"Control yourself," I hissed to my wolf. He'd become nearly incontrollable when Blaire followed me into my bedroom. The simple scent of her skin had me undone. I'd told her the truth because I knew she wouldn't move across the hallway if I didn't. Besides pissing herself, she took it—okay-ish. I wasn't sure if this was a façade yet, and she waited for me to turn my head so she could run for it. She knew she wouldn't make it far. Blaire stopped at the bathroom door, her gaze transfixed on my lavish bathroom with the overhanging showerhead and expensive granite countertops. I slipped up behind her, skimming my hot mouth against the smooth path of her neck. "I never knew a mate would make me feel like this?" Blaire chuckled, clutching the granite countertop in front of her, our gazes locked in the mirror. "You didn't look for me?" I didn't want to put my foot in my mouth, but she deserved the truth. I gripped her hips and lifted her to the cabinet. "Honestly, no. I didn't want a we

My body hummed with adrenaline, my wolf paced back and forth in anticipation of beating the hell out of Marcus. We'd never been close growing up. When I was deemed the next Alpha of our pack, Marcus grew cold and distant. When I walked into the room, I'd feel his gaze on me, haunting and pissed as if I purposefully took the position out from underneath him. The smug look on his face as I jacked him up, sent shivers up my spine due to the lack of emotion in his eyes. The fact he brought Emily here was a definite stab in the back. I didn't dare look over at her, because it'd be too much to handle. I never meant for it to happen. We were just kids. Still figuring out our strengths and our abilities. But Marcus didn't see it that way. To him, I was a killer. The reason his mate died. "Boys!" Momma said. "You two knock it off right now. We're trying to have a nice dinner." Marcus put his palms up in surrender, his shirt still bunched in my grasp. "You're right, Momma. I think Luther sh

Blaire's lean body was stretched out in the passenger side of my car, her breathing relaxed and content. I didn't want to ruin that. I wanted her to feel safe enough to sleep and be comfortable all the time. This wasn't how I wanted to introduce my human mate to being a part of the werewolf universe. I pictured shifting for the first time, her being frightened, but us running off into the sunset together. I didn't want Axel or Marcus anywhere in the picture. Nor did I picture she-wolves and people being attacked by lycans so close to home. It terrified me to think of someone putting their hands on her. The only hands I wanted touching Blaire Summers were my own. I debated—my finger twitched—to reach over and run my palm up the span of her thigh, but I didn't want to wake her. The sun was setting as I pulled into the parking garage of the penthouse. Truth be told, I didn't want her to stay in the apartment across from me. I wanted her in my bed, where I could keep a better watch on

I watched Marcus as he studied my penthouse, his hands behind his back, and a looming umbrella of darkness that hung over him. He'd never been to my place before, and I wasn't sure how I felt about it just yet. Blaire, on the other hand, sat at the bar eating a plate of food I ordered, her legs swinging off the barstool. I felt her need for talking, and not long after, she asked, "So, Marcus, what do you do for a living?" It was almost comical, but I did my best not to laugh at her. Marcus' dark gaze, which matched our father's shifted toward Blaire, and his eyebrow curved toward his hairline. "I'm a werewolf. I'm the lead hunter in our pack. That's what I do." She gave him a snarky look and went back to her food. "You didn't have to get a tude about it," she mumbled. Marcus smirked, and it slid underneath my skin. My wolf didn't like him chatting with my mate, or even looking at her, but he'd come in and found Bree's scent right away. He was the best hunter no matter how hard it

I stalked out of my office, Blaire's wrist in my palm, hell-bent on diminishing the problem. If I could have found the bastard, I would have ripped his throat out, probably with some struggle considering he was a dragon, but that wasn't the case. I had no idea where he was, or if he was alone, and marking her would be the next best thing. If my scent was on her, it'd deter him from marking her himself. No one wanted to mess around with a woman that held the scent of another man. Blaire struggled to keep up with my long strides, but I couldn't help it, my entire body felt on edge. My wolf howled, and turned circles in anticipation of being with her. Stephanie emerged from her office, halting me. "Is everything okay?" she asked, crossing her arms. "Have you found anything concerning Bree?" I fought my wolf on shoving her out of the way. I knew her concern about Bree was logical, so I choked down the urge to tell her to piss off. "We're having a meeting tomorrow morning at 8 AM. Please