Chapter 2
Chapter 2: Finally In His Arms.
The Silver Ridge Pack Estate had never felt this restless.
Alpha Rowan Maxwell stood beside the floor-to-ceiling windows of his study, his untouched whiskey sitting on the desk behind him. Every few minutes, his eyes drifted toward the long driveway leading to the mansion gates.
She should have arrived by now.
Three years.
Three years since Elara had disappeared overseas.
The last time he'd seen her had been at Evelyn's funeral. She hadn't cried in front of him. She hadn't screamed or accused him of stealing her mother.
She had simply walked away.
And never looked back.
Rowan released a slow breath.
"Little Storm..."
The nickname escaped before he could stop himself.
His wolf stirred.
She isn't little anymore.
That thought alone was enough to make him drag a frustrated hand through his dark hair.
Every report his Beta sent from England reminded him of the same thing.
She had graduated with honors. She had become independent. Beautiful. A woman.
Control yourself. She's Evelyn's daughter.
His jaw tightened.
His marriage to Evelyn had never been built on passion. After Elara's father died protecting the pack, Rowan had stepped forward to honor an old promise. When Evelyn learned the Moon Goddess had given her only months to live, she asked him to become her husband—not as a lover, but as someone she trusted to protect Elara after she was gone.
He had agreed.
Not because he loved Evelyn as a mate...
But because family meant everything.
Yet the promise Evelyn whispered before her final breath still refused to leave him.
"If the Moon Goddess ever fates you with Elara... don't spend your lives running because of me."
Impossible. Wrong.
And still… He couldn't forget.
The distant rumble of an engine echoed through the estate.
Rowan's heartbeat skipped.
The security gates slowly opened.
A silver Uber rolled up the winding driveway before stopping in front of the mansion.
His wolf surged forward instantly.
Mine.
"No," Rowan muttered beneath his breath.
No. Absolutely not.
He forced the wolf back, his jaw clenching.
She deserved freedom. A future.
Not an aging Alpha carrying ghosts he couldn't bury.
Yet his feet were already moving.
The driver stepped out first before opening the rear door.
Long legs emerged. Then chestnut hair caught the afternoon sunlight.
Finally… Elara stepped onto the familiar stone driveway.
For a heartbeat, neither of them moved.
Three years disappeared in a single glance.
Elara's face lit up with a smile so radiant it made something inside him crack. “Rowan!”
She hurried toward him before stopping herself halfway, suddenly unsure.
The hesitation lasted barely a second. Then she closed the remaining distance.
Without thinking, she wrapped both arms around him.
The familiar scent of wildflowers and rain filled his lungs.
His body reacted before his mind could stop it. His arms circled her waist. Carefully. Too carefully.
As though she might disappear again.
“Welcome home, Little Storm,” he murmured.
She laughed softly against his chest. “You still call me that.”
“I warned you I'd never stop.”
She leaned back just enough to look at him. “And you haven't changed at all.”
Rowan almost laughed.
If only she knew. Everything had changed.
His gaze drifted across her face for one dangerous second too long.
The soft curve of her lips. The warmth in her eyes. The woman she'd become.
His wolf pushed forward again.
Mate...
His entire body went rigid.
No. It couldn't be.
A second later, the feeling disappeared as quickly as it had come.
Just imagination. It had to be.
He cleared his throat and reached for her suitcase instead. “Long flight?”
She nodded.
“I was hoping you would come back soon.” The simple confession lodged itself deep inside his chest.
Neither of them noticed the pair of amber eyes watching from across the parking lot.
A tall man lowered his phone after secretly snapping a photograph of Rowan holding Elara.
“So…” he muttered with a cold smile. “The Alpha's little weakness finally came home.”