Page 9 of His Secret Mate

He felt a warmth spread through him at her words, a small but significant crack in the walls he had built around his emotions. He quickly shifted his focus back to the controls, trying to maintain his professional demeanor. "Would you mind helping me finish this check? Then we can both get some rest. We have another long day ahead."

"Sure, I can do that," she said, her tone returning to its usual businesslike manner.

As they completed their tasks, Orion couldn't shake the feeling that something had changed between them. It was subtle, a shift in the air, but it was there. He could sense a growing bond, a mutual respect that went beyond mere professional courtesy. It was something deeper, something he was reluctant to explore but couldn't ignore.

"You should never have come," he said. "It's too dangerous."

"For whom? Certainly not for Trudi and her people. I had to come. I will not let them go quietly into that good night. I will rage against the dying of the light.” Lara said, quoting Dylan Thomas, her eyes flashing.

Before he could respond, the realization of who she was, what she was, really set in. He’d been feeling lightheaded and nauseous ever since he’d taken off for Otter Cove, but he’d ignored the disorienting feeling for what it was until an even stronger strange sensation had washed over him. It was an inexplicable pull, a sudden awareness that made his heart race. This latest realization hit him like a lightning bolt, electrifying every nerve in his body. Apparently, the fates had decided he needed to be hit over the head, and that jarring feeling of everything falling into place was it.

"Lara, we need to talk," he said.

She shook her head. “Not now. Not tonight.”

Outside, the storm was in full force, the wind howling and the snow piling up. They were grounded, unable to leave until it passed. Orion felt the weight of the situation settling over him. The isolation of the Arctic had always been his refuge, but now it was a cage, trapping him with unresolved tensions and unspoken truths.

Lara met his gaze, and for a moment, the storm outside mirrored in her eyes. For Orion, his past and present had collided and the future—although the destination was clear—the future’s path was uncertain.

CHAPTER 4

ORION

Over and over, he told himself now was not the time for him to take a mate, especially a human one, but Lara’s allure was becoming too difficult to ignore. His wolf paced relentlessly in his mind, wanting to be set free. Orion might be conflicted about what he wanted and what he was willing to do to get it, but his wolf was clear and saw only one way to go forward. He made his way back through the station to the hangar via the underground tunnel. Once inside, he turned on the sauna before removing his clothing and calling forth his wolf.

Leaving the safety and shelter of the station, he galloped across the tundra, allowing his mind to float free as he engaged his muscles and tapped into the power and the freedom it was to be wolf. The arctic wind blew across the barren expanse, its icy fingers brushing over the snow-laden terrain. Orion streaked across the frozen landscape, his charcoal and silver tipped coat creating a sleek silhouette against the endless white. His thick fur bristled against the biting cold, offering warmth and camouflage in equal measure.

Each stride captured his power and grace, his paws barely touching the ground before propelling him forward again. Orion's breath crystallized in the frigid air, leaving a trail of misty puffs in his wake. His eyes, sharp and glacial blue, scanned the horizon with an intensity born of survival. They reflected the stark beauty of his surroundings, a blend of vigilance and primal instinct.

The ground beneath him was a patchwork of ice and compacted snow, each step carefully placed to avoid hidden crevices and slippery surfaces. The muscles in his legs rippled with strength, honed by countless chases and the relentless endurance that came from being a dire wolf-shifter. He was a master of this harsh domain, his movements synchronized with the rhythm of the wild.

As he ran, the arctic moon illuminated the horizon behind the storm clouds that were cast in the colorful lights of the aurora borealis as they danced across the night sky. Even the storm could not contain their magic. The twilight glow bathed the wolf in an ethereal light, adding to his otherworldly presence. He was both a predator and a phantom, a symbol of the untamed wilderness that stretched infinitely around him.

The silence of the Arctic was broken only by the crunch of snow beneath his paws and the distant low, powerful, slightly rasping hoot of the Arctic’s snowy owl. The wolf's ears i towards the sound, alert but unperturbed. His journey was a testament to resilience, each heartbeat a reminder of his unyielding spirit.

In the vast emptiness, the wolf was a solitary figure, yet he belonged to this place as intrinsically as the ice and snow. His breath came steady and strong, a living embodiment of the Arctic's indomitable force. With each bound, he forged a path through the frozen wilderness, a silent guardian of the icy realm, running ever onward into the heart of the Arctic night.

At the edge of the forest, Orion paced amongst the shadows and ancient trees as they mingled with the dark thoughts clouding his mind. The moon hung low in the sky, casting an ethereal glow over the ground that he traversed. His heightened senses picked up every nuance of the snow as it rushed across the land, every distant call of the creatures of the night, but his mind was elsewhere. Lara. Her name, her image, her very essence haunted him, and she was becoming impossible to ignore.

He had tried to keep his distance, to remain the stoic protector, but every time he saw her, his resolve weakened. She was his fated mate, and every fiber of his being called out for her. Her laugh, her scent, the way her eyes sparkled when she talked about something she loved—it all drew him in, threatening to unravel the control he had worked so hard to maintain.

Realizing his run had done him no more good than the cold shower, Orion turned for home and returned to Aurora Station. Once inside the hangar, he secured their shelter, shifted and went into the sauna to warm himself down to his bones. Once the feeling had returned to all of his limbs, he got dressed and headed back to the main building of the station.

He stuck his head inside Lara’s dorm and watched her as she slept. He wondered how long it would take her to learn to curl up in his arms and sleep, either with her head on his chest or spooned against him, her back to his front. His cock hardened at the thought of her naked body nestled against it.

If he’d thought she would readily accept him as her fated mate, he might have pushed harder. But she’d been living amongst shifters for some time and had refused all offers to turn her. She was not ready to give up her humanity.

Knowing she was fast asleep, he went into the common room and looked to see if between the aurora borealis playing more lightly with the electrical fields and the small respite in the winter storm, he could reach out and talk to Derek. They’d never been overly close, but Lara’s sister was Derek’s mate.

The video chat crackled and hissed before finally Derek’s visage emerged from the shadows, his expression a mix of curiosity and concern. “Are you both all right? Tess is concerned,” he said, his tone casual but with an underlying note of worry.

“We’re fine,” Orion lied. Lara was fine; he was the furthest thing from it. Knowing he needed to talk to someone who might understand, he broached the topic on his mind. “Actually I’m losing my mind. It’s Lara,” he admitted, his voice low and rough. “She’s my fated mate.”

Derek sat back, his eyes narrowing, his posture tensing. “Lara? Orion, she’s human, and as far as I know wants to stay that way. I offered to turn her, as have several others, but she says that isn’t what she wants. You know what that means.”

Orion sighed, pulling his hand down the dark bearded scruff on his face. “I know. Believe me, I’ve thought about it constantly. But it doesn’t change how I feel—what I know to be true.”

“I get it, but that doesn’t mean everybody else will. Deke’s kind of a dick about females being turned without their consent.”

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