CHAPTER 197: _ FOUND YOUR MATE?

Darien returns the kiss automatically with his voice gentling. "I missed you too, Mother."

Then the suspicious part of his brain, the one that never sleeps, wakes up. He pulls back a little and narrows his eyes. "You’re outside. Waiting for me."

Ines smiles faintly. "I see your observation skills have not dulled."

"Mother."

"Darien." Her tone matches his perfectly, like a dance they’ve done before. "You look surprised."

"Because I am. You hate waiting."

"I dislike inefficiency," she corrects with a hint of pride curling through her voice. "But tonight, I was impatient."

He tilts his head. "For what?"

"To know whether my son has found his mate."

The words hit him square in the gut. For half a second, he almost stumbles. His mother’s eyes that are as sharp as a hawk’s catch the whiff of hesitation that betrays him.

Darien laughs, but he does it too quickly and too roughly. "Straight to business, as always."

"Of course." She studies his face with the kind of scrutiny that would make lesser men confess to crimes they hadn’t committed. "So. Have you?"

Oh, gods. The dreaded question. Darien opens his mouth, then closes it again. Kairos shifts inside him, restless, pressing against his skin in agitation.

Heidi’s name flashes through his mind. He sees the way she looked at him when she thought he wasn’t watching, the faint shimmer that lingers in the air whenever she breathes, like starlight condensed into a heartbeat.

His throat tightens.

Ines notices. She always notices. "Ah," she says softly, stepping closer. "You have."

"I..."

She continues in a deceptively calm tone. "Don’t bother denying it. You’ve inherited your father’s inability to lie convincingly. So tell me, who is she?"

He swallows hard. His tongue feels heavy. The air feels too thin. Every instinct of his screams to protect Heidi, to hide her away from everyone, even from the people who raised him. Especially from them.

But he also knows what Halric said: They’re watching her. They suspect.

He’s running out of time.

As he stands there before his mother, moonlight washing the courtyard in pale silver, the kind that makes everything look colder than it really is, the air between them holds the weight of all his hesitation.

He knows what she expects of him. She wants an aristocratic union, someone with noble blood, a lineage blessed by ancient names and impeccable records. Not a Moon Blessed girl with no surname worth remembering. Not someone who could undo the entire Pack’s political equilibrium by simply existing.

But tonight, Darien is done pretending that equilibrium matters more than she does.

He straightens, jaw tightening. "I have, Mother," he confesses at last.

His voice comes out steady, though his pulse slams against his throat like it’s trying to escape. "I’ve found her."

Ines’s brows arch delicately. "Then what’s with the theatrics?" she says in that cool, melodic tone that’s both fond and cutting. "You sound like a man confessing to treason, not love."

He nearly laughs. If only you knew how close those two things are right now.

He runs a hand through his damp hair, feeling the faint tremor in his fingers. "It’s complicated."

"It always is with you, Darien. You don’t do simple. You do storms." She purrs, dusting his jacket.

The words land with more truth than she realizes.

Darien breathes out slowly. The night hums with silence that even the distant chirping of crickets, the rustle of leaves whispering secrets only wolves could hear has nothing on. The moon sits high above them, cold and watchful, as though even it waits for him to say what he’s holding back.

"I’ll bring her home soon," he says finally. "To meet you."

Ines’ eyes sharpen. "Soon? Why the suspense? You know I dislike waiting."

"I know." He softens the words with a small smile, trying to meet her sternness with warmth. "But you’ll understand when you meet her. You always do."

For a moment, she studies him. Her gaze flicks across his face as though trying to read the unspoken sentences behind his eyes. The corner of her mouth curves faintly. "You sound certain."

He nods once. "I am."

"Then I suppose I’ll wait. Though I expect her to be worthy of you. No less." She exhales, elegant as ever.

Darien smiles again, but it’s a tired smile, the kind that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. She’s more than worthy, he thinks. She’s the reason the pack hasn’t burned down yet.

"Come," Ines says, looping her arm through his. "You must be starving. Your father’s been impossible since you left. He insists no meal is complete without you there to argue about pack policy."

Darien huffs out a quiet laugh. "Sounds like him."

They walk toward the mansion together, gravel crunching beneath their feet. The Bellamy estate looms above them like something out of an old legend. Tall windows glimmering with golden light, and the faint echo of laughter spilling from the grand hall.

Inside, the scent of roasted meat and aged oak hits him first. It’s rich and comforting. It’s home, but also something else. It’s a reminder of legacy, of duty, of the invisible chains that come with both.

As they step through the arched doorway, movement draws Darien’s attention.

Alpha Tobias and Luna Rayne emerge from the main corridor, hands intertwined like teenagers sneaking out after curfew. Tobias’ deep laugh reverberates through the hall, and Rayne’s bright, lilting giggle follows like sunlight breaking through clouds.

Ines immediately rolls her eyes. "Good goddess, will you two ever act your age?"

Tobias glances over, still grinning. "Jealous, Ines?" he teases, brushing a lock of Rayne’s honey-colored hair from her cheek. "You know love keeps the blood young."

"Then you must be centuries younger than me," Ines replies sarcastically.

Darien bites the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. His mother’s words are sharp, but there’s amusement threading through them. How she could be so indifferent watching her husband be all lovey dovey with another woman is a kind of skill that leaves Darien in awe...

... one he never hopes to inherit because the moon Goddess help him, he’d die before ever willingly share Heidi.