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She's being practical. Vessa knows the political landscape better than anyone.

The rational explanation didn't make the sting any less sharp.

"Of course. I'll let Vessa know you requested her assistance."

Amara pushed back from the table and rose. "Perfect. I need to go to my room right away and start working."

She walked away before he could respond, her heels clicking against the stone terrace as she headed back toward the estate, purpose radiating from every line of her body. He watched her go, simultaneously disappointed that their time together was ending and impressed by the sheer competence she radiated.

That's my mate.

The thought filled him with fierce pride even as his lion protested being left behind. She was magnificent—brilliant, determined, completely unintimidated by the scope of the crisis he'd just laid at her feet. She hadn't flinched when he'd described the potential for planetary economic collapse. Instead, she'd immediately begun strategizing solutions.

But as he sat alone at the elegant table, surrounded by the remnants of their interrupted lunch, one question echoed through his mind with growing urgency.

How am I supposed to protect her when she won't let me close enough to know what she's really thinking?

Raxen prepared to push back from the terrace table when familiar footsteps on stone made him pause. Through the glass doors leading back into the estate, he caught sight of Vessa's flowing black hair and Jalen's imposing silhouette approaching.

Perfect timing.

His sister emerged first onto the sun-drenched terrace, her keen blue eyes immediately scanning the empty chair where Amara had been sitting moments before. Behind her, Jalen's massive frame filled the doorway, his expression carrying that perpetual alertness that marked him as Solaryn's security commander.

"Where's Amara rushing off to in such a hurry?" Vessa's voice carried a teasing lilt as she moved gracefully toward the table, her blue dress catching the light from Nova Aurora's suns. "Did you scare her off already?"

Before Raxen could respond, Jalen's deep chuckle rumbled across the terrace. "I knew Raxen couldn't last five minutes alone with his mate."

Heat flooded Raxen's chest, and his lion stirred restlessly, still agitated by her departure and the lingering traces of her intoxicating scent that clung to the air.

"Very funny, you two." He kept his voice level. "Actually, Amara headed to her room to work on her plan for tomorrow morning's meeting. And she requested your help, Vessa."

His sister's eyebrows rose in genuine surprise. "What meeting?"

"Amara requested a meeting with the four Alphas, the head of our labor union, and whoever else is critical to this crisis," he explained, fighting to keep his tone casual. "She wants to go over her plan with them."

Vessa's blue eyes sparkled with something that looked suspiciously like delight. "You actually took orders from someone? That's a first."

The words hit their mark with surgical precision. Raxen felt his jaw tighten as the realization fully crashed over him. She was right. He had taken orders from his mate—immediate, unquestioning compliance to a woman he'd known for less than three hours.

Because something about her makes me want to say yes to everything she asks.

The thought should have terrified him. Instead, it sent a thrill of anticipation through his bloodstream that he couldn't quite suppress.

"Don't overthink it, Vessa." He forced a dismissive shrug. "Amara asked for the meeting, and I agreed to it because I think whatever perspective and plan she has might help. We're at a stalemate right now anyway, so there's no harm in it."

The explanation sounded reasonable enough, but it was only part of the truth. He couldn't admit—not even to himself—that he was already completely captivated by his mate. That despite having no proof of her abilities beyond her obvious intelligence and unshakable confidence, something deep in his chest told him to trust her completely.

Vessa's laughter rang across the terrace, warm and knowing. "Well, I guess I should go assist her then, if she requested my expertise." Her smile turned wicked. "I'm sure you're absolutely thrilled she chose me over you, huh, brother?"

The barb found its target with embarrassing accuracy. A sharp stab of something that felt uncomfortably like jealousy pierced through his chest again.

"I'm busy anyway and don't have time for extra work." The lie rolled off his tongue with practiced ease, but Vessa’s expression told him she wasn't buying it for a second.

His sister's teasing smile softened into something gentler and more understanding. She'd always read him too well, even when he'd rather keep his thoughts private.

"Of course you are." Her tone held no judgment, only quiet affection. "I'll go find her now."

She turned and walked back toward the estate with her characteristic grace, leaving Raxen with the uncomfortable awareness that his carefully constructed emotional walls were already showing cracks after a single lunch with his fated mate.