CHAPTER FOUR
COLE'S POV
I knew before the others.
That was the problem.
Power comes with instinct.
With awareness.
With the ability to recognize danger before it fully forms.
And this—
This was danger in its purest form.
Kamil.
Her name alone was enough to unsettle something deep inside me.
Not just as a man.
But as an Alpha.
As a wolf.
I stood in my office, the noise of the gathering below barely reaching me. The walls felt too tight. The air too thick.
Because her scent still lingered.
Faint.
But unmistakable.
And my wolf—
Refused to ignore it.
"This is a mistake," I muttered.
Not the first time I'd said it.
Not the first time I'd meant it.
And yet—
I hadn't stayed away.
I poured a drink, the burn of it doing nothing to dull the tension coiled inside me.
Because this wasn't something alcohol could fix.
This wasn't something logic could control.
It was instinct.
And instinct didn't care about rules.
A sharp knock broke through my thoughts.
Before I could respond, the door opened.
Evan.
His expression was tight.
Controlled.
Too controlled.
"You feel it too," I said before he could speak.
No point pretending.
Not between wolves.
His jaw clenched.
"So it's not just me."
No.
It wasn't.
Silence stretched between us.
Heavy.
Loaded.
"This doesn't happen," he said finally. "Not like this."
"I'm aware."
Because in all my years—
All my experience—
I had never felt anything like it.
"It's her," Evan said.
Not a question.
A fact.
"Yes."
The word hung in the air.
Unavoidable.
Unchangeable.
Evan ran a hand through his hair, pacing slightly.
"This is wrong."
I almost laughed.
Almost.
"Wrong doesn't begin to cover it," I said.
"Then we stop it."
That made me look at him.
Really look at him.
"You think you can?" I asked quietly.
His silence was answer enough.
Because I couldn't.
I had tried.
From the moment I noticed it.
From the moment I saw the way her eyes lingered just a second too long.
The way her scent shifted when I was near.
The way my control—
Slipped.
"She's Violet's best friend," I said, my voice harder now. "She's off limits in every possible way."
"And she's my—" Evan stopped himself.
Good.
Because neither of us wanted to say it.
"And she's tied to him," I added.
Evan's expression darkened.
"Yale."
The name alone carried weight.
Power.
Territory.
War, if it came to it.
"This gets out," I continued, "and it won't just be a scandal. It'll be a bloodbath."
"And yet…" Evan muttered.
And yet we couldn't walk away.
A low growl rumbled in my chest before I could stop it.
Frustration.
Possession.
Something far more dangerous.
"She's not yours," Evan snapped.
My gaze snapped to his.
Sharp.
Cold.
Alpha.
"She's not yours either," I replied.
The tension between us spiked instantly.
Not just as men.
As wolves.
For a split second—
I saw it.
What this could become.
Rivalry.
Violence.
A fight neither of us would back down from.
And at the center of it—
Kamil.
A soft knock at the door shattered the moment.
We both stilled.
"Kamil?"
Violet's voice echoed faintly from the hallway.
Evan stepped back immediately.
Distance.
Control.
Pretense.
I set my glass down slowly, forcing my expression into something neutral.
Something Alpha.
Untouchable.
But inside—
Nothing was steady.
Evan moved toward the door.
Paused.
Then looked back at me.
"This doesn't go further," he said.
A warning.
A plea.
A lie.
"Of course not," I replied.
We both knew better.
He left.
And I was alone again.
Alone with a truth I couldn't deny.
This wasn't just an attraction.
It wasn't just temptation.
This was something deeper.
Something older.
Something that didn't care about rules, or bonds, or consequences.
A pull that connected—
Not two.
Not even three.
But all of us.
I exhaled slowly, dragging a hand down my face.
"Moon Goddess," I muttered under my breath, "what have you done?"
Because this—
This felt like fate.
And fate was not something you could outrun.