Elara felt his presence before she saw him.
It was not the bond not entirely. It was the subtle shift in the air, the way the space around her seemed to tighten, as if the territory itself was holding its breath. She slowed her steps along the stone path, fingers curling slightly at her sides.
Kael Blackridge was near.
She told herself she was prepared. She had walked into Blackridge territory with her head high and her heart steady. She had reminded herself, over and over, that years had passed, that wounds had healed into scars, that she was no longer the girl who had stood trembling in the clearing beneath a full moon.
Still, when she lifted her gaze and saw him waiting ahead, her breath caught.
He stood alone beneath the old oak near the council hall, posture straight, expression carefully neutral. Time had changed him broadened his shoulders, sharpened the lines of his face but the essence of him was the same. Commanding. Controlled. Distant.
Her wolf stirred faintly, then settled.
Elara stopped a few steps away.
"Alpha Blackridge," she said, inclining her head politely.
The formality tasted strange on her tongue.
Kael's eyes flickered, something dark and unreadable passing through them. He inclined his head in return. "Elara Moonfall."
He did not call her his mate.
She was grateful for that.
Silence stretched between them, heavy and deliberate. The bond hummed quietly beneath her ribs, restrained but aware, like something listening intently. Elara ignored it.
"I received your request," she said evenly. "I'm here in my capacity as a neutral healer."
"As expected," Kael replied. His voice was calm, professional. Too careful. "The pack appreciates your willingness to assist."
The pack.
Not him.
She nodded once. "Where will I be staying?"
Kael hesitated just a fraction of a second. "The guest quarters on the eastern grounds. Away from the Alpha house."
Away from me, the bond whispered.
Elara accepted the decision without comment. Distance was easier.
"I'll begin my duties immediately," she said. "If there are no further instructions."
She turned to leave.
"Elara."
Her steps faltered before she could stop herself.
She faced him again, keeping her expression composed, her walls firmly in place. "Yes, Alpha?"
Kael looked at her as if he were memorizing something he feared he would lose again. "Thank you," he said quietly. "For coming."
She studied him for a long moment.
"You asked," she replied simply. "That is all."
Elara turned away and walked past him, her shoulder brushing the air where his presence loomed close but untouchable. The bond stirred, aching faintly, but she did not allow herself to react.
They were strangers now.
And some distances, once created, could not be crossed again.