Page 9 of Sun's Roar

Sol leaned closer to the oven, inhaling deeply. “It reminds me of home,” he murmured, his voice tinged with a fondness that piqued her curiosity.

“Well, Mr. Cadoret,” Helena said, placing her hands on her hips as she concluded the tour, “what do you think of your new acquisition? Will Ember & Spice meet your expectations?”

Sol’s eyebrows shot up, his green eyes widening slightly before a slow, amused smile spread across his face. “My acquisition? You think I’m buying this restaurant?”

Heat flashed through Helena’s body, starting at her core and rushing to her cheeks. “You’re not?” Her voice emerged as a mortified whisper.

“I’m afraid not.” His smile widened.

Helena’s embarrassment quickly morphed into irritation. “Then why did you let me give you an entire tour? I’ve spent the last thirty minutes showing you around like you own the place!” She glanced nervously at the clock on the wall. “The actual investor will be here any minute.”

Sol stepped closer, his tall frame forcing her to tilt her head back to maintain eye contact. “Because I wanted to spend time with you.” The direct simplicity of his statement knocked the breath from her lungs.

“You need to leave. Now.” Helena pointed toward the exit, ignoring the curious glances from her staff.

“I will,” he agreed, his voice a low rumble that seemed to vibrate through her chest. “If you have dinner with me tonight.”

The audacity stunned her. “Are you serious? I just told you my new boss is coming today. I need to be here for dinner service. To make a good impression.”

“Tomorrow, then.” His persistence should have annoyed her, but something in his unwavering attention sent thrills racing through her body.

“Look,” Helena sighed, “I need you to go. The investor could literally be here any minute.”

Sol pulled a business card from his inner pocket and held it between two fingers. “Take this. Call me when you’re ready.”

Helena snatched the card, shoving it into her chef’s coat pocket without looking at it. “Fine. I’ll call. Now please, leave.”

His gaze held her for a moment longer, intense and searching, before he nodded. “Until then, Helena.”

The way he spoke her name—like he was tasting it—sent another ripple of heat through her body. She watched him stride away, noting how the staff seemed to unconsciously make way for him, parting like water around a stone.

The moment the door swung shut behind him, Helena exhaled shakily, pressing her palm against her pocket where his card burned like a promise.

FOUR

SOL

Sol burst out of the front door of the restaurant. His jaw was clenched so tightly he could have crushed stone between his teeth. Two centuries as alpha and Prince of the Sunflare pack, and some chef had just dismissed him like a beggar at the palace gates. The afternoon sun beat down on his face, but it was nothing compared to the heat building in his chest.

He spotted the black SUV idling across the street, Joshua’s silhouette visible behind the wheel. Sol’s wolf prowled under his skin, unsettled and ready to claim what was rightfully his.

“It went that well, huh?” Joshua remarked as Sol slid into the back seat, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “I take it by your expression, she fell instantly in love with you.”

Sol’s eyes flashed with dangerous intensity. “She thinks I just wasted her time. She gave me a tour of the damn restaurant thinking I was some investor.”

Mitesh turned in the passenger seat, his weathered face creased with amusement. “The Luna doesn’t recognize her alpha?”

“She’shuman,” Sol growled, tugging at his hair.

Joshua glanced in the rearview mirror. “You’re kidding. A human Luna? That’s... unprecedented.”

“Her power has only just awakened.” Sol stared out the window, recalling the fierce determination in Helena’s hazel eyes, the way her chef’s coat hugged her curves, and how her red hair cascaded down her back like living flame. “She has no idea what’s happening to her right now.”

“But you felt the connection?” Mitesh asked.

Sol’s fingers gripped the leather armrest, remembering the intense pull he felt when he saw her. “The very moment I walked in. It was like every flame in my blood reached for her.”

“Yet she kicked you out.” Joshua’s shoulders shook with barely suppressed laughter.

---