CHAPTER 35

Xander's POV

Destined Moments. 

As I stepped off the plane, I breathed out in relief, allowing the welcoming warmth of Cape Town air to hit my skin. The inky smell of the sea blended with the warm sun-baked smell of earth, filling my lungs as I looked out over the sprawling city ahead.

This trip was meant to be purely business. Meetings, negotiations, expansion strategies — every detail had been meticulously plotted with brutal precision.

And yet I felt deep inside that there was more on my mind than business.

I had another goal.

Beatrice.

I wasn’t blind. I noticed how she became when I was around—the little reluctance in her posture, the subdued but resolute rejection that would shimmer in her eyes when I came too close, the way she had never quite lowered her guard. For years I had been cruel, pushing her away, keeping her at an arm’s length for reasons I wasn’t even sure I could justify any longer.

But something had changed between us.

Something I couldn’t name. Couldn’t ignore.

And for the first time in ages, I felt myself hoping.

Hoping that perhaps, just perhaps, she would forgive me.

The workers advanced, their chatter a faint hum as they disappeared into the towering hotel that loomed before us. But I held back, fear taking over, scanning back, making sure nothing was off.

It was second nature. It was a habit I had internalised over years of leading teams. Even with security teams in place, even knowing that the entire operation had been secured beforehand, I never really trusted anyone else to take care of things the way I would.

I needed to see for myself.

Only when I was finally satisfied did I whip out my phone, swiping through recent company financials as I go.

Everything was thriving.

Sales were nearly double since we vanquished Alpha Lee’s power. The overhaul had been brutal, but it had worked. Our Cape Town expansion was moving faster than expected, with every financial metric trending toward record highs.

I was supposed to feel invincible.

Untouchable.

This was the face of power.

This was what it felt like to dominate.

And yet … despite everything I had built, even the empire I was creating, my thoughts weren’t on profits or expansion.

They were on her.

Beatrice.

I gritted my teeth, stuffing my phone back in my pocket. It didn’t matter how hard I tried to think in business terms — she was there, hovering in the periphery of every thought, every decision, every breath.

I turned, scanning the area. Everyone had gone inside.

Except her.

She lingered at the entrance, phone to her ear, a gentle expression on her face.

It wasn’t one I saw often.

No longer was there the guarded look she had in her usual interactions with me, the caution in her eyes. She looked… different.

Softer.

More at peace.

And before I knew what I was doing, I walked toward her.

I was being pulled to her in a way I could not fight; my wolf stirring.

It was instinct.

It was need.

It was what I’d rather not name.

Her lips folded into a little smile when she spoke, and for an instant I allowed myself to envision what it would be like if that smile was meant to be directed at me.

Then I heard it.

A quiet laugh.

Soft. Sweet.

And not meant for me.

Her voice had a low, affectionate tone and rode through the air, bits and pieces of the conversation made their way to me.

“I miss you too … I wish you were here.”

There was something inside me that went quiet.

My steps slowed.

My wolf, who had once paced, now stood still, ears pinned back and low growls in warning.

Who was she talking to?

Who the hell did she miss?

A cold, unaccustomed feeling coiled around my chest, digging its claws into me.

Jealousy.

It was an alien feeling, one I had no claim over.

And yet, there it was. Burning hot. It twisting inside me like a living thing.

I tightened my fists, willing myself to remain calm, to hear, to think.

But the thoughts linkering in mind I could not stop.

Had she moved on?

Did she have someone waiting for her back home?

Someone who had known how to read the gentleness in her voice, how to take the lilt of her smiles?

I took a deep breath, trying to compose myself, but I was losing my grip.

I had no claim over her.

No right to demand answers.

And yet in that moment, I never wanted to tear something apart more than I did right then.

She was mine.

The thought hit me hard, raw, unassailable.

“All right, treasures,” she said before ending the call.

Treasures?

Something about that word resonated, but before I had time to sort through it, she put away her phone and turned to me.

Her eyes flicked open wide, as though she were surprised to discover me so near.

For a second, neither of us said a word.

Then, wordlessly, I gestured towards the entrance.

She paused and then nodded, brushing past me into the hotel.

The lobby was ostentatious, the sort of luxury befitting the company’s stature.

I had already secured hotel rooms for everyone, arranging the best possible relaxation for my employees. But when the receptionist passed me the last of the room keys, I noticed was lost.

Pearl was not on the list.

I frowned, glanced at the receptionist. “There’s a mistake. One of the employees, Pearl, isn’t assigned to a room.”

She flicked through the system with, then looked up apologetically. “It appears that her room was, through an administrative error, missed. I’m sorry, but we are fully booked tonight.”

My jaw clenched.

That meant one thing.

Beatrice had not been given any extra space.

I looked over at her and noticed the way her shoulders tightened. She already knew how to figure that out.

I could have made someone else share, but this moment just felt… inevitable.

As if fate had already decided for us.

Beatrice was my mate, whether she was ready to admit it or not.

So I looked at her and said the words neither of us anticipated.

“We’ll share a room.”

Her mouth opened, and her eyes flared with its own unreadability.

But she didn’t protest.

She just nodded.

The presidential suite was as luxurious as one would expect.

A massive living room, polished modern paper furniture, soft golden lighting that imbued the place with both luxury and a strikingly personal intimacy.

And then, there was the bedroom.

Large. Inviting.

With only one bed.

I had shared space with women before, but never like this. Never with her.

She walked toward the sitting area first, purposefully not looking at the bed at all. I could tell she was overthinking everything, searching for a way to make this less awkward.

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. “It’s a presidential suite, Beatrice. You can relax. It’s not like I’m shoving you into some motel on the cheap.”

She gave me a glare but didn’t say anything, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

I rolled my eyes. “We’ll figure it out. Just freshen up. You can go first.”

She hesitated, then nodded, going into the bathroom.

I blew out my breath and plopped down on the couch to lean back.

What the fuck was wrong with me?

I was Xander Thane. Lycan King. Ruthless, cold, untouchable.

I had built an empire, annihilated enemies without reluctance, ruled with an iron fist.

But with Beatrice?

Everything felt different.

I felt different.

It was unsettling.

She re-emerged minutes later, wearing an oversized shirt that barely covered mid-thigh. Her hair was wet and clung to her skin, and for a second I forgot how to breathe.

I stood up and pushed past whatever the hell that feeling was.

“My turn.”

I ducked into the bathroom, and tried to pull myself together.

When I came back, she was sitting on the couch scrolling through her phone, acting as if this wasn’t the most awkward moment either of us had ever been in.

I smirked slightly. “What, scared to sleep next to me?”

She snapped her head up, frowning. “I can sleep anywhere.”

I gave a chuckle, reaching for a pillow. “Good. Then I’ll take the couch.”

Her eyes widened slightly. “Wait, what?”

I raised a brow. “What? You thought I was going to make you sleep in the bed?”

She opened her mouth and closed it, looking away.

I smirked.

She had expected the worst.

And I couldn’t blame her.

So because I had given her every reason to.

I sighed, massaging the back of my neck. “Beatrice… I realize I haven’t been the best to you.

She stiffened, but didn’t meet my gaze.

“I’m trying to fix things,” I went on. “I do not expect you to believe me. But… just know I mean it.”

For the first time that night, she turned and looked right at me.

And when I looked into her eyes I saw something surprising.

Not hatred.

Not distrust.

But something softer.

Something that left my chest aching in a way I couldn’t explain.

She didn’t say anything.

But she didn’t have to.

For now, this was enough.

We weren’t only stuck in this room together.

We were meant to be here.

And, somehow, that terrified me more than anything else.