Chapter 4
Rowan Hale hadn’t planned on stopping.
He’d been driving through town after a tense morning meeting, his mind on contracts, shareholders, and the constant balancing act of leading both a company and a pack. He didn’t have time for detours. Not when every hour mattered.
And yet, when the sign caught his eye—Moonlight Brews painted in cheerful script, windows spilling golden light onto the street—something in him shifted. His wolf stirred, restless. Demanding.
Before he’d even realized what he was doing, he was pulling over, stepping inside.
Now, coffee in hand, he stood at the counter, watching her.
She was…ordinary, at first glance. Brown hair, brown eyes, features soft and unassuming. But Rowan’s gaze lingered, sharpening. Because ordinary didn’t explain the way his chest tightened when their fingers touched. Ordinary didn’t explain the spark that had jolted up his arm like fire catching on dry tinder.
And ordinary didn’t explain why his wolf, usually silent beneath his control, was suddenly prowling, restless, insisting.
Mate.
The word burned through him, primal and undeniable.
Rowan masked the jolt of it, taking a slow sip of his coffee, forcing his expression into calm. But inside, everything had shifted. His pack had waited years for this moment, for their Alpha to find the one destined for him. He’d stopped believing it would ever come.
And now… here she was. Behind a coffee counter, smiling at customers like she belonged to all of them.
Rowan’s jaw tightened. No. She didn’t belong to them.
He studied her quietly as she moved, graceful in her simple way, offering warmth to every person who walked through her door. Compassion radiated from her, steady and bright, a softness he hadn’t felt in years. He’d spent so long building walls—first in business, then as Alpha—protecting his people, his company, his family. He didn’t let himself need.
But the pull toward her was undeniable.
When another customer walked in and she turned away from him, Rowan felt the strange, unfamiliar edge of impatience. Possessiveness. His wolf bristled at the distance, already calculating how to close it.
He drew in a slow breath, steadying himself. He couldn’t claim her here. Not like this. She had no idea who he was—what he was. Humans didn’t take well to truths like his. And Clara Montgomery, if he remembered her name correctly from the chatter in the shop, was human.
Or at least… she should be.
Rowan wasn’t entirely convinced. Not with the way her touch had ignited him. Not with the way his wolf snarled her name like a vow.
Either way, one thing was certain.
He wasn’t leaving town without her.