Page 12 of Once You Go Pack
“Oh, it absolutely did!” Gerri’s eyes sparkled with that golden gleam. “The chemistry was so thick I could have cut it with a butter knife. And that little gasp she made when you shook hands? Delicious!”
Cade’s jaw tightened as he forced one foot in front of the other, his hands shoved deep into his pockets to hide the slight tremor. Their enthusiasm grated against the chaos raging inside him.
They have no idea what just happened. What she is.
“She’s perfect for you, big brother,” Lyra continued, her voice bright with hope. “I can already picture her in Nova Aurora, handling the council with that quiet strength of hers. And the way she comforted you about Father?—“
“Enough.” The word came out sharp, making both women fall silent. Cade’s wolf paced frantically, agitated by the distance growing between them and Mila with every step.
She’s everything. Everything I never thought I needed and everything I can’t afford to want.
When Gerri had first mentioned Mila’s name yesterday, he’d felt that strange stirring in his chest immediately. But he’d convinced himself overnight it was desperation—the pressure of needing a mate quickly clouding his judgment. Today, he’d expected to meet a suitable woman, someone he could work with through a simple arranged mating. Someone he could keep at arm’s length while they played their parts for his kingdom and the council.
Instead, the moment their skin touched, his entire world had shifted fundamentally. The mate bond had snapped into place with devastating certainty, flooding his system with recognition that went deeper than thought and deeper than reason. His wolf had howled with triumph, finally finding the missing piece of their soul.
She’s not just any mate. She’s my fated mate. The one I’ve found across lifetimes.
And that terrified him more than anything.
“Why aren’t you celebrating?” Gerri asked, her tone gentler now. “That went better than I could have hoped.”
Cade stopped walking, his control fracturing enough to let some truth escape. “What if she says no?”
The question hung in the air. Lyra’s excitement dimmed as she really looked at her brother’s face for the first time since leaving the café.
“Oh, Cade.” Her voice softened with understanding. “You felt it, didn’t you? The mate bond.”
He couldn’t speak past the tightness in his throat. His wolf was already suffering from the separation, a physical ache building in his chest that would only worsen if Mila rejected them. He’d never experienced anything like it—this desperate need for someone’s presence.
“Well, it doesn’t matter. She didn’t immediately say yes,” he said roughly. “Any sane person would run from what we’re asking. Another planet, a crown, a world she knows nothing about—“ His hands clenched into fists. “And a wolf shifter.”
“Hey now,” Gerri stepped closer, her small hand finding his arm. “Let’s not spiral into worst-case scenarios just yet. Why don’t we explore this charming town while we wait? Give ourselves something to do besides worry.”
Lyra nodded eagerly. “Yes! I want to see everything. The architecture here is so different from Nova Aurora.”
Cade found himself being guided down the sidewalk by two determined women, though his mind remained fractured between the present moment and memories of blue eyes and soft skin. Salem’s historic district unfolded around them—brick buildings weathered by centuries and narrow streets that had witnessed everything from witch trials to modern commerce.
“Look at these windows,” Lyra pointed to a colonial-era house. “They’re so small compared to ours. And the materials—everything’s so... heavy.”
“Earth architecture reflects their climate limitations,” Cade replied automatically, though his focus kept drifting. “They don’t have the crystal formations we use for structural support.”
Despite his wandering thoughts, his wolf’s senses took in everything around them. The scent of exhaust from the cars that moved so much slower than their transportation back on Nova Aurora, the sounds of human voices speaking so nonchalantly, and the way the sunlight here looked different without dual suns painting everything in gold and amber.
But underneath it all, he could still catch traces of Mila’s scent on the breeze—that lavender and rain mixture that made his wolf whine with longing.
She’s unlike any woman I’ve ever known.
The women from Nova Aurora’s royal families were raised knowing their roles, understanding shifter dynamics and politics from birth. They moved through his world with confidence born of lifelong preparation. But Mila possessed something rarer—authentic curiosity, genuine empathy, and a strength that came from facing life’s challenges without the armor of royal privilege.
“Earth cars are so fascinating,” Lyra mused as they paused at a crosswalk. “Very primitive, but there’s something charming about the simplicity.”
“Everything here feels more... relaxed,” Gerri added thoughtfully. “Less expectations and rules mediating every interaction.”
Cade nodded absently, his attention drawn to a young couple across the street. The man was laughing at something the woman had said, his arm draped casually around her shoulders. Such simple intimacy. Such easy affection.
Would Mila ever look at me like that? Without calculation or duty clouding her expression?
The thought sent another wave of uncertainty through him. He was asking her to give up everything familiar for a man she’d known for two hours. A man whose wolf side she hadn’t even seen yet, whose world operated on laws and customs that would seem intimidating to humans.
