Page 26 of Howl About That

Dax studied him for a moment, and Keiro hated how easily his Beta could read him. "You're hurt by that."

It wasn't a question. And Keiro wanted to deny it, wanted to project the same controlled competence that had gotten him through sixteen years of leadership. But standing here in the shadow of his family home, with the mate bond aching in his chest like an open wound, he couldn't summon the energy for pretense.

"She said she felt safe with me," Keiro said quietly. "She let me take care of her after we got attacked at her estate last night. She trusted me enough to come to my place in Manhattan and curl up to me in my bed. And this morning..." He trailed off, remembering the way she'd looked at him—open and wanting and completely his. "This morning she was mine. Completely. And then she just... shut down."

"Maybe she's just scared," Dax suggested, his voice gentler than usual. "Mate bonds are intense under the best circumstances. Add in cross-species politics and the financial crisis she's facing, and?—"

"I don't care what Helias thinks right now," Keiro cut him off, his voice sharp with sudden anger.

"I didn't mention Helias." Dax's expression turned grim. "But speaking of our esteemed elder, he heard about the auction. Wants to meet with you today to 'discuss the situation.'"

A fresh wave of irritation crashed over Keiro. His mate was pulling away from him, the most important relationship of his life was hanging by a thread, and now he had to deal with Helias's traditionalist disapproval.

"Perfect," Keiro said, his voice flat with sarcasm. "Just what I needed today."

Keiro turned and started walking toward the treeline that would take him to Helias's estate. He needed the fresh air, needed the physical movement to burn off some of the restless energy that had been building since Poppy had pushed him away this morning.

"Keiro," Dax called after him. "For what it's worth, I think you're doing the right thing."

Keiro paused but didn't turn around. "Which part?"

"All of it. The lioness, the land, even the sex." There was amusement in Dax's voice, but also something deeper. Something that sounded like approval. "Your father would have tried to control the whole situation. You're learning to let her choose instead."

The words hit deeper than Keiro expected. He'd spent so many years trying to live up to Marco Izell's legacy, trying to be the Alpha his father had been. But maybe Dax was right. Maybe some things were worth doing differently.

"Thanks," Keiro said simply, then continued into the woods.

The familiar paths of his childhood stretched ahead of him, winding through oak and maple toward whatever confrontation awaited him. His wolf settled slightly, and for the first time since leaving Poppy's estate this morning, Keiro felt like he could breathe again.

Ten minutes later, the pathway to Helias's estate wound through ancient pines that had witnessed generations of pack leadership. But each step forward felt like walking toward an inevitable storm, and Keiro's wolf started pacing again.

The traditional stone cottage soon came into view, its windows glowing warmly from the reflected sunlight. Keiro crossed the front lawn and made his way up the stone steps, his movements controlled and deliberate. But before he could even reach for the brass knocker, the heavy oak door swung open to reveal Helias waiting in the doorway like he'd been watching from the window.

"Keiro." The elder's pale blue eyes held their usual mixture of paternal concern and barely concealed disappointment. "I was beginning to wonder if you'd received my message."

"I got it." Keiro's voice came out sharper than intended, his patience already threadbare from the day's emotional carnage. "Though I have to say, your timing could be better."

Helias stepped aside with fluid grace, gesturing toward the sitting area where afternoon tea service sat arranged on the low table—delicate china cups, finger sandwiches cut into perfect triangles, everything precisely ordered in a way that reminded Keiro uncomfortably of his childhood lessons in proper pack protocol.

"Please, sit. You look like you haven't eaten properly in days."

The offer made Keiro's stomach clench with irritation rather than hunger. Food was the last thing on his mind when the mate bond thrummed incessantly in his chest, demanding he return to Poppy despite her professional boundaries.

"I'd prefer to stand." Keiro stepped forward into the sitting area but remained standing near the window, every line of his body radiating controlled tension. "Care to tell me what you wanted to discuss today?"

Helias lowered himself into his usual armchair with the careful movements of someone who'd learned to conserve energy for battles that mattered. His weathered hands folded in his lap, but his eyes never left Keiro's face.

"I heard about the auction." The words dropped into the space between them with deceptive gentleness. "You bought a parcel of land that once belonged to a lioness Alpha. Poppy Mintz, I believe."

"And what about it?" Keiro's wolf surged forward at the mention of his mate's name, his protective instincts flaring despite the casual tone.

"Well, why would you do something so impulsive?" Helias's voice carried the patient disappointment of someone explaining basic mathematics to a particularly slow student. "It doesn't make any sense. We don't mingle with lions, so why would a wolf Alpha need a piece of pride land in Hudson Valley? That seems rather... strange."

The careful phrasing, the implied criticism wrapped in concern—it all grated against Keiro's already frayed nerves. He'd spent sixteen years navigating Helias's indirect challenges, sixteen years translating disapproval disguised as guidance. But today, with Poppy's scent still clinging to his skin and the memory of her retreat burning in his chest, he had zero patience for diplomatic dancing.

"I bought the land because my fated mate was in trouble and I was trying to help her."

The words hit Helias like a battering ram. The elder's composed expression cracked, shock and fury mixing in equal measure across his weathered features. His pale eyes flashed gold as his wolf pushed closer to the surface.