Chapter One

Sullen

"I met a man."

Sullen stopped her assault on the punching bag hanging in the spare room of her two-bedroom apartment. Wiping the sweat from her forehead, she turned up the volume on her Bluetooth headset.

Because she was adamant that she heard her mother incorrectly.

A man? As in another werewolf? Sullen cleared her throat. "You met a man?" she repeated, feeling a bit like a parrot. "As in a wolf?"

Her mother's excitement transferred into a squeal. It reminded Sullen of a sixteen-year-old girl which had been her mother's age when she first met her fated mate, Sullen's father.

He died several years before in a pack war.

It was fair that her mother moved on, but Sullen was skeptical. "What pack is he from, Mom?"

"Oh, honey. You and your politics," she sighed. "I want you to come down this weekend to meet him."

She didn't miss that her mother skipped over that question. However, she'd let it slide for now. Sullen didn't get down to The Crescent Moon Pack lands very often anymore. She had better things to do with her life than find a place in her pack as a nurse or a birthing coach. Her accounting dream was coming true; she only had one more semester left before she graduated.

Her internship would turn into a full-time position, and she'd marry her long-term boyfriend, Duke. She was lucky enough to have found out at a young age, by a witch doctor, that her true mate would die before she met him.

Which was fine by her. Sullen liked being in control and picking who she'd spend the rest of her life with.

"He wants us to come to his house for dinner. He makes a killer steak. I promised him that I would drag you away from the city. Please, Sullen. I'm your only mother."

Oh, the guilt trip.

Sullen walked toward her shower and loosened her raven-colored hair from its tie. "Duke is out of town this weekend. I guess it wouldn't hurt to come to visit for the night."

Her mother squealed again. "I'm so excited. Come Friday night, and we'll spend Saturday thrift store shopping like the old days."

Sullen smiled into the mirror, swiping a drop of sweat from her olive-colored skin that she got from her father. "Sounds good, Momma. I'll see you then, okay?"

"Love you, Baby Girl."

"Love you, too."

Sullen hung up the phone and tugged out of her clothes, tossing them into the hamper in the far corner. Duke would be excited that she wasn't spending her weekend studying and holed up like a hermit.

She tossed her Bluetooth and phone onto the sink and reached back to unclasp her necklace. It shimmered in the fluorescent lighting of her bathroom, a forever reminder of her father.

He'd given her the emerald jewel after her eye color that matched her grandmother's. She'd cherished it for years and promised to wear it every day in honor of them both.

Not that she needed a reminder of her father's absence. She thought about him all the time. She promised herself she would excel at everything she could to make him proud.

Because she knew he watched from the stars.

***

Her mother stood by her car when Sullen pulled up that Friday afternoon. She looked pretty and more attentive to her outfit and hair. Her flaming red hair had dulled over the years. Sullen always envied her mother's hair. Her ebony locks came from her father's side of the family.

She hopped when Sullen got out and wrapped her into a tight hug. She smelled like home, and for a brief moment, Sullen felt sad that she didn't make it home more often to visit.

"Baby Girl," she said, pulling back to cup her face. "You look beautiful! You've grown."

Sullen narrowed her eyes to slits. "Mother. I have not. I'm twenty-two. Girls stop growing at eighteen unless you're talking about my weight, and I'm assuming you want to fight then."

Her mother chuckled. The lighthearted aura around her made Sullen excited to meet her mom's new boyfriend. It tasted weird to say it, but Sullen knew she was lonely.

Those late-night texts proved it.

"Are we ready to go?" Sullen asked. "I'll follow you there—"

"No," her mother said, waving her off. "You can ride with me unless you change your mind about staying the night."

"Nope, I'm here for the weekend actually."

"Duke is out of town again?" her mother asked.

Sullen hid her irritation. Her mom didn't love Duke. She didn't hate him because she had no sound reason. But she didn't like Sullen not trying to find her fated mate. "Mom. My mate is dead," Sullen said.

She put her hands out in surrender. "Okay. Okay. You're right. I just don't know about that witch doctor," she said sarcastically. "You know how I feel about magic."

Sullen chuckled as she slid into the passenger seat. "Says the werewolf shifter. Funny."

She huffed. "It doesn't matter," she said, hitting the steering wheel playfully. "It's your life. If Duke makes you happy, then so be it. I just need to be around him more often. I'm sure he'll grow on me."

Smiling, she watched as her mother pulled out of the driveway and drove them toward the highway. Her humming under her breath and the excitement rolling off her had Sullen's body vibrating with eagerness.

Until it wasn't.

Sullen glanced at the small population sign that read ‘Beacon Hills,’ and her stomach dropped to her butt crack. There was only one pack in the Legend Parish, and they caused pain that resided in her chest.

They were the pack that killed her father.

"Mom," Sullen said softly, trying to swallow the painful lump in her throat. "Are you going the right way?"

Her mother smiled. "Of course. We take turns visiting one another. I know the way—"

"Is there a new pack in Beacon Hills?"

Her mother looked confused, as if she didn't understand why Sullen's wolf skimmed the surface or why her bottom lip trembled in suppressed aggression.

"Sullen, what's the—"

It clicked.

Finally.

"Honey," her mother sighed. "I didn't realize you were still so angry. I understand your pain. I do, but you have to let it go—"

"Let me out," she said quietly, tightening her hand around the edge of the seat.

"Sullen. Our alpha started that war, and your father was a faithful Beta. You can't blame the other pack for everything. They were doing just what he was doing, fighting for their alpha."

Her throat began to tighten, and she felt like she would drown in the rhythm of her own heartbeat. "Stop. The. Car. Let. Me. Out."

"No," her mother said sharply. "I've already promised Kevin that you were coming. Now, stop being dramatic and calm down. If you shift in this car, you're paying for a new one. Unfortunately, insurance doesn't cover werewolf damage, Sullen."

Chapter Two

Roan

"I don't have time for a wanna-be family get-together, Dad. Jacob sniffed out a rogue on the west side of the grounds. I need to go figure it out."

The look of disappointment his father gave him settled heavily into his gut. Alpha of the Dark Moon Pack, and yet his father's stern look still made him feel like a thirteen-year-old kid.

"Son, she's called her daughter down from the city to come—"

Roan gave him a deadpan look. "Her daughter doesn't live in the pack with her?"

His dad sighed and swiped his palm down his face. "No, Roan. She moved out and went to college. She is mateless, and moved on with a boy she met there."

Roan had strong disapproval of wolves who abandoned the pack that raised them. To each their own, but it showed a lack of character in his eyes. If they met their mate, and they were from another pack, fine. Whatever.

But leaving just because didn't sit right with him.

Roan leaned his elbows against his desk and eyed the door behind his father's head. Jacob would come through the door at any moment to see where their alpha was hiding.

"After I handle this rogue, I will come by for a little bit," Roan said.

Roan didn't mind his father finding someone. His mother abandoned the pack at an early age and left Roan and his brother with their father. Pushing his fingers into his sandy brown hair, he controlled his irritation.

"Thank you, son," his dad said. His salt-n-pepper hair was combed neatly to the side, and his clothes were ironed nicely. He liked this woman, and Roan was happy for him. Roan had met her a few times before. She was pretty, with red hair and a funny personality.

Standing up, Roan walked toward the door to meet Jacob. When it flung open, Jacob, his stalky beta, looked pissed.

Roan didn't blame him—he was late.

"I'm coming," he said, shoving past Jacob. "Have the others caught the rogue, or did they just sniff him out?"

Jacob hurried to catch up. "They were chasing him." He wasn't as tall as Roan, and his legs were shorter. "What did your dad want?"

"Wants me to come to dinner with him and his new lady friend. She is bringing her daughter from the city. I told him I'd stop by after, not that I care to meet a she wolf that abandons her pack."

Jacob chuckled. "Dude, drop that 16th-century crap—"

Roan's wolf growled, and Jacob respected it with a slight bow. "Sorry, but you know what I mean." He pointed toward the edge of the field. "It looks like they've caught someone."

Roan raced toward the two wolves holding a rogue captive. The rogue looked feral, with wide brown eyes and a snarl that mimicked a demon. "What do we have here," he asked. "You lost?"

He spat. "Does it look like I'm lost?"

"Actually," Jacob started, "I think it looks like you've wandered onto the wrong side of the river. Why are you here? You know this is our territory. There is no way you didn't smell it."

His feral smile returned.

Roan didn't like the look of him. "Put him in the dungeon. Then have the others search the grounds in case he has any friends."

The rogue laughed. "You have no idea, do you?"

Roan stopped as he was turning to leave, and glanced over his shoulder. "Idea about what?"

"You will. You'll know soon enough."

The wolves exchanged glances, while Roan felt something tug at his chest. He pressed his fist against it and tried to rub the tingle away. Then it touched the base of his neck and traveled down his back.

It woke his wolf, who'd been bored with the rogue situation.

That smell. It was the smell, the only smell he'd care about for the rest of his life.

It was her.

Roan turned fully away from the rogue and stared out at the field. There was no one in sight. He didn't know of anyone new that was coming to pack land, because everyone had to be approved first.

Wait. She was bringing her daughter from the city.

"Oh, my goddess," Roan mumbled.

"What is it?" Jacob asked, looking out at the empty field. "What do you see?"

Roan pointed blindly behind him. "Take him to the dungeon. I'll be down to check on him in a bit."

He rushed toward his father's two-story house on pack land, ignoring Jacob's call from behind him. Roan's wolf howled and turned excited circles. When Roan turned twenty-five and hadn't yet found his mate, he'd stopped hoping. Most mates were found before the twenty-first birthday.

Roan's jeans were covered in dirt by the time he made it to the small road that linked the pack houses together in their small community. He didn't care.

Samantha's car sat in the driveway next to his dad's pickup. The scent of his mate hit him hard in the stomach, nearly knocking him onto his ass. The feeling of losing control began to numb his movements. He needed to get to her. Shoving open his childhood home's front door, he stalked into the kitchen, his body humming with adrenaline.

His father stood from the kitchen table. "Son, did you break the door—"

"Where is she?" he growled, his fingers curling into tight fists beside him.

His dad glanced at the empty spot at the table. There was no food on the plates, which meant they were waiting on him to start dinner. "Where is she!" he screamed when no one answered.

Samantha cleared her throat. "She left. Uh, your scent scared her. Are you two mates?"

His scent scared her. "Scared her? Her fated mate's scent scared her? What in the hell does that mean?"

"Calm down, son," his father said. "She's seeing someone in the city—"

The alpha inside of him broke free, and his wolf pushed through the veil that separated the two. Roan shifted in the dining room, crashing into the banister of the stairs next to him.

"Dammit, Roan," his father mumbled. "Not again."

Chapter Three

Sullen

The nerve of her mother to drag her to this pack. She knew how Sullen felt about the pack, about what they did to her father, and she had the nerve to bring her here?

Scratch that. She had the nerve to date one of their wolves? Sullen fought her own wolf the entire ride to their pack ground. The guard wolves at the entrance recognized her mother, and Sullen felt herself boiling in anger.

"Sullen," she said exasperatedly. "I won't have you coming to dinner with that attitude. You need to have a chat with your wolf, and tell her that her attitude isn't welcomed."

Sullen gave her a hard side-eye glare. "You've fallen and bumped your head. I've left you alone for far too long. I should have come and visited more often. You're lonely and making irrational decisions. It's the only obvious reason you'd do this."

Her mother slammed on her brakes and turned to look at Sullen. Her green eyes were hardened and her mouth pressed into a thin line. "Sullen Andrews. You listen here. I know what happened with your father hurt you. It hurt me. He was my fated mate, but the wolves of this pack do as they are told by the alpha. We can't hate them because of what happened all those years ago. Now, we're going to go into this house," she said, pointing toward the two-story house beside them, "and we're going to have a lovely dinner with Kevin, whose name you haven't even asked yet. And his son, Roan."

Her mother huffed, taking the keys from the ignition; she got out and straightened her dress. Sullen sat in the passenger seat, feeling like a giant, hairy butthole and a jerk. Her mother was right. Packs fought over territory all the time, and Sullen shouldn't judge all of them off a fight that happened years before.

However, it still hurt.

Getting out, she stared up at the full moon. It mocked her with beauty that she didn't want to feel now. She wanted self-pity. A tornado. A thunderstorm. Anything that would put the cherry on top of this terrible night. Instead, she got a beautiful moon and a handsome middle-aged man smiling from the porch. Sullen swallowed her pride, what was left of it after being talked to like a twelve-year-old by her mother.

"Sullen," Kevin said, making his way from the steps to greet her. He had big brown eyes, salt-and-pepper hair, and a dad bod. But the way he glanced at her mother before bending down to hug Sullen made her guilt-trip two weeks longer.

He liked her. Sullen felt it.

"It's so nice to finally meet you," he said, pulling back to look at her. "You're as beautiful as your mom said you were."

"Thank you," Sullen said. "It's nice to… be here."

"Why don't you both come in? The steaks are coming off the grill in moments, and my son—Roan—will be here soon."

Hiding her sigh, Sullen walked in after her mother and into his home. It was clearly decorated by a man—there were no pictures, very few paintings, and nothing to make the house a home besides a gigantic sectional and a flat-screen TV.

Sullen had grown up in a home full of pictures, decorations, and love. This was a man's house through and through.

"Smells great," Sullen said, following them to the kitchen.

Her mother knew her way around, finding wine glasses and a bottle from the top of the refrigerator. "Want some, Sullen?"

Oh, did she.

Sullen nodded and sat down at a chair at his table. She was glad that she would at least get dinner out of the night. Her mother handed her a glass of red wine, and Sullen downed half of it in one gulp. She needed the liquid courage to get through this. Kevin walked in with a plate of steaks and sat them in the center.

The smell made her stomach growl.

He glanced at a clock hanging over his coffee bar in the corner. "Roan should be here any minute. In the meantime, Sullen, would you like a salad?"

Sullen couldn't hide the look of disgust on her face. "You do know I'm a werewolf, right?"

He chuckled, while her mother tossed a warning glare. "I just thought city life might have changed you, that's all."

"No," she said, taking another sip. "I'm still a carnivore. Just one that enjoys the city life and not the pack life."

Kevin lifted both brows. "Your mother tells me you're an accountant? Or going to be? How is that going?"

Sullen nodded. "Going well. I have one more semester—" she stopped, clearing her throat. Warmth slid over her skin, making it hard to breathe. "Uh, one more semester, and then my internship will turn into a full-time position. I'm stoked."

"That's great," Kevin said, glancing at the clock again. "Roan knew what time to be here. I'm sorry about the wait."

"That's okay, honey. Being the alpha is demanding."

"Your son is the alpha?" Sullen asked, suddenly interested to see if he had been alpha during the pack war.

"Yes, he is," Kevin said with a smile. "He's very… intense. He takes it very seriously."

"I'll bet." Sullen's body grew warmer, and a heavy coat of need blanketed her chest.

Something wasn't right.

"What's that—what's that smell?" she asked, looking around.

Her mother reached over and palmed her forehead. "Are you running a fever, Sullen? You're acting strange."

She waved her hand away. Like Sullen was running a fever being a werewolf. That was rare. "No, it smells like…" she stopped herself from admitting it.

She knew what that smell was, and it was impossible. The witch doctor said her mate died before she met him. Unless he was running to his death right about now—the witch had been wrong.

Standing up, panic began to nip at her skin.

"I have to—I have to go, Mom. I'm so sorry, Kevin. The steaks smell great, but I need to leave."

Her mother gripped her wrist. "Sullen, what's the matter? You look white as a ghost."

Need built in her gut. Every step she took away from the table felt like a death sentence. She had a boyfriend. She couldn’t just abandon him for some wolf at a rival pack because he's her mate. No. No. No. She couldn't be pulled from her life in the city and forced back into a pack.

"Sullen!" her mother shouted, but she'd already made it to the doorway.

"I'll call you when I make it back to my apartment. I've got to go," she said, her throat aching in need of water. In need of… him.

She burst through the back door, and into the evening air. She tried to take a breath, but it stuck in her throat. The further she raced from the house, the better she could breathe.

This was not happening.

She'd moved on with her life because she was told she didn't have a fated mate. What would she tell Duke? Would he come after her?

He's coming for us, her wolf said.

Which only made Sullen run faster.

Chapter Four

Roan

It took four wolves to stop Roan's wolf from going after her. He'd clawed his way out of his father's house, dragging behind any logic and reason. Her scent was heaven, and the need it gave him felt like fire the further she ran.

'Why is she running?' his wolf cried.

He had no idea. Was she scared? Intimidated?

None of it made sense. When he finally pushed his wolf back into its place, Roan gasped for air, sitting up to face the crowd.

"Where is she?" he asked, his voice on fire. "I need water. I need" —he crawled to his feet— "her. I need her."

His father pushed Jacob aside and palmed his shoulder. "Breathe, Roan. Breathe."

"Where is she?" he asked his voice rising.

His father looked over his shoulder and motioned for Jacob to lead the other wolves back to the pack house. "Did you stop her?"

Jacob reluctantly pushed them all toward the field. "She left, Roan," his dad said softly.

"Why?" he asked, his voice loud. "I need to go get her. I'm … hurting."

Samantha stepped over and put her palm on his bicep. "Roan, Sweetie, Sullen is not too fond of the pack life. She's …" she gnawed on her bottom lip, afraid to say what she wanted to say.

"Say it," he demanded.

"She's in a relationship with someone, and she was told at a young age that she didn't have a mate. When she smelled you … I think she panicked, sweetie."

Roan swallowed, staring at his father and his mate's mother. She was seeing someone? The image of her being held by someone else pissed his wolf off. He growled lowly, forcing all his anger out onto Roan.

Slowly, he turned away from his father and palmed his face. "I have to go find her."

"Sweetie, let her come to you," her mother said.

Roan gave her a look as if she'd grown two heads. "Seriously? I'm supposed to sit back while she goes back to her life with another man? I can't, I won't, do that. I'm an alpha, and I need my Luna. Whether she likes it or not, she's coming back to this house and this pack."

Her mother placed her palm over her mouth. "Roan. I'm afraid Sullen is very, very stubborn. I've tried for years to get her to come back here—,"

Roan felt his irritation rising to the max. "No offense, Samantha, but I'm her mate. I'm an alpha, and she will come back and at least speak with me. I'm not the alpha that forces himself on a woman—even if she is my mate—but she will give me the consideration of speaking to me."

She nodded, though he wasn't sure that she agreed, or believed he could get her to come back.

"I'm going after her in the morning. I need a good's night rest and some time to talk down my wolf. The things going through his mind at the moment need to subside before I find her."

Roan started toward the pack house, but stopped and glanced over his shoulder. "Did you save me a steak?"

His dad smirked. "Yeah, come on back and we'll get you some clothes and your meal."

***

Roan spent most of the night with Samantha and Kevin wondering what Sullen looked like. He loved her name, and Samantha was a beautiful woman, so he imagined maybe she looked like her.

He wasn't sure, but he planned to find out. Jacob was coherent enough to run the show while he was gone for a few days.

He could watch her, see her routine, and approach her at the right time. Not scare the hell out of her in an alley. He'd be presentable, get a place in the city for a couple of nights, and then, bring his Luna back to his pack.

Kicking and swinging if he had to.

He didn't care.

His wolf really didn't care.

Jacob knocked on his door the next morning with a smile on his face. "Was I half asleep during that mind link or did you tell me you needed me to step up for the next couple of days?" he asked, leaning in the doorjamb of his office.

Roan fumbled through his things, shoving his laptop and chargers into his bag full of clothes. "You heard me right. I'm going to get her."

Jacob lifted a brow toward his hairline. "You're going after your mate that ran from you?"

Roan gave him a dirty look.

"I mean, good idea," he said sarcastically. "I wouldn't expect her to be reluctant that you tracked her down in hopes of dragging her back like a caveman. A woman that lives outside of a pack, with another man, should be so easy to convince—,"

Roan growled, making Jacob back off. "Sorry. I'm just being realistic with you, Bud. You're my alpha, but you're also my friend."

Roan pushed his fingers into his hair and slung his duffle over his shoulder. "I'll be back in a few days with Sullen. You keep the prisoner locked up, feed him, but try to pry out any information he has for us. Keep an eye on my dad and make sure the perimeter is watched at all times, okay?"

"I've got it. I have my phone, too if you need any advice."

"From the unmated wolf, got it," he said.

Jacob chuckled. "You know Whitney is going to be upset when she finds out you've found your mate."

Roan faked a barf. "I don't give a damn what she thinks."

Jacob followed him out into the hallway and watched as he locked the door behind him. His 98 Jeep sat outside waiting for him. Roan was almost excited to get out of the pack house for a few days.

The wind in his hair. Like he did before he became alpha, and gained a world of responsibilities.

He tossed his bag into the back and hopped into the driver's seat.

"You're sure you have this under control?" he asked while starting his engine.

Jacob slapped the hood and walked backward toward the pack house. "I've got this, Alpha. You go get your Luna. The pack house will be standing when you get back. Fingers crossed at least."

Roan chuckled. "I've got a finger for you, Buddy," he said, driving toward the sweet scent of forever.

Chapter Five

Sullen

Sullen hadn't thought her mad dash back to the city through. It'd made sense with her fated mate after her, but not as she was naked, weaving in and out of her neighborhood in hopes no one noticed her ass.

It was wishful thinking with living in the city, but a girl could dream.

When she made it to her apartment building at 9 p.m., she hid behind one of those scratchy bushes until the street was clear. She sent up a silent prayer that Duke didn't decide to come home early—she was too exhausted to make up a lie to cover this sideshow.

'Why are you naked, Sullen?'

'Because I turn into a werewolf, and she rips all my clothes to shreds.'

She knew that conversation wouldn't end on a high note; it'd end with her being forced into an insane asylum.

With shaky hands, she found the extra key behind a brick in the wall and wiggled it into her apartment door, when someone blew a car horn behind her. She squealed, got the door open, and slammed it behind her.

She screamed in irritation into the darkness of her house and stalked toward her shower to wash off the mud from her trip over. She'd lost her cell phone in her shift somewhere on their pack land. That was another lie she had to come up with. She couldn’t tell Duke about her fated mate, because Duke was human. How could she make him understand?

She couldn't.

Starting her shower, she stepped underneath the steam and tried to catch her breath. Her wolf fought her tooth and nail the entire way back to the city.

She wanted to meet him. Wanted to meet his wolf.

It wasn't fair to her wolf to keep her away from him, but Sullen had panicked.

Sullen had worked hard to gain this life here, and she didn't want to throw it away for some alpha a-hole.

You don't know if he is mean, her wolf said. Go back and talk to him.

Sullen rested her forehead against the shower wall and cursed under her breath. This wasn't fair. This wasn't the plan. She'd worked hard through college to get here She knew wolves, especially alphas. The odds of Roan agreeing to a life in the city were slim to none.

What if he comes looking for us? her wolf asked.

Sullen had no doubt that he would come. It was in his nature. She hoped that Duke's scent would scare him off, but she knew better. Alphas took what they wanted, and Roan wanted his mate.

Wishful thinking, her wolf said. Duke is a human. An alpha isn't afraid of a human—

"I know," she hissed.

She lathered up her hair and body, washing away the night like a bad dream. Sullen dressed in her favorite sweats and tank top. The apartment felt lonely without Duke, but she was glad he wasn't there. She needed to put herself together. The hunger she'd felt from the alpha's scent still lingered over her skin like a blanket. Sullen pulled the cord from her house phone, in case her mother started calling, and curled into her bed, praying sleep came easier than the dinner from hell.

***

Duke's fingertips slid along the outside of Sullen's arm, stirring her awake Monday morning. She'd spent the weekend wallowing in her self-pity, practicing her lying face in the mirror. Now Duke was bent over her, his brown eyes smiling without moving his mouth.

Sullen sat up to hug him when she realized his scent of cigar smoke and woodsy cologne didn't make her stomach twist.

'It's because he doesn't smell anything like Roan—'

She cut her wolf off. "I missed you."

Duke kissed her jawline and smiled into her skin. "I missed you," he said, helping her to her feet. "How was your trip to your mother's house?"

Stab. Her. In. The. Gut.

She smiled, the fake one she'd practiced, and wrapped her arms around his neck. "It was fine. How about your trip to Savannah? Did you make the sale?"

Duke swung her into his arms easily. "I did. Turns out everyone loves me."

She chuckled, running her fingers into his sandy brown hair. He put her down on the kitchen island and opened a box of donuts for her. "Hungry?"

She smiled. Though her stomach craved a sausage or bacon sandwich, she took the donut and ate it anyway. "What time do you go in today?" he asked.

She glanced at the clock. "8:00. I'm glad you woke me up. I need to start getting ready." Sullen shoved the remains of the donut into her mouth, and for dramatic effect, licked her fingers. She realized early on that humans did that after eating something tasty. She slid down the cabinet. "How about dinner tonight? That new Italian place opened over the weekend."

"That sounds good. I get off around five, we can meet there at 5:30."

Sullen lifted onto her tiptoes and kissed him softly. The feeling she normally had didn't tingle down her skin. It was … different. Duke felt

different.

In the back of her head, she knew why everything was different because she'd found him.

The stubborn part of her couldn't let their relationship disappear. She loved Duke, but she didn't know Roan and prayed he would stay away. She didn't want to live on pack land, and she didn't want to be dragged away from the life she worked so hard to earn.

"Everything alright?" he asked, his eyes smiling again.

"Everything is fine," she lied.

Everything was not fine.

There was a deep feeling in her stomach that told her he was coming for her, and she had no reason not to believe it.

Chapter Six

Roan

If he lingered she would smell him. It was easier to mask your scent in the city with so many people to blend in with rather than the wide open of the pack house. Roan was thankful since he needed to hunt her for a while before he cornered her.

He needed her to pin the glimpses of his scent to paranoia before he approached her because she’d already proved what she would do, which was run.

What Sullen didn’t realize was that Roan would always chase her. No matter where she ran to, Roan believed in the mate bond and believed Sullen was exactly what he needed.

Her scent led to a small apartment building that she shared with a male. Her mother said she was seeing someone, and it made Roan’s wolf pissed.

Not that Roan enjoyed knowing his fated mate was sleeping with some human. Knowing his scent was important, he did his best to tolerate and familiarize himself with it.

Sullen left for work that morning around 7:45.

She’d stopped on the doorsteps and glanced around as if she thought she smelled him but wasn’t sure.

He’d kept his distance after that, using her scent as a guide rather than her body. It stopped in front of an accounting firm where he guessed she worked.

He longed to walk inside, find her, and drag her to a deserted corner. The things he would do to her …

“Get it together,” he mumbled to himself.

Turning around, he caught a glimpse of a small condominium across the street from the firm. A smile curled up his jaw. He only needed a place for a couple of nights, and what was better than posting camp across the road from her job?

***

The day was agonizingly slow. Roan was used to staying busy. Having something to handle being Alpha. The list of alpha duties was endless, and handing them over to Jacob hadn’t been easy.

Standing at the window of his condo, a perfect view of her job, he pulled out his cell phone. Jacob answered on the second ring. “Let me guess, she saw you and attacked you? You’re in the hospital and need someone to come get you.”

“Cute. Did you find out anything about the rogue?” Roan asked, tugging on a new t-shirt.

“Nope,” Jacob said. “The dude isn’t talking, well, he’s talking, just nothing we want to hear. He’s a real dick. He keeps telling us what he’s going to do to our shewolves, and that we don’t know what’s coming.”

Roan’s wolf stirred. His mate would vanish when he needed to be at the pack house taking care of his pack. “Keep on him. Toss some wolf’s bane into his food if you need to, but not enough to put him down. Just enough to make him sick.”

Roan heard his chair recline on the other end. “Are you in my chair?”

“Of course not—”

“Get out,” he demanded. “The firm where she works closes soon, so I need to be on watch.”

“You’re legit stalking her?” Jacob asked. “What. A. Creep.”

Roan couldn’t stop smiling. “Screw you. I’ll call when I have something to report. You do the same.”

“Alright, Captain.”

Roan hung up the phone and slipped it into his jean pocket. Bracing his palms against the windowsill, he watched as several people walked out of the firm.

It was closing time.

Sullen left the building at 5:15. Her skirt rode up her thighs as she walked down the stairs, making his wolf growl in possessiveness. Roan’s fingers tightened around the windowsill. She was so close, yet so far away.

She glanced down at her watch, used the railing of the stairs as a back brace, and changed out of her shoes. She put on a pair way too high for work, put the others in her purse, tossed her head between her legs, and fluffed her hair.

She was meeting a man.

He knew it.

He grabbed his keys and jetted down the stairwell, out into the humid southern air. Following behind her, he watched as her head of ebony hair danced in and out of his sight.

The more they walked, Roan realized she was heading toward the food strip down town. She stopped in front of a fancy Italian restaurant and glanced inside at the hostess stand.

Several seconds went by, and she glanced down the sidewalk, looking for him. Sighing, she folded her arms over her chest and waited.

Whoever she was meeting was late.

The restaurant door opened, and a waiter walked outside holding a cordless phone. Sullen looked confused but took it.

Roan blocked out the traffic and the miscellaneous chitchat around him.

“Where are you?” she asked. “What? A week? You just got back?” She kicked at the sidewalk and wiped at her eye. “Okay, Duke. I’m starving. I need to grab myself something to eat. See you in a week.”

Roan’s wolf loved the hostility in her voice. She was pissed at this guy, and it only put Roan in a better position. Roan would have ample chances of getting to her if her little boyfriend was gone for an entire week.

Sullen stormed down the sidewalk, stopping at a food vendor. She grabbed a hot dog and a bag of chips.

Roan grabbed one after her and lazily walked her home.

It still counted if he was half a football field behind her. He wanted to make sure she made it home okay, not that she couldn’t kick a human’s ass.

Why does she like it here? his wolf asked.

“I dunno,” he mumbled.

He finished his hot dog and stopped a few blocks away from her apartment, tucking himself into a small alcove. Sullen dug through her purse for her keys and stopped. Glancing over her shoulder, she searched the crowd, her gaze settling on the alcove where Roan hid in the shadows.

She sensed him, and he sensed her heart rate pick up in speed. Keeping her eyes on the darkness across the road, she hurried her keys into the door and nearly tripped on her way inside.

Roan grinned, waiting several seconds before walking back to his rented condo. Getting under her skin was going to be fun. Tomorrow he planned to make a visit to her bedroom.

Maybe his scent on her pillow would drive her wolf crazy.

He prayed for it.

Chapter Seven

Sullen

She shut the door and pressed her back against it. She’d felt eyes crawling all over her the entire day.

Even at the firm.

Someone was watching her.

Or … she was completely paranoid because she felt the alpha’s stares over her shoulder. Locking the door—as if it would stop an alpha from getting to his mate—she walked toward the kitchen and tossed her purse onto the island.

The box of donuts still sat there from that morning. She fought the childish urge to stick her tongue out at them and tossed them into the trash.

Duke had just got home, and now he was gone for another week? His job as an insurance rep had started off well with the salary, but now it was weighing on her nerves.

She pulled the blinds on all of her windows and went to take a shower. She had a big day at work tomorrow, and she had lunch planned with her friend Marissa. Nothing sounded better than a shower, binge-watching her favorite shows while eating her chili dog. It didn’t matter that her wolf was on alert because she swore she smelled the alpha.

Her wolf was just as paranoid as she was, but her wolf wanted to run toward the smell, and Sullen wanted to run away.

Something told her running wouldn’t make a difference.

What did her mother’s boyfriend say his name was? Roan? It didn’t matter. If she had anything to do with it, that name wouldn’t fall from her lips at all.

In fact, even if he did try to bring her back... she refused to say it.

Nope, not happening.

****

Marissa held up her six-month-old baby in Sullen’s face. “I need to pee. Please hold her for just a second.”

Sullen loved babies, but not for a long period of time. They started to cry, and she lost all hope in her motherhood abilities while trying to calm them. “Okay,” she said sheepishly.

Marissa left her bouncing the chubby baby on her knee, while Sullen glanced around the restaurant. She’d felt the same set of stares on her all day. Even in her office at work.

The feeling only intensified when she walked downtown to the restaurant to meet Marissa. He had to be following her …

“Whew,” Marissa said, grabbing her baby back. “I feel ten pounds lighter. So,” she said, pushing her blonde bangs from her blue eyes. “how are things? I haven’t heard from you in weeks. What are you hiding?”

Everything.

Since Marissa was human, Sullen couldn’t indulge in real gossip with her.

“You ignored my phone calls all last weekend—”

“I told you on messenger that I lost my phone. It’s on my list to get another one today.” Along with ditching the alpha hunting her.

Marissa nodded and took a sip of her water. “How’s Duke?”

“Gone,” Sullen said, stabbing her appetizer. “Again.”

Marissa frowned. “The money is good but the alone time bites, huh?”

“You hit the nail on the head,” she mumbled. “How about you? How’s the writing career coming along?”

Marisa beamed. “Good. I’m doing better on the charts and making enough to cover the bills, so Seth doesn’t mind me switching careers anymore.”

“I’m glad,” she said. “I know you love it.”

Marisa’s gaze moved toward the picture-frame window of the restaurant and she squinted her gaze.

“What is it?” Sullen asked.

“Some guy...”

Sullen whipped around, seeing the silhouette of someone in the alleyway across from them. “What a creep,” she mumbled.

She didn’t smell his scent but felt as if she caught a whiff every now and again. Being in the city it was harder to detect smells from far distances.

“What do you expect?” Marisa replied. “There are bound to be some weirdos in a town this big.”

Sullen finished eating and found her way back to work unbothered.

****

It wasn’t until she got home and kicked off her shoes that she noticed it.

His smell. There was no hiding it. It was woodsy, deep, and filled her veins with need.

Follow it, her wolf encouraged her.

“No,” she mumbled, locking the door and easing into her apartment. His scent grew stronger the closer she got to her room. Had he touched her things? It seemed so.

His scent lingered over her bed, and on her pillow. She swore she saw his imprint against her covers. “You’re going crazy,” she mumbled.

You’re not, her wolf snapped. You know you smell him.

Sullen’s gaze moved to the middle of her bed, and she stopped. Her cell phone sat there in mock humor, staring up at her with an invisible smile.

He’d been there, alright. On her bed. In her house.

“Come on out!” she shouted, turning a circle to find him. “Don’t be a coward! Come on out and face me like a man!”

Don’t taunt him, her wolf whispered. He may give you what you’re asking for.

Sullen wanted him to come out and face her. Part of her wanted to look into the eyes of the alpha that thought he would bully her into becoming his fairy-tale luna and moving in with him.

Not happening.

Part of her—more of her wolf’s idea—wanted to see what he looked like.

For curiosity's sake only.

“You scared, Alpha?” she asked, looking out her window. “You scared to come to face me like a man?”

He’s not here. You look ridiculous, her wolf said.

Sighing, Sullen rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands. He was taunting her, leaving his scent where she could smell it. On her bed of all places.

He could rub his scent wherever he wanted, but he’d never be on that bed with her. If she needed to tell him to his face that she wasn’t going with him, for him to get it, then so be it.

She’d play this game. Find him when he wasn’t expecting it, and then end it right then. If he wanted a rejection, she’d give him one.

You better not, her wolf said.

Sullen swallowed her nerves and walked to the kitchen. A low thump hit the outside of the apartment door, and she raced over, swinging it open.

“Coward!” she shouted to the empty hallway.

Apartment 6A opened its door across from her. “Is everything okay, Sullen?” Mrs. Ruth asked.

Sullen cringed. “Everything is fine, Mrs. Ruth. I just thought I heard someone.”

“Well,” she said, picking up a cat lingering at her feet, “Socks was having a tantrum at the door today, and I think I saw a man going into your apartment.”

Not that it was news. “Yeah? Was it Duke?”

“Nope,” she said, shaking her head. A smile pulled at the corners of her wrinkled face. “This man was … very handsome. Didn’t stay long, but left with a smile on his face. I won’t tell Duke if you’re exploring your options, sweet girl. I did the same thing when I was your age.”

She didn’t need to know that. “Next time call the cops, Mrs. Ruth.”

She winked at her, not believing a word she said. “Will do, Sullen. Will do.”

Chapter Eight

Roan

Roan took a bite of his barbeque sandwich while imagining the pissed look on Sullen’s face. He chuckled, catching a piece of meat from sliding down his chin.

He’d spread his scent all over her place, her pillow, her bed, and even her shower. He hadn’t expected to get so much joy from it, but boy did he.

When she walked to work the next morning, she looked over her shoulder and hurried into the building as if something was chasing her.

Well, someone was chasing her alright, with every intention of catching her.

If she would have just given in, she’d realized that she was running away from nothing. She could have at least spoken to him that night.

Roan knew why she didn’t, because it would have been too hard for her to resist him. The mate bond with an alpha was strong.

Paying for his food, he jogged toward her apartment, knowing she was on her way home. Her schedule was like clockwork. It was almost comical to him that she enjoyed this life more so than a pack life.

She hadn’t let her wolf out since her run back home, and he didn’t see a place to do it. How could she enjoy this more?

Roan took his place in the alleyway across from her apartment building and waited. He caught her scent in the air, and a shiver raced through his body.

Go get her, his wolf whined. I’m tired of playing this game.

Roan clutched his fingers into fists at his sides. It wouldn’t last long, but for the moment, he enjoyed taunting her. Knowing she smelled him, and he’d disappear before she made it to him.

When she finally rounded the corner, a girl was with her.

She was blonde, really skinny, and dressed similarly to Sullen. They walked into her apartment together, and Roan’s curiosity spiked.

What are you going to do? Break in with her friend there? his wolf chuckled.

Roan slid his tongue out against his bottom lip and leaned against the brick. “I’m going to wait because they’re going out.”

You don’t know that, his wolf countered.

“I just heard the blonde say it. If you’d shut up, I could hear more.”

His wolf huffed but went back into hiding where Roan wished he would stay, along with his commentary.

****

Two miserable hours later, the building's front door opened, and Roan’s blood turned ice cold. The way she was dressed was … outlandish. It was tempting.

It was on purpose.

The way she glanced around, swaying her hips down toward a taxi that waited on the two of them. Her toned legs in that dress, the casual glance around the street, looking for him.

His wolf chuckled, and Roan fought the urge to go drag her out of the car. She was testing him, tempting him, he could sense it.

Following the taxi down the crowded street, Roan picked up his step.

Where are we going? his wolf asked.

“Wherever they’re going,” he said.

The closer they grew to downtown, the more antsy Roan became. The clubs and bars were packed, which would be easy to hide in, but it made him worried about the number of men Sullen would be around.

He’d just met her, and technically she wasn’t his—yet—but that didn’t mean he wanted to watch her get hit on by other men.

They stopped at a club nestled in between a lingerie store and a gas station. Roan didn’t like it immediately. He hated the way the bouncer let Sullen in like she knew him, and the way he followed her with his eyes.

Roan’s wolf chuckled.

“What’s so funny?” Roan asked, sliding his palms into his pockets to keep from pushing his way through the line.

You look so stupid, his wolf said. Now you’re stuck out here while she’s in there dancing in that dress.

Roan cursed under his breath. Walking past the line, he made his way into the alleyway between the two buildings. Dance music thumped from inside the building, spilling out around him.

The back doors to the club were locked tight, not that he needed a key. He waited for the next song to start, and a roar of applause, before he kicked the doors inward, watching as they swung open, the chain holding them together from the outside lying broken on the ground.

You’re going to get arrested, his wolf said. We aren’t at the pack house anymore. There are cameras around here.

He snorted. “There aren’t any cameras in a place like this.”

The music pounded against his head the closer he grew to the main floor of the club. Walking down the hallway attached to the back, he maneuvered passed a couple of drunken girls walking toward the bathroom.

The heavy smell of liquor and cigarettes hung in the air.

Even though the place was packed, he made out her scent amongst everyone else. The pleasure of being in the same room as here shot through him like electricity.

Stalking her scent, he walked to the second floor, and leaned against the railing, staring out at the dance floor. There were plenty of dark-haired girls, but none of them stuck out as she did.

The way she moved.

Her hands were above her head.

And her gaze settled right on his.

His wolf whined at the distance between the two of them. Roan’s fingers curled around the edge of the railing, and his gaze ate her alive.

Sullen, nonchalantly, turned her back to him, avoiding his stare and pissing Roan’s wolf off.

Now you’ve done it, he said. She’s not affected by us.

Roan chuckled. “Yes, she is. This is her way of trying to run us off. She’s trying to seem uninterested. She’s interested.”

I’m not sure we should listen to your advice, his wolf countered. She’s been running from you for almost three days.

Roan wanted to reach inside and strangle the wolf. He had better felt lucky he couldn’t hit him without knocking himself out.

Watching her move her way around the crowd, Roan pushed from the railing and stalked toward the dance floor. The music wasn’t his type of music, and he hated the way the girls tossed themselves at him as he pushed a path through the crowd.

Roan finally made it to Sullen, and his world tilted on its axis.

She smelled like cotton candy and vanilla spice. She looked like a walking sin. That dress bunched around her upper thighs as she danced with her friend.

Ran knew Sullen knew he was near, but it wasn’t until her friend stopped moving that Sullen followed her line of sight.

She looked over her shoulder at him and stopped breathing altogether.

“Hello, little fox,” he whispered. “I think we have some things we need to talk about.”

Chapter Nine

Sullen

He was there. Right there. Her wolf paced stubborn circles of excitement as Sullen stood still, hoping he would just go away. Jennifer, her friend from work, elbowed her in the ribs.

“Has the music affected your eyesight? Because a totally and completely delicious man is staring right at you. Please snap out of it before I take him for myself.”

Sullen’s wolf growled, hating that any woman wanted a piece of her mate, even if Sullen was running from him. Sullen shoved her wolf down and took a step backward into Jennifer. This wasn’t good.

Sure, she’d attempted to tease him, only because her wolf persuaded her to. The dirty little brat wanted him to chase them. Sullen swallowed the lump of thick need the mate bond tossed at her.

This was her fear … being so close to him.

His smell.

His deep blue eyes.

Everything about him caused her blood to warm. Suddenly she couldn’t breathe. Her body began to shake, and her words left her brain.

“Little Fox,” Jennifer teased in her ear. “Go see this man candy, I’m warning you, before I—”

Sullen swung around, her wolf taking over, curling Jennifer’s dress into her fist, she fought the urge to shift.

Stop it, Sullen begged her wolf. Stop it before you scare her.

Jennifer’s eyes rounded. “Are you okay, love?”

“No,” Sullen whispered. “I’m not. I need to leave.”

Roan’s breath hit the back of her neck, causing goosebumps along her flesh. Jennifer looked over Sullen’s shoulder at him. “I think you two need to talk,” she said, trying unsuccessfully to remove Sullen’s hands from her dress. “I’ll be ironing my dress in the corner of the room if you need me. Let. Go,” she said, tearing from Sullen’s grasp.

Sullen went over her two options in her head. The first was to talk to him. But she felt her body warming from him standing so close to her. A throbbing ache formed in between her thighs, and it took all her strength not to turn around and kiss him.

The second option was to run.

For what good that had done this far.

Why can’t you just kiss him? her wolf asked. He’s our mate.

“I don’t want to live at the pack house,” Sullen said, to herself, but she sensed he heard her.

“Talk to me,” he whispered, his lips hovering against her ear.

“I’m dating someone. I don’t—and I won’t—move to your pack. Leave me alone.”

His silence made Sullen glance over her shoulder. She wished she hadn’t. He looked amazing up close. Those sharp lines and full lips. His deep chuckle formed butterflies in her stomach. “You think I’m going to leave my future Luna here with some human? I don’t know what kind of alpha you were raised under, but I’m not that type of alpha.”

Sullen swirled around on her heel and came face to chest with him. His scent, it nearly knocked her over. Lifting her chin in a defiant way, she met his icy blue gaze and held it.

If he wanted a fight, she’d give him one.

“You can drag me there if you want, Roan, but I will never willingly be your Luna. Are you that type of alpha? The one that forces his mate to be with him? That’s sad and pathetic.”

Roan smiled, and it ate away at her resolve. “It’s funny you think I’ll have to force you to do anything. Your wolf is salivating right now. She wants me, and you do too, but you’re too stubborn to give in. I’ll wait, Little Fox. I’ll wait because I’m a one shewolf kind of guy.”

He stepped forward, and being Sullen was too stubborn to back away, his breath fanned across her mouth. “See that,” he whispered, his gaze dropping to her shoulders. “The goosebumps on your skin? The increase in your heart rate. The way you keep staring at my mouth.” He chuckled, turning to glance over at the random people dancing next to them. “It’s obvious, and yet, you’re still denying it. I guess I’ll have to wear you down, spread my scent against your clothes, and make you breathe me in every minute of the day—”

Sullen shoved him from her, the feel of his hard pecs against her hands, sending a puddle of warmth to her stomach.

“You feel it,” he sighed, giving her a once-over. “I love the dress, though, it’s a little desperate, isn’t it? You wanted me to come to find you. It worked, little fox. I’m here. Reject me if you want. I see it in your eyes. That was your plan, right? Draw me out, and stick the knife into my heart?”

Sullen’s mouth dried, and she tried to swallow down the hard lump.

Don’t you dare, her wolf snarled. If you reject him I will never come out again.

Sullen didn’t know if that was true or not, but she didn’t want to risk it. The words sat on her lips like an acid-covered lollipop. She wanted to spit them out, but her wolf wouldn’t allow it.

Roan tilted his head to the side and grinned. “Just like I thought. I’ll be seeing you around, Sullen.” He went to turn around but glanced back over his shoulder. “I have six days before your boyfriend is back, and I promise you, you’ll be begging for me before it’s over with.”

He left her standing on wobbly knees, and she took the opportunity to run once he left the building. Jessica could call a taxi, she hadn’t been drinking, and Sullen couldn’t stand one more minute in that over-packed room.

She pushed through a set of double doors that led to an alley. His scent lingered, and judging by the broken chains on the ground, she figured he’d broken them.

The night air pulled at her skin, and she wanted to shift. Her wolf begged for release, but she’d have to drive thirty minutes to the nearest wooded area for that, and she couldn’t make it.

She needed a cold shower.

Her cell phone buzzed in her hand, but she ignored it.

She couldn’t speak. She could barely walk.

His promise to have her begging sent her hormones into a frenzy. This wasn’t supposed to happen.

Her life was planned out, and now this alpha was coming to wreck her plans.

Wreck her life.

In the most deliciously sinful way possible.

Chapter Ten

Roan

It took all of Roan’s strength to leave that club. She’d smelled so sweet, teasing every ounce of self-control that he had inside of himself. His wolf called him every name under the sun on his desperate flight from the building.

She wanted to reject him.

It danced along her tongue, and her facial expressions, but something stopped her from it. That was all Roan needed was a small crack to wedge his foot in the door.

Where are you going? his wolf growled. Go back there and bring her home.

“Not yet,” he whispered, shoving his way out the exit. The night air sucked the breath from him. “She is coming back with us, but not yet. I don’t want to drag her, I have a few days to persuade her, and if she doesn’t come, I’ll have to make her.”

Make her now, it said. I want to go home.

Roan ignored his wolf’s demands. He needed to get to the condo and rid himself of her scent for the night. It was too much. It made his body quiver with need.

Did you see the way her wolf reacted to us, his wolf bragged.

Roan couldn’t get it out of his mind. Her heavy breaths, the smell of her skin, and the way his words made her blush.

She was perfect, and so close but so out of reach.

He jogged toward the condo, racing to his room to strip from his clothes. The need for her lingered in the air. It’d taken so much strength to walk away, and he needed to take a breath without inhaling her.

Turning on the shower, he scrubbed his skin until it burned.

You suck, his wolf said. If I were you—

“You are me, and yet, you’re stuck in there because I’m in charge,” Roan said.

Wanna bet, his wolf growled. I’ll rip out of here right now.

“Then we will get arrested for screwing up a hotel room. Chill out. I’m not going after her tonight.”

Whatever, it mumbled.

Roan finished his shower, relaxing on the bed, taking deep breaths without the heaviness of her scent swarming him.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he glanced down at his dad’s name across the screen. “Hello?”

“Son. How are you? I haven’t heard from you since you left.”

“I’ve been busy chasing this crazy shewolf around the city.”

He chuckled. “Samantha warned you that she was stubborn.”

Roan walked over to the window and pressed his forehead against the cool glass. “She wasn’t kidding. How’s it going there?”

He huffed. “I’ve been working with contractors all week trying to get my stairs fixed, thanks to you.”

Roan smirked. “You’ll live. What about the rogue that was caught?”

“Haven’t heard a peep. Jacob’s been doing well with handling it. Though I heard some ruckus through the mind link a few minutes ago. Has he called you?”

“No...”

Roan’s phone buzzed.

“It’s him. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Okay, I want to hear about Sullen, and I also have some things that I need to discuss with you.”

“Sure, Dad. I’ll talk to you then.” Roan hung up and then answered. “What’s going on?”

Jacob sighed. “We caught three more rogues in the west side of the pack lands tonight.”

“Three?” Roan asked, rubbing his face with his palm. “Do they seem to know the first one?”

“No one is talking,” Jacob sighed. “I put them in different cells so they can’t talk, but if any of them are from the same previous pack, they might mind link one another. I have guards on them day and night.”

Roan began to pace the floor.

“You don’t think your mate has something to do with it, do you?”

Roan stopped pacing. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Jacob sighed. “I just mean … when is the last time we’ve had a rogue? Ever since your mate showed up, we’ve had four—”

“I suggest you stop talking before I make a special trip back to rip your throat out. You don’t speak about my mate that way. She’s the pack's future Luna. She has no interest in pack life, and no reason to try and tear our pack down—”

“Roan,” Jacob said, “you know her father died in the pack war several years ago.”

Roan’s stomach dropped to his ass. He hadn’t even thought about that. He remembered his dad briefly telling him what happened to Samantha’s husband in the midst of that war … and that he was a part of.

“I didn’t realize,” Roan whispered.

“I’m sorry,” Jacob said. “If you don’t think she has anything to do with it then I get it, but there is a motive. It’s probably part of the reason she was hell-bent on running.”

Roan sat down in the small desk chair in the room, and palmed his forehead, resting his elbow against his knee. “This is going to be harder than I thought. I may not persuade her to come. I may have to carry her caveman style.”

Yes, his wolf chimed in. Now. Go get her now.

Jacob chuckled. “Dude, you’ve got your work cut out for you. I’ll let you go deal with that. I have everything under control here. I’ll call you if we find out anything.”

Roan hung up the phone and fought the urge to toss it against the bed. He’d been reigning Alpha at the time of that pack war, and though it wasn’t his idea, he had to defend his pack against the other alpha’s attempts at taking part of their land.

“She thinks I killed her dad,” Roan mumbled to himself. He stood up and ran his palm down his face. He’d get some sleep tonight, because tomorrow, he’d have to plan out a way to get her to come with him.

He didn’t want to be that alpha.

The domineering one who forced himself on his mate.

Roan wouldn’t force himself on her, but he would force her to come speak to him. They were fated mates. Who were they to reject what fate said was right?

He’d explain that he didn’t know her father, and that pack life wasn’t that bad.

It’d be fine. Everything would be fine.

Roan didn’t believe that for one minute.

Sullen was stubborn and fighting their bond like a champ. He’d need to pull out more than a caveman drag back to his pack to win her over.

What Sullen didn’t realize, was that Roan would do anything to have his Luna. And he’d be damned if a human would spend one more day touching what was his.

Duke, Whatever-His-Name-Was, was finished.