Chapter 1: The Fake Girlfriend

SIERRA

I was going to kill my father.

"Absolutely not," I said, crossing my arms. "Dad, you can't be serious."

Coach Bennett, my father sighed and set down his coffee mug. We were in his office at the Blackpine arena, the smell of ice and sweat lingering in the air. Through the window, I could see the team running drills.

"Sierra, it's one dinner. Maybe a few public appearances. That's it."

"You want me to fake date Asher Kane. Your captain. The alpha of the Blackpine pack." I laughed, but it came out slightly hysterical. "Do you hear how insane that sounds?"

"The elders are breathing down his neck. They want him mated and settled. If he doesn't show he's working on it, they'll force an arranged pairing." Dad ran a hand through his graying hair. "Asher asked for my help. He trusts you."

"He barely knows me."

"You've been around the team since you were eight years old. He knows you well enough."

I stared out the window. Asher was on the ice, moving with that effortless grace that made him the best center in the league. Even from here, I could see the power in his stride, the way other players instinctively gave him space.

He was also annoyingly attractive. Dark hair, sharp jawline, eyes that shifted between brown and gold depending on how close his wolf was to the surface.

Not that I'd noticed.

"Why me?" I asked. "He could pick any girl in town."

"Because you're human. The elders want him to mate within the pack, strengthen bloodlines. If he's 'dating' a human, it buys him time to find his actual mate." Dad's expression softened. "And because you're the only person who won't fall for his alpha charm and make this complicated."

Too late for that, I thought, but didn't say it out loud.

I have had a stupid crush on Asher since I was seventeen. He'd helped me change a tire in the arena parking lot after everyone else had left, and I'd made an idiot of myself by blushing every time he smiled. Nothing had come of it—he was twenty-one, I was in high school, and it was inappropriate on every level.

But the crush had lingered, buried deep where no one could see it.

"Fine," I said. "One month. Then we 'break up' and he can tell the elders he tried."

Dad's relief was palpable. "Thank you. Team dinner is tonight at Marco's. Seven o'clock. Dress nice."

~~~

Marco's was packed with hockey players and their dates. I'd worn a blue dress that my roommate swore made my eyes pop, though I felt overdressed and underprepared.

Asher met me at the entrance. He'd traded his usual jeans for dark slacks and a button-down that did unfair things to his shoulders.

"Sierra." His voice was warm, but I caught the tension underneath. "Thanks for doing this."

"Don't thank me yet. I'm a terrible actress."

"Just be yourself. That's all I need." He offered his arm, and I took it, trying to ignore the way my skin tingled where we touched.

Inside, the team had claimed the back section. Jace Matthews, the right winger, whistled when he saw us. "Kane brought a date? Someone check if hell froze over."

"Shut up, Matthews." But Asher was grinning. He pulled out a chair for me, playing the perfect gentleman.

I sat, hyperaware of his hand resting on the back of my chair. The other players were watching with barely concealed curiosity.

"You're Coach's daughter, right?" asked Tyler, one of the defensemen.

"Guilty."

"Does this mean if we piss off Asher, we have to run extra drills?"

"Absolutely," I said, and the table laughed.

Dinner started fine. The team was rowdy but good-natured, razzing Asher about finally settling down. He played along, his hand occasionally brushing my shoulder or arm—small touches that felt enormous.

Then Sebastian Crane walked in.

The temperature in the room dropped. Sebastian was the alpha of Silvermoon pack, Blackpine's biggest rival both on and off the ice. He was older than Asher, broader, with silver-streaked hair and cold amber eyes.

"Kane," Sebastian said, approaching our table. "Heard you were here. Thought I would stop by."

"Sebastian." Asher's voice was carefully neutral. "What brings you to Blackpine territory?"

"Scouting. We play you next week, remember?" His gaze slid to me. "And who's this?"

"My girlfriend. Sierra." Asher's hand moved to my shoulder, possessive. "Sierra, this is Sebastian Crane."

I stood to shake his hand, trying to be polite. The moment our skin touched, the world tilted.

Vision slammed into me—ice cracking beneath skates, blood on white jerseys, Asher's face twisted in pain. A locker room. A fight. Someone falling.

I yanked my hand back, gasping.

"You okay?" Sebastian's eyes narrowed.

"Fine. Sorry. Static shock." I sat down hard, my heart racing.

Asher was staring at me, and I saw the exact moment he figured it out. His face changed from concern to shock to something that looked like wonder.

"We need to go," he said abruptly, standing. "Sorry, guys. Sierra's not feeling well."

Jace frowned. "You just got here."

"I'll see you at practice tomorrow." Asher was already pulling me toward the exit, his grip gentle but firm.

We made it to his truck before I started shaking. He helped me into the passenger seat, then climbed in beside me.

"What did you see?" he asked quietly.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sierra. Please."

I looked at him. Really looked. His eyes were gold now, his wolf close to the surface.

"A hockey game," I whispered. "You and Sebastian. But it wasn't just a game. People were hurt and there was..." I trailed off, not sure how to explain the violence I had felt.

Asher's hands tightened on the steering wheel. "You had a vision when you touched him."

"That's crazy. I'm human."

"Are you?"

The question hung between us.

"My mom's human. My dad's human. I'm—" But even as I said it, doubt crept in. Little things I'd always dismissed. The way I could sometimes sense moods. How I'd always known when my dad was lying. The strange dreams.

"We need to talk to your mother," Asher said.

"Why?"

"Because humans don't have visions when they touch werewolves. And they definitely don't smell like..." He stopped, his jaw clenching.

"Like what?"

"Like pack. Like wolf." He turned to face me fully. "Sierra, I think you might be a late bloomer. It's rare, but it happens. Sometimes the wolf doesn't manifest until the first mate bond is sensed."

My stomach dropped. "Mate bond?"

"The vision you had when you touched Sebastian—that's not normal. But if you touched me..." He held out his hand, palm up. "Touch me. Skin to skin."

"Asher—"

"Please."

Against my better judgment, I placed my hand in his.

Heat exploded through my veins. Not a vision this time, but something deeper. A recognition. Like two puzzle pieces sliding into place.

Asher's eyes went completely gold. "Oh hell."

"What?"

"You're not just a wolf, Sierra." His voice was rough, strained. "You're my mate. My true mate."

I tried to pull away, but he held on.

"That's impossible. We're fake dating, this is pretend."

"The bond doesn't care about our plans." He finally released my hand, but I could still feel the phantom warmth. "This changes everything."

"How?"

"Because if the elders find out I found my true mate and I'm hiding it from them, they'll force us to complete the bond. No choice. No waiting." He scrubbed a hand over his face. "And if Sebastian suspects..."

"What?"

"He'll use you against me. Challenge me for pack leadership and make you part of the stakes."

I stared at him. "So our fake relationship just became very, very real."

"Yeah." Asher started the truck. "And we have about a week before Sebastian figures it out."