jade asked, though she already knew. She'd felt the shift in the room. Felt how terrifying Riven's aggression had been.
"About what just happened," Kael said. He glanced back toward the dining hall, then lowered his voice. "That wasn't normal territorial behavior. That wasn't an Alpha correcting a subordinate. That was mate aggression."
Jade's entire body went still.
"Mate aggression?" she whispered.
"An Alpha only loses control like that when someone threatens his mate," Kael said quietly. "When someone gets too close to what belongs to him. Riven's been in control of himself since he took leadership eight years ago. I've never seen him react like that. Not once."
Kael stepped closer, his expression earnest.
"You need to understand what's happening," he continued. "Riven didn't find you because you're valuable. He's had trackers hunting valuables before. He didn't care about those. But you... the moment he touched you, everything changed. That's not strategy. That's not acquisition. That's mate bond."
Jade shook her head. "He said—"
"I know what he said," Kael interrupted. "But actions matter more than words. And his actions are screaming that you're his mate. That he's claimed you. That he'll kill anyone who tries to take you."
The reality of it crashed over her. Riven wasn't keeping her for her blood or her abilities. He was keeping her because the mate bond had taken hold of him the same way it had taken hold of her.
She was tied to the most dangerous Alpha on the West Coast and there was nothing either of them could do to break it.