Chapter 7 – The Alpha’s Temptation

(Draven's POV)

The first time I saw her, she was kneeling on the sidewalk, tucking a fragile flower into a child's palm.

It had been a cold, bitter evening. The kind that cut through flesh and bone, but she—she was warmth itself.

I had been driving through the city, barely paying attention, lost in my own mind—until my wolf stirred violently inside me.

My grip had tightened on the wheel. My breath had hitched.

And then I saw her.

A girl with sunlight in her hair and stars in her eyes.

She wasn't like anyone I had ever seen before.

The world had blurred around her, everything fading into insignificance.

She was softness in a world of sharp edges.

She had crouched in front of a little boy, gently fixing his coat, whispering something that made him smile despite his tears. Then, she had reached into the basket on her arm—full of flowers, delicate and vibrant—and picked one out.

A single lily.

She pressed it into his small hands, curling his fingers around it, her own touch light as a whisper.

The boy's face lit up, and he hugged the flower to his chest like it was the greatest treasure in the world.

And in that moment, I felt it.

A pull—deep, raw, undeniable.

My wolf had snarled, not in anger but in recognition.

And I knew.

She was mine.

Fate had finally decided to play its hand.

But I didn't get out of the car.

I didn't approach her.

Because I knew better.

I couldn't bring her into my world.

She didn't belong in the darkness I carried. She deserved light. Freedom. A life untouched by the monster that lived inside me.

So I did the only thing I could.

I walked away.

I spent that night locked inside my office, my mind a storm of conflict.

My beta, Kade, had noticed immediately.

"You're brooding," he had muttered, slumping into the chair across from me. "More than usual."

I had ignored him.

"Draven."

Nothing.

Then my omega, Elias, had walked in, arms crossed, eyes narrowed with amused suspicion.

"Alright, what's wrong with you?" he had asked, his tone laced with curiosity.

I had exhaled sharply, running a hand through my hair. "I found her."

Kade and Elias had gone completely still.

For a long moment, there was only silence.

Then—

"You found her?" Elias had asked, voice hushed.

I nodded. "I found my mate."

Elias had whooped loudly, nearly knocking over a glass of whiskey in his excitement.

Kade, on the other hand, had been watching me closely, eyes narrowing. "But?"

I clenched my jaw.

I didn't answer.

I didn't have to.

They both knew.

"You're not going to bring her here," Kade muttered, not even phrasing it as a question.

"I can't."

Elias had frowned. "Draven—"

"No." My voice had come out sharper than I intended. "She doesn't belong in this world."

Kade sighed, rubbing his jaw. "But she's your mate."

I looked at him, my chest tightening painfully. "And that's exactly why she needs to stay away from me."

They hadn't argued.

Not that night.

But I should have known they wouldn't leave it alone.

I hadn't realized what they had done until it was too late.

Until I stepped onto the ballroom floor and felt it—that pull, that intoxicating presence that had haunted my thoughts for weeks.

And then, I saw her.

She was standing beneath the golden chandeliers, dressed in black, her dress hugging every delicate, dangerous curve. Midnight roses decorated the tables, but she was the only thing I could see.

My mate.

Here.

At my ball.

I inhaled sharply, my grip tightening at my sides.

Kade. Elias. Those bastards.

I knew exactly what they had done.

They had invited her to the party.

And now, She was here.

I should have been furious.

I should have turned and left before she noticed me.

But as soon as her eyes met mine, everything else ceased to exist.

Her lips parted slightly, as if she felt it too—the weight of whatever bound us together, something neither of us could fight.

I should have walked away.

But I didn't.

Because now that she was here, there was no going back.

I couldn't stay away from her anymore.