June's POV

The airport was nearly empty at 4:10 a.m when we arrived. I had texted Kael that I was at the airport but got no response from the cold Alpha. But his assistant had called to direct us to where we would be boarding the plant.

Beth nudged me as we approached the private hangar gates. “Do we… just walk in?” she asked hesitantly.

Before I could answer, a tall man in a dark uniform stepped out from behind the glass doors. “Are you Miss Juniper Neville?” he asked in a strict yet respectful voice.

I froze. “Yes?” I replied.

“Please come with me. He’s waiting.” he said. I exchanged a glance with Beth, who looked like she was both thrilled and suspicious at once. The guard led us down a short corridor, then out onto the tarmac.

That’s when we saw it, a sleek, black private jet waiting like something out of a movie. Lights glowing soft against its polished surface. The stairs already lowered. And at the base of them… him.

The Lycan King, Kael Alistair. I stopped walking at the sight of him. So did Beth.

Kael looked taller than I remembered, dressed in black slacks and a fitted shirt that hugged every inch of his broad shoulders. His expression was unreadable, cool and calm, but his eyes locked onto mine the second he saw me. And then his brows lifted—just a flicker of surprise—as he noticed Beth at my side.

He didn’t say anything about it, though. Didn’t ask. Just nodded once and said, “Let’s go. We don’t have time.” he said in his usual cold tone. I was almost drooling at the sight of him. How could someone this attractive exist. And I thought Seth was the most attractive man in the world.

If Korra set her eyes on the Lycan King, I was sure she would be jealous of how incredibly good looking and powerful my mate was.

I paused at the thought. My mate? No. He didn't want me, I didn't want him either. We were not going to acknowledge that.

Beth leaned into me, whispering, “That’s him?” she asked, snapping me out of my thoughts. I nodded silently as we walked up the stairs behind the guard.

She let out a low breath. “Okay, no one said the guy was drop-dead gorgeous. You left that part out.” she said to me. I tried not to smile. Even a blind man could tell he was simply unreal.

Inside, the jet was unlike anything I’d expected. Cream leather seats, polished mahogany panels, soft lighting that made the whole cabin feel like a luxury hotel suite. Beth actually gasped.

“Is this real?” she whispered.

I sat down stiffly. “Yeah. Kael’s… not exactly normal.” i said to her and her eyes widened. I tried to not be surprised by how wealthy Kael was, he was the Lycan King after all.

"Kael? You mean Kale Alistair? The Lycan king?" Beth almost screamed and I immediately covered her mouth with my hand, looking around to be sure no one noticed us.

I slowly nodded, realising I should have at least revealed his identity.

"Yes, him. I'll explain when we get off the plane. Don't scream okay?" I said and she nodded, her eyes still wide.

Beth slid into the seat beside me. “You said a man, June. You didn’t say you were leaving with a billionaire werewolf king. He is definitely not just a man” she said as soon as her mouth was free.

“He still technically man,” I muttered.

Beth gave me a look. “You’re joking, right? That’s the Lycan King. The Kael Alistair. Every supernatural news blog has written about him.” she said giving me a disappointing look.

I glanced toward the front of the jet where Kael stood speaking quietly to the pilot. Even now, his presence filled the space like gravity itself bent around him. This man had a commanding aura that no one could ignore.

Beth leaned closer. “Is it weird that I feel nervous standing near him? Like, my pulse is all over the place.” she said, breathing slowly. I couldn't blame her.

I gave a half-laugh. “You’re not the only one. You’re after all in front of the Lycan King.” I teased with a side smile.

She exhaled dramatically, fanning her face. “I’d probably faint if he looked at me too long.” she replied.

Something in me twisted, not quite jealousy, not quite pride. Just this complicated ache in my chest. Part of me wanted to say he’s mine. To claim him, to announce it so the whole plane would hear. But I remembered too much. The last man I had proudly fluanted betrayed me.

So I just nodded, resting my head against the cool window glass. “Yeah. He does that to people.” I said like I knew him.

The flight was smooth and pretty quiet. Kael didn’t say much, and I didn’t either. Beth passed out halfway through, curled up with a blanket Kael’s assistant handed her before takeoff. I couldn’t sleep. Not with everything buzzing in my head. Not when I knew we were flying straight into a world I didn’t understand anymore.

We landed an hour later on a private airstrip surrounded by tall evergreens and a gray sky streaked with dawn. The wind was sharper here—cooler, cleaner. I breathed it in as I stepped out of the jet.

Kael was already speaking, his voice low. “You need to be careful from here on out,” he said without looking at me. “This pack has enemies. I have enemies. More than I can count. You’re not just some girl anymore, June. You’re my partner to the public” that was the first time he actually spoke to me directly since I had seen him today.

I took a double look at him. He didn't have any look of love or concern on his face. He acted like a robot simply carrying out his duties. He turned to me and continued, “You’ll have a personal guard with you at all times. His name is Devil.” he said to me

“Devil?” I repeated, surprised by the odd name.

Kael nodded, unfazed. “He’s the best I have. Don’t be alarmed by the name.” he replied. If he was giving me his best guard, it was one of two thing. Either he was too good to be protected by this devil or he was more concerned about me than himself and the second option felt too good to be true.

Without waiting for a reply from me, Kael began to descend from the plane and that was a cue for Beth and I to get off the plane. Two men stood at the edge of the landing strip, both striking in completely opposite ways.

The one on the left had short, wavy brown hair and bright brown eyes that crinkled as he smiled. His charm was effortless, the kind that made you trust him before he even opened his mouth.

The other was taller, leaner, with sleek black hair tied back in a bun. He wore a dark jacket and boots, beard neatly trimmed, and he looked… annoyed. No smile, just a sharp focus that made me glance away instinctively.

As soon as Kael approached, the brown-haired one grinned. “Look who decided to show up. I was beginning to think you got eaten by rogue wolves or took a vacation without us.” he said with a playboyish grin that reminded me of Seth. Was everyone in this pack incredibly hot because these two men looked so good.

The other one scowled. “You left without saying a word. Again.” he sounded upset.

Kael didn’t respond to either of them at first. Then he turned to me and Beth. “June, this is Aster, my Beta,” he said, gesturing to the grinning one. “And that’s Damian, my Delta.” he introduced, without answering either of them. It seemed like he was just cold to me and being cold was the Lycan king's personality.

Aster’s eyes moved to me, curious and warm. “And who,” he said with a slow smile, “is this lovely lady?”

I opened my mouth, but Kael beat me to it.

“She’s my mate.” he said the word I didn't think I would ever hear from him in public. My eyes widened and the silence that followed was defeaning For a moment, even the wind seemed to stop.

Aster’s eyebrows shot up so high they nearly disappeared into his hair. Damian’s eyes narrowed slightly, lips parting just a little in disbelief. Beth stiffened beside me like someone had pressed pause on her brain.

“I’m sorry,” Aster said slowly. “Did you just say—mate?”

Kael gave a single nod. “Yes.” he answered coldly.