CHAPTER 8: Just Another Song

The morning sun bled through the tinted glass windows of my office, casting an eerie glow over the sleek black furniture. I leaned back in my chair, fingers drumming against the desk as I skimmed through reports. The city skyline stretched beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, but my mind was elsewhere.

Nevaeh.

She had been in my home for a week now, yet every time I looked at her, something inside me twisted. The mate bond was a curse, tightening its grip with every breath she took within my territory. She didn’t belong here. A rogue. An outsider.

And yet… I hadn’t let her go.

My jaw clenched.

I shoved the papers aside just as Eldric waltzed in like he owned the place, throwing himself into the chair across from my desk.

"What's up, Cuz?" he said, propping his feet up on my table.

"Get your fucking feet off my desk" I shot him a glare.

Eldric grinned but made no move to obey. 

"Relax. Your desk is already ugly. My boots are an upgrade."

"Are you that eager to die?" I snarled.

He sighed dramatically, finally dropping his feet to the floor.

"So hostile. No ‘Hey, Eldric, how have you been? Where have you been?’ Just immediate threats. Typical" he scoffed.

"Where have you been?" I leaned forward.

"See? That wasn’t so hard, was it?" Eldric grinned. "Let’s see… I was in Italy for a bit. Had an... interesting run-in with the mafia—long story. Then I spent some time on a private island with—”

"I don’t want to know" I said hoarsely.

"You never do." He sighed again. "I return after months of adventure, and all I get is scowling."

"You always disappear whenever you feel like it" I said flatly. "You’re unreliable, reckless, and—"

"Devastatingly handsome" he finished.

"Infuriating."

"That too" he admitted.

I exhaled sharply, rubbing the bridge of my nose.

"Do you actually have a reason for being here, or are you just here to annoy me?"

“You wound me to my very core” Eldric drawled, clutching his chest like a man mortally wounded. “Still, I come bearing reports.”

“Fine. Report” I narrowed my gaze and he smirked. 

"Business is stable. We acquired the steel export contract, and the shipment will arrive in three days."

"Okay" I replied, though the news barely registered. "What else?"

"The whispers in the pack say the Alpha has been keeping a certain rogue close" Eldric’s smirk deepened. 

My fingers tightened around the edge of my desk. 

"Watch your mouth, Eldric."

"I’m just saying," he shrugged, "if you don’t want rumors, don’t keep her under the same roof. People talk."

"Let them." My tone was icy. "She’s nothing to me."

Eldric raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He didn’t believe me.

Hell, I didn’t believe myself.

A knock interrupted the conversation. The door opened, revealing Lyall.

He strode in, his expression blank.

“Alpha” he muttered with a bow.

I gave a curt nod. "Lyall."

He placed a folder on my desk.

"Financial discrepancies in the pack's funds. Someone's skimming from the profits" he reported.

I flipped the folder open, scanning the numbers. My patience was already running thin, and this only added to my irritation.

"Find the leak and handle it" I ordered.

"Understood, Alpha" Lyall nodded.

"And the girl?" Eldric spoke up.

Nevaeh. Again.

I exhaled curtly. "She stays. That’s all you need to know."

"You’re playing a dangerous game, Kane" He chuckled.

"It seems you’ve forgotten you’re speaking to danger himself" I retorted.

NEVAEH

The mansion was too quiet—the kind of silence that made my thoughts louder than they needed to be. I had spent the past week here, wandering its grand halls, avoiding Kane when I could, and trying not to think about the fact that I had no idea what my future held.

I wasn’t worried about my family. At least, that’s what I told myself. A break from their drama was exactly what I needed.

But Ian… Ian was different. I could only imagine how restless he must be, trying to figure out where I’d disappeared to.

I rounded the corner toward the kitchen, but the sound of hushed voices made me slow my steps.

"She must’ve done something—used some trick to make Alpha Kane keep her."

"Obviously. A worthless wolf like her doesn’t just end up under his roof. Can you imagine what the pack must think? That he’s actually considering taking in a rogue?"

I stilled, my blood turning ice-cold.

The voices belonged to two maids, their backs turned as they gossiped freely, unaware of my presence. One of them, a redhead, scoffed as she wiped the counter.

"It’s embarrassing. The Alpha deserves a strong, worthy mate, not some pathetic stray he picked up on a whim."

"Maybe she threw herself at him. Desperate women do desperate things" The other, a brunette, snickered.

My hands curled into fists, nails biting into my palms. A slow, deadly heat simmered in my chest.

I stepped forward, deliberately letting my footsteps echo against the polished floor. Both maids jerked in surprise, spinning around to find me standing there—arms folded, expression carved from ice.

"M-Miss Nevaeh—" The redhead swallowed hard. 

"Don’t stop on my account" I said smoothly, my voice calm, almost lazy. "I’d love to hear more about how I tricked the Alpha."

The brunette paled. "We—uh, we were just—"

"Just running your mouths" I finished for her, taking a slow step forward. "You must be very brave, standing here gossiping about me when Kane isn’t around."

They stiffened at my use of his name.

I cocked my head, gaze dragging over them like they were filth clinging to the sole of my boot.

My tone became cutting.

"Listen carefully, because I don’t like repeating myself. You don’t know me. You don’t know what I’m capable of. But if you ever let my name leave your worthless mouths again, I’ll make sure the last thing you feel is regret—right before I remind you why even the weakest wolves can still rip out a throat."

Their eyes widened, fear flickering in their expressions.

Lovely.

"Now…" I said, flashing them a cold, empty smile, "get the hell out of my sight."

They scrambled out so fast one nearly tripped over her own feet.

I exhaled slowly, forcing my pulse to steady.

So that’s what they thought of me.

Fine.

Let them.

They’d learn soon enough—I was no helpless stray.

KANE

The water shimmered under the glow of the overhead lights, steam rising in lazy tendrils. I’d come here to clear my head, to shake off the weight of the pack’s demands, but the second I stepped inside, I knew peace wouldn’t be on the agenda.

Nevaeh was already there.

She floated near the edge of the pool, half-submerged, arms resting against the ledge, chin tilted slightly upward as if she owned the damn place. Droplets clung to her skin, gliding down the soft curves of her shoulders before disappearing into the water.

For the first time since I met her, I allowed myself to truly look.

Her damp ginger hair clung to the curve of her neck, strands curling around her face, softening her usual fierce glare. Her eyes—moonlight silver with stormy edges—locked onto mine. Her nose was small, elegant, leading down to lips that were parted just slightly, glistening with moisture.

And her body...

I clenched my jaw.

A mistake. A moment too long spent looking.

"Are you just going to stand there like a creep, or do you have something to say?" She smirked.

"Didn’t realize you’d be polluting my pool" I shot back.

She let out a mocking gasp. 

"Oh no. I’ve tainted your sacred water. Whatever shall you do?"

I crouched by the edge, arms resting on my knees as I loomed over her.

"Drown you."

"You could try, Alpha." Her eyes glimmered with challenge.

I reached out, brushing a single droplet from her shoulder.

"Be careful, little rogue" I murmured, giving her a hard look. "Challenging me has never ended well for anyone."

Her breath hitched, but she covered it with a scoff. 

"Touch me like that again, and I’ll break your fingers."

I smirked. "You’re all bark." My fingers dragged lower, tracing the edge of her collarbone, watching as her chest rose just slightly faster. 

"And yet, you’re still in my pool." My tone dropped. "Wearing that."

"Didn’t know you had a dress code for water" She arched her brow, unbothered.

I chuckled, slow and dark. 

"Just surprised you’re not wearing a muzzle. Would’ve saved me the headache."

Her nails scraped against the ledge, irritation flaring in her eyes. 

"Don’t tempt me. I might just get one for you instead."

I leaned in, our faces inches apart. 

"You’d love that, wouldn’t you?" My voice was a low rasp. "Having an excuse to get on top of me."

She let out a sharp, disdainful laugh. 

"I’d rather die."

Instead of answering, I reached out again, this time trailing my fingers along the exposed skin of her arm. She shivered.

Her scent—wild and intoxicating—wrapped around me like a vice. The mate bond pulsed between us.

"Kane…" she whispered.

I joined her in the pool, closing the distance in one smooth motion, my hands bracketing her sides against the ledge.

"You keep looking at me like that" I crooned. "Like you want something."

She swallowed hard, her pulse fluttering against her throat. 

"I don’t."

"Liar." My lips brushed the shell of her ear. "I can feel it, little rogue. The bond makes sure of that."

Her fingers clutched at my shirt, her breath shaky. 

"You’re—"

"Driving you insane?" I smirked. "I know."

The moment the words left my mouth, she stiffened. Too late. A sound had already slipped from her lips—soft, unrestrained, fucking intoxicating.

Heat shot straight to my core.

My wolf rumbled with satisfaction.

"Mate is perfect. When are we marking her?" Kian inquired excitedly.

My jaw clenched.

"That is never happening" I snapped through the mind link. "I will not mark a rogue!"

"Yet, you’re keeping her" he growled.

"She’s just here until I figure out what to do with her." 

"Simply admit you don’t want to let her go."

"Shut the fuck up!" I retorted.

A low growl escaped before I could stop it.

Nevaeh’s expression shifted. I could tell she’d heard it—felt it.

I tore my hands away and stood abruptly. 

"Get out."

"Excuse you?" She blinked. 

"You heard me." My voice was steel. "Get out of my pool. Before I lose what little patience I have left."

"Whatever" she scoffed.

She dragged herself out of the water slowly, deliberately, droplets gliding over every inch of her skin like they had no right to.

At the exit, she paused and turned her head, her silver eyes gleaming.

"You don’t scare me, Kane" she muttered.

That was shocking enough.

But then she smiled—small, sick, and daring.

And her next words nearly sent me over the edge.

"I’ve danced with death before. You’re just another song."