Chapter 22
Clara hesitated at the door, glancing out at the morning light filtering through the shop windows. Elias was already moving around behind the counter, tidying up with a casual efficiency that was both reassuring and slightly intimidating.
“Good morning,” he said, looking up with that calm, easy smile. “Sleep well?”
She shrugged, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “As well as I could. Rowan wasn’t here, so… I didn’t sleep much.”
Elias nodded knowingly. “I figured as much. He can be… demanding, even when he’s not around.”
Clara blinked, surprised. “Demanding?”
He chuckled softly, the sound warm and friendly. “You’ll get used to it. He’s very… particular about the people he cares for. Dangerous in his own way, but loyal to the core.”
Clara’s stomach fluttered. “I can tell.”
Elias leaned against the counter, studying her like he was trying to measure just how much she could take. “I’ve known him for years. Rowan doesn’t show this side to many people. The pack… well, the people he truly protects, they know. But even they don’t always see the rest.”
She frowned. “The rest?”
He smirked, but there was something in his eyes that made her pulse skip. “Let’s just say Rowan isn’t… entirely human. Not in the way you think. And not in the way you’re used to.”
Clara froze mid-step, unsure if she’d misheard. “Not… human?”
Elias shrugged casually, like it was no big deal. “I’d say he’s more than that. Stronger, faster, sharper. Some things are easier to show than explain. You’ll see.”
Her heart raced. It sounded impossible, and yet… the pieces started to fit. The strength, the intensity, the way danger seemed to orbit him like a magnet. And why he had been so insistent on keeping her safe.
She let out a shaky breath. “So… you’re saying he’s… what? Some kind of superhuman?”
Elias smiled faintly. “I’m saying he’s a man with extraordinary… qualities. And some of them are easier to understand if you trust him. Which I think you already do. At least a little.”
Clara swallowed hard, aware of how much she already longed for Rowan, how the ache of missing him tugged at her chest. She felt safe with Elias, yes, calm even—but the pull of Rowan’s absence was sharp, insistent.
“Alright,” she said slowly, trying to focus on the mundane task of making coffee. “So… you’ve known him a long time, right?”
“Longer than you’d think,” Elias replied, moving closer to help her with a stack of mugs. “He’s fiercely protective. But he’s not reckless—well, not usually. And he has a way of… choosing carefully who he lets in. You’re lucky, Clara. Most people never get close enough to see the real Rowan.”
Clara couldn’t help the blush that rose to her cheeks. “I… I guess I am.”
Elias’s eyes twinkled with humor. “Don’t let it go to your head. He’s complicated. Dangerous, yes, but also… loyal. And if you’re going to be around him, you’ll need someone watching your back while he’s busy being… himself.”
Clara felt a strange comfort in his presence, the kind of steady reassurance she hadn’t realized she craved. But the ache in her chest, the way her mind flicked to Rowan every few seconds, reminded her just how incomplete the day felt without him.
As she wiped down the counter, Elias glanced at her, voice softer now. “He cares about you. That’s why he left me here. And why he’s out there dealing with trouble instead of staying here with you.”
Clara nodded, tugging her sweater tighter around her shoulders. She felt safer, truly, with Elias close—but the pull of Rowan lingered like an ache she couldn’t soothe. She had no idea what Rowan was facing now, or how long he’d be gone, and the thought made her chest tighten.
Still, Elias’s presence was a quiet anchor, a reminder that she wasn’t entirely alone. And for the first time since Rowan had left, she allowed herself to breathe.
Almost.
Because Rowan’s absence was a constant thrum, a reminder that nothing about this life—or him—was simple, and that the storm they shared was only just beginning.