Us?

The ride to Levi’s penthouse was a blur of rain-slicked streets and suffocating silence. Eric drove the Maybach like he was auditioning for a chase scene in an action movie; fast, aggressive, but terrifyingly smooth.

I sat pressed against the leather door, clutching my bag to my chest. Levi sat on the other side of the backseat, staring out the window. His body was rigid, radiating a tension so palpable it felt like the air pressure in the car had dropped.

"Stop overthinking," Levi murmured, not turning his head.

"I'm not overthinking," I snapped, my nerves fraying. "I'm rationally analyzing the fact that my client just kidnapped me because I found a receipt for industrial chemicals."

Levi turned then. The passing streetlights cut across his face, illuminating the sharp angle of his jaw and the dangerous glint in his eyes.

"If I wanted to kidnap you, Maya, you wouldn't be in a luxury sedan. You'd be over my shoulder."

My stomach did a traitorous flip. "Is that supposed to be reassuring?"

"It's supposed to be a fact."

The car slowed, turning into the underground garage of a building that looked more like a fortress than a residence. It was all black steel and reinforced concrete. Eric pulled into a private bay, and the heavy metal gate rattled shut behind us, sealing us in.

"We're here," Levi said.

He was out of the car before Eric could open the door, circling around to my side. He offered me his hand. I hesitated, looking at the large, calloused palm.

"Maya. Come."

It was a command, low and vibrating. My body responded before my brain could protest. I took his hand. His skin was fever-hot, a stark contrast to the damp chill of the garage.

We took a private elevator that had no buttons, only a biometric scanner. Levi placed his palm against the panel, and the doors slid shut. The ascent was rapid, popping my ears.

When the doors opened, I stepped out into a space that stole the breath from my lungs.

It wasn't an apartment; it was a glass cage in the sky. Floor-to-ceiling windows offered a 360-degree view of Seattle, the Space Needle glowing in the distance. The interior was dark, masculine, charcoal slate floors, black leather furniture, and a massive fireplace that spanned an entire wall.

It smelled like him—pine, earth, and expensive scotch.

"Drink?" Levi asked, walking straight to a wet bar made of dark mahogany.

"I don't drink on the job."

"You're not on the job. You're in protective custody." He poured two tumblers of amber liquid. "And you're going to need this."

He walked over and pressed the glass into my hand. Our fingers brushed. The spark was immediate, a jolt of static that made my scar throb violently.

I hissed, bringing my free hand up to cup my shoulder.

Levi froze. His eyes dropped to my hand covering the mark. "Show me."

"It's fine. It just acts up sometimes."

"Show me, Maya."

He set his glass down on a side table and took a step closer. He didn't touch me, but his presence was overwhelming. He loomed over me, stealing the light, stealing the air.

"Why does it matter?" I whispered, clutching my coat. "It's just a scar."

"It's not just a scar." His voice was rough, strained. "Six months ago. You were walking home. It was late. You heard a sound in an alley."

My blood ran cold. I took a step back, hitting the edge of a leather sofa. "How do you know that?"

"You went to investigate," Levi continued, stepping forward, matching my retreat. "You saw a man. He was hurt. Dying. You tried to call for help."

"I never told anyone the details," I said, my voice shaking. "The police report just said animal attack. How do you know?"

"He told you to run," Levi whispered. He was right in front of me now, close enough that I could see the gold flecks swirling in his irises. "But you didn't. He lost control. He attacked you."

I dropped my drink. The glass shattered on the slate floor, whiskey splashing over my new boots. I didn't care.

"Who are you?" I gasped. "Were you... were you watching me?"

"No." Levi shook his head slowly. "I wasn't there. I was three thousand miles away, in a boardroom in London."

He reached out, his hand hovering over my shoulder.

"But I felt it," he said. "I felt the rage. The hunger. And then... I felt the pain. Your pain. It hit me like a blow. I collapsed in the middle of a meeting."

"That's impossible."

"Is it?" Levi smirked, but it was a sad, twisted thing. "You've seen the transfers, Maya. You've seen the purchase orders. Silver Nitrate."

"What does silver have to do with this?"

"Silver," Levi said, "burns us. It acts like a poison. It prevents us from healing. It prevents us from... shifting."

I stared at him. My auditor's brain was trying to process the data, but the data didn't make sense. Shifting? Us?

"You're talking like..." I couldn't even say it. It was ridiculous. "Like you're a werewolf."

Levi didn't laugh. He didn't deny it. He just looked at me with those intense, predatory eyes.

"We prefer the term Lycan," he said softly. "But yes. Werewolf covers the basics."

I let out a short, hysterical laugh. "Okay. Okay, this is a joke. Is Asher in on it? Is this some billionaire hazing ritual?"

"Maya."

"No!" I tried to push past him. "I'm leaving. I'm going to call the police, and I'm going to—"

Levi grabbed my wrist. He didn't yank me; he just held me there, an immovable object.

"Look at me," he commanded. The voice wasn't human. It rumbled through my bones, vibrating in my chest.

I looked.

And I watched his eyes change.

The amber didn't just glow; it ignited. The pupil expanded, then contracted into a slit. His face contorted, the bones shifting under the skin, his jaw widening, his teeth looking suddenly... sharper.

A low growl emanated from his chest, deep and terrifying.

It wasn't a trick of the light. It wasn't contact lenses.

I stopped breathing. My legs gave out.

Levi caught me before I hit the floor, swinging me up into his arms. He carried me over to the sofa and sat down, settling me on his lap like I weighed nothing.

"Breathe, little rabbit," he murmured, burying his face in my hair. "Breathe."

I gasped for air, clutching his shirt. He felt solid. Real. But terrifying.

"You're a monster," I whispered.

"Yes," he agreed. "I am."

He pulled back to look at me. His eyes were human again, but the intensity remained.

"The man who attacked you... he was a Rogue. A wolf who lost his pack, lost his mind to the animal side. He bit you."

Levi’s hand moved to my shoulder, his thumb tracing the fabric over the scar.

"The venom of a werewolf is fatal to humans," he explained, his voice gentle. "It burns through the system, destroys the organs. You should have died in that alley, Maya. Or, in very rare cases, you should have turned."

"I didn't turn," I whispered. "I'm human."

"I know," Levi said, looking puzzled. "You didn't die. And you didn't turn. You... survived. You absorbed the venom and stayed human."

"So?"

"So," Levi leaned his forehead against mine. "That shouldn't be possible. Unless..."

"Unless what?"

"Unless you were already meant to be part of this world." He closed his eyes, inhaling my scent again. "When he bit you, he didn't just mark you. He opened a door. And because I am the Alpha of the Pacific Pack... because that Rogue was technically on my territory... the bond snapped to me."

"What bond?"

Levi opened his eyes. They were liquid gold.

"The Mate bond, Maya."

I stared at him. "Mate? Like... soulmates?"

"Stronger," he said. "It means you are mine. And I am yours. It means when you bleed, I bleed. It means when you are in danger, I lose my mind."

He brushed a stray lock of hair from my forehead.

"Why do you think I hired your firm? Why do you think I demanded a solo auditor?" Levi asked. "I've been looking for you for six months. I knew you existed. I could feel you, but I couldn't find you. The bond was weak because you're human. Faint static."

"And now?"

"Now you're here," he growled possessively. "And you smell like vanilla and rain, and you're wearing my shoes, and you found proof that my own CFO is buying poison to kill my pack."

He gripped my chin gently.

"Isla Vance isn't embezzling money to buy a yacht, Maya. She's buying Silver Nitrate to dip bullets. She's planning a coup. She wants to wipe out the Cohen pack."

My brain was spinning. Werewolves. Poison bullets. Mates.

"Why?" I asked, my voice trembling. "Why does she want to kill you?"

"Because she's working for the Rogue who bit you," Levi said grimly. "And he's coming back to finish what he started."

I shivered, cold dread settling in my stomach.

"You're safe here," Levi promised, pulling me closer against his hard chest. "No one touches you. Not Isla. Not the Rogues."

"Levi," I whispered, my hand resting on his chest, feeling the slow, powerful thump of his heart. "What happens now?"

He looked at me, his expression fierce and tender all at once.

"Now," he said, "we hunt."