Victor's POV

I couldn't stop thinking about Laura.

For a split second, I swore I saw her standing in my house—her scent, her presence, so vivid it made my chest tighten. But when I blinked, she was gone.

Just my imagination.

The mate bond was already playing tricks on me.

I ran a hand through my hair, exhaling slowly. Was she feeling this too? The pull, the constant awareness, the way my thoughts kept circling back to her no matter how hard I tried to focus?

I wondered if she could sense me the way I sensed her.

And if she did... did she hate it as much as I feared she might?

Laura felt it before she saw him.

The air shifted, thickened, her instincts flaring as she stepped out of the grocery store. Her heart stuttered, and she froze mid-step.

Victor stood across the parking lot, leaning casually against a black truck like he had every right to be there.

Her mate.

The word still made her chest tighten.

"You're following me," she said as she approached, keeping her voice low.

Victor straightened immediately. "No," he replied calmly. "I was making sure you were safe."

"I didn't ask for a guard dog."

A corner of his mouth twitched. "You didn't have to."

She crossed her arms, trying to ignore how close he felt, how her wolf stirred beneath her skin. "You don't get to just show up in my life."

He took a step closer, then stopped, clearly forcing himself not to invade her space. "I know. But the bond makes it... difficult to stay away."

Her breath caught despite herself.

"So it is real," she murmured.

Victor's eyes softened. "Very."

She looked away, jaw tightening. "That doesn't mean I trust you."

"You don't have to," he said. "Not yet."

The honesty in his voice unsettled her.

"Then why are you here?" she asked.

His gaze flicked briefly to the treeline bordering the lot. "Because you're being watched."

Her pulse spiked. "By who?"

"Not my pack," he said quickly. "Your father's."

Her blood ran cold.

Victor met her eyes again, his voice low and certain. "And this time, they won't stop at asking you to come home."

Silence stretched between them, heavy with unspoken truths.

Finally, Laura exhaled. "Fine. One coffee."

His brows lifted. "Coffee?"

"You said you wanted to talk," she said, already heading toward the café across the street. "You get fifteen minutes. That's it."

Victor watched her go, a slow smile forming.

Fifteen minutes was more than enough to change everything.