Chapter 20: Territorial

Seraphine's POV

Every head turned toward me. The conversation died mid-sentence.

Kaelen sat at the head of a long wooden table, a cup of tea raised halfway to his lips. He froze when he saw me, dark eyes locking onto mine for a fraction of a second before dropping to his cup like it was the most fascinating thing in the world.

But I'd felt it—the spike of... something through the bond. Recognition. Awareness.

Did he just—was he checking me out?

No. Impossible. He probably just noticed I was wearing the clothes he'd sent.

Cordelia sat to his right, looking bright and awake despite everything. She smiled when she saw me. "Morning, Seraphine! Come sit."

There were two other men at the table I didn't recognize. Both were clearly wolves—I could sense it—and both were watching me with barely concealed curiosity.

But it was Cordelia's position that made something twist uncomfortably in my chest.

She was sitting right next to Kaelen. Close. Comfortable. Like she belonged there.

Why does that bother you?

It shouldn't. I didn't care where Cordelia sat. Or who she sat next to.

Except... through the bond, I could feel Kaelen's presence so clearly. And seeing another woman sitting in what felt like his space made my wolf surge forward with violent possessiveness.

The urge hit me like a physical blow—to lunge across the table, to bare my teeth, to snarl mine until everyone in this fucking room understood.

But I caught myself. Barely.

Not here. Not in front of them.

My eyes flicked to the two unfamiliar warriors watching me with barely concealed curiosity. Strangers. Witnesses. Pack members who'd report back every detail of how their Alpha's supposed mate behaved.

You can't lose control again. Not like yesterday.

The memory flashed through my mind—my eyes glowing gold, that feral snarl ripping from my throat, Cordelia's shocked face. The way Kaelen had to physically step between us.

Fuck. That can't happen again.

I dug my nails into my palms under the table, using the sharp pain to ground myself. My wolf thrashed inside, fighting against the restraint, demanding I establish dominance over this woman sitting too close to what was ours.

Down. We're not doing this here.

The effort of holding back made my whole body tense. Every muscle coiled tight, jaw aching from clenching. Every instinct screamed at me to move, to challenge, to claim—

Stop it. You don't own him.

But the jealousy burned anyway, sharp and sudden and completely irrational, even as I forced myself to stay seated.

Are they together? Is that why she's here? Is she his—

No. I cut the thought off viciously. You don't care. It doesn't matter.

Kaelen still hadn't looked up from his tea. His jaw was tight, fingers gripping the cup harder than necessary. Through the bond, I felt tension radiating off him in waves.

Is he avoiding looking at me? Why?

Then I realized—he probably felt the jealousy spike. Through the bond. Because apparently we couldn't have any private thoughts or feelings anymore.

Fuck.

My face heated. I wanted to turn around and walk right back out.

Instead, I moved to the table on legs that felt like wood. There was an empty chair directly across from Kaelen. Cordelia gestured to it encouragingly.

"Here, sit. You must be starving."

I was. My stomach had been growling since I woke up, but admitting that felt like admitting weakness.

I sat down carefully, spine straight, keeping my eyes fixed on the empty plate in front of me. Anywhere but on Kaelen. Or Cordelia sitting next to him.

Stop obsessing. You're being ridiculous.

The table was covered with food—more than seemed necessary for this many people. Fresh bread, eggs, bacon, fruit, pastries. My mouth watered despite myself.

But I didn't reach for anything. Just sat there feeling everyone's eyes on me, feeling the bond stretching between me and Kaelen like a rubber band pulled too tight.

The silence was suffocating.

Then Cordelia broke it, her voice warm and teasing. "Our Luna needs to eat, Kaelen. She's had a rough couple of days."

My head snapped up. "Don't call me that."

The words came out sharper than I'd intended. Cordelia blinked, surprise flickering across her face.

"I'm not—" I struggled for control. "I'm not anyone's Luna. I'm just... I'm just me."

I'm nobody. Especially not the mate of an Alpha.

Through the bond, Kaelen's tension spiked. His knuckles went white around the teacup.

But he still didn't look at me.

Cordelia's expression softened with understanding. She reached across the table and gently pushed a plate of fresh bread toward me, along with butter and jam.

"Alright. Seraphine then." Her smile was kind, without judgment. "But you really do need to eat. When's the last time you had a proper meal?"

I couldn't remember. Everything before yesterday was a blur of running and fear and Lyralei's screams echoing in my head.

Before she was taken. Before everything went to hell.

My throat tightened. I grabbed the bread before anyone could see my hands shake, tearing off a piece just to have something to do with my fingers.

The two men at the table were still watching me. One had sandy blond hair and looked younger—maybe mid-twenties. The other was older, dark-haired with a scar running down his left cheek. Both had the bearing of warriors. Pack enforcers, probably.

They're judging me. Wondering what their Alpha sees in some nobody rogue.

As I lifted the bread to my mouth, my eyes betrayed me—flicking toward Kaelen.

He was watching me now. Just for a second, dark eyes unreadable in the morning light filtering through the windows. Then his gaze dropped again, jaw working like he was grinding his teeth.

But through the bond, I felt it clearly:

Relief that I was eating.

Frustration at... something. Everything. This whole fucked-up situation.

And underneath it all—buried deep but there—that same dangerous warmth from last night. The possessiveness his wolf couldn't quite suppress.

Mine.

Fuck this bond.

I bit into the bread viciously, chewing harder than necessary. It was fresh and soft, probably baked this morning. It should've tasted good.

Instead, it felt like ash in my mouth.

Cordelia was still smiling, but now there was something knowing in her expression. Like she could see exactly what was happening between me and Kaelen even though neither of us was saying anything.

She picked up a knife and started buttering her own bread, deliberately casual. "The new clothes suit you. Much better than oversized men's shirts, don't you think?"

Is she... teasing me?

I couldn't tell if she was being friendly or territorial. My wolf was too on-edge, too ready to see threats everywhere.

She's sitting next to Kaelen. She's comfortable here. She knows him better than you do. She probably knows everything about him—his habits, his preferences, what he likes for breakfast—

The jealousy twisted deeper, sharper.

You need to get over yourself. Now.

"Thanks," I managed, forcing the word out around the bread. "Rowan brought them."

"Mmm." Cordelia's eyes sparkled with something that might've been amusement. "Kaelen has good taste. He picked them out himself, you know. Spent twenty minutes on the phone with the boutique this morning making sure everything would fit properly."

My heart did something stupid. Skipped a beat, maybe. Or stopped entirely.

He... what?

I refused to look at Kaelen. Refused to acknowledge the warmth spreading through my chest that had nothing to do with the bond and everything to do with the mental image of him standing in his study at dawn, phone pressed to his ear, carefully describing my measurements to some confused shop assistant.

Don't. Don't you dare care about that.

Across the table, Kaelen's tea cup hit the saucer with a sharp clink that made everyone jump slightly.

He stood abruptly, chair scraping against the hardwood floor. The sound was too loud in the quiet room.

"I need to check on the search teams," he said, voice flat and controlled. Too controlled. "Excuse me."