"I don't want to lose you," he said, his voice thick with emotion he'd spent lifetimes suppressing. "I want to make this permanent. I know we haven't known each other long, but I can'timagine my life without you. I don't want to deny the bond any longer."
"I can't imagine my life without you either," she began, her eyes bright with something that looked remarkably like love.
But before she could finish whatever declaration had been building between them, the sharp chime of his doorbell echoed through the mansion.
Maple's expression immediately shifted to concern mixed with relief. "It must be Ben. He must have convinced the doctors to let him go and gotten here as fast as possible."
Rune felt frustration and relief war in his chest—frustration that their moment had been interrupted just as he'd been ready to take the leap into complete vulnerability, and relief that Ben was safe and seeking sanctuary within his walls.
He'd waited three hundred years to find his mate. He supposed he could wait another day to complete their bond properly.
But as he helped Maple sit up, careful of her injuries, one thing had become crystal clear. There would be no more running, no more denying what fate had brought him. Soon—very soon—Maple would be his in every way.
He rose from the bed with fluid grace, his hand briefly touching Maple's shoulder in reassurance. "Stay here," he commanded softly, though he suspected she'd ignore the order the moment he left the room.
The grand foyer stretched before him as he descended the staircase, afternoon sunlight streaming through the windows and casting geometric patterns across the ancient stone floors. When he reached the front entrance and pulled open the heavy oak door, the sight that greeted him made his jaw clench.
Ben stood on his doorstep, one arm wrapped protectively around a petite blonde woman who could only be Jackie. But Ben looked like he'd been thrown down a canyon wall—hisleft eye was swollen nearly shut beneath white medical tape, dark bruises bloomed across his cheekbones like storm clouds, and his split lip had been carefully stitched back together. The woman beside him trembled with barely controlled terror, her wide blue eyes darting between Rune's imposing frame and the vast canyon landscape behind them as if she couldn't quite believe where she'd ended up.
"Jesus," Rune breathed, his voice roughened by the sight of Ben's injuries.
"Sorry to impose on you again. But Jackie was so terrified when she heard what happened that I convinced the doctors to discharge me early," Ben explained, his words slightly slurred from his swollen mouth. "We drove straight here—didn't want to waste any time."
Jackie pressed closer to Ben's side, her knuckles white where she gripped his jacket. She looked like she was one startling sound away from complete panic, her breathing shallow and rapid as she took in Rune's intimidating presence and the fortress-like mansion rising behind him.
"Come inside," Rune said, stepping back to allow them entry. "You're safe here."
The moment they crossed the threshold, Maple's voice echoed from the staircase. "Ben!"
She was already rushing down the steps despite her injuries, her bandaged wrist held carefully against her chest as she moved. When she reached the foyer, she threw her good arm around Ben in a fierce hug, her eyes bright with relief and guilt in equal measure.
"I'm so glad you made it here safely," she said, pulling back to examine his battered face with obvious distress.
Then she turned to Jackie, her expression crumpling with remorse. "I'm so sorry for pulling Ben into this mess. This is allmy fault—if I hadn't been so reckless chasing that artifact, none of this would have happened."
Jackie's voice came out thin and strained, like she was fighting to maintain composure. "Ben filled me in on everything during the drive here. Dragons and claim markers and ancient magic..." She shook her head, her blonde hair catching the light. "I'm trying to wrap my mind around it all, but I'm honestly terrified. This morning I thought the most dangerous thing in my life was Ben's tendency to follow you into restricted sites. Now I find out there are actual dragon shifters hunting us?"
Rune stepped forward, his presence commanding but deliberately gentle—he could sense how close Jackie was to complete breakdown. "You're overwhelmed and scared, which is completely understandable. But you're under my protection now, both of you. No one will harm you here."
Jackie's eyes widened as she took in his full height and the authority that radiated from him. "You're him, aren't you? The Alpha Ben told me about."
"I am." Rune's voice carried centuries of absolute confidence. "And I give you my word that you're safe within these walls."
Ben swayed slightly on his feet, exhaustion and pain clearly taking their toll despite his determination to protect Jackie.
"Why don't you two rest for a while?" he suggested, his tone brooking no argument. "I'll see what I can prepare for us in the kitchen. My chef wasn't expecting guests today, but I can manage something suitable."
Maple turned to him, her green eyes bright with gratitude. "I'll help you," she said softly.
Ben and Jackie headed slowly up the stairs, while Rune followed Maple toward the kitchen. Within minutes, they were in a space he rarely ever occupied. The kitchen was a masterpiece of modern functionality merged seamlessly with ancient stone architecture—gleaming stainless-steel appliancesset into walls that had stood for centuries and copper pots hanging from wrought iron hooks that his ancestors had forged by hand.
"Please sit," he commanded as Maple moved toward the massive center island. "You're still injured."
She started to protest, raising her bandaged wrist. "I can help?—"
"Not with one functional hand, you can't." His voice carried gentle amusement despite the alpha authority. "Besides, watching you try to chop vegetables while favoring bruised ribs would probably give me a heart attack."
Maple settled onto one of the high stools with a rueful smile. "Fine, I'll supervise then. But I expect a full demonstration."
