Stealing the Alpha’s Heart

It almost felt like things were getting back to normal as I dropped Lyssa off, both of our security details following close behind. I waved goodbye to my best friend as she trotted into Mahlan’s place, then headed home, actually excited for my day-to-day chores.

Who knew that laundry, dusting, and cooking could be so thrilling? But after two weeks of staying at Savannah’s as a guest and worrying about my future, it was nice to get back to something a little same ol’ same ol’. So I set about while whistling, feeling more at peace than I had in weeks.

I had finished an entire load of laundry and had another in the wash when I heard Theo enter. I was still folding on the kitchen island so I figured I would greet him once I was done.

However, when I heard his footsteps in the kitchen entrance, my mind spat out a daydream-like scenario with him picking me up, carrying me up the stairs with the muscles I had seen so many times, and throwing me on the bed to ravage me.

I tried to clamp down on my pheromones as hard as I could. I didn’t need Theo to think I was insanely horny over just his presence, or over the laundry. Both had some pretty embarrassing implications.

“Hey,” he said in a simple greeting as he crossed to the fridge in my peripherals, grabbing one of the shakes I’d made that morning. It was a recipe my brother had taught me for times of stress. Combining fresh fruit, juice, wheatgrass, and prenatal vitamins made quite a yummy treat that had enough of the nutrients that we needed.

“Hey,” I echoed, struggling to keep my voice steady. Was it hot in the kitchen? Suddenly it felt very hot in the kitchen.

At that, he exited, and I heaved a sigh of relief, continuing folding. But that relief was short-lived when I heard him stop in the doorway as he exited with his drink. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw he was leaning on the wooden frame, his arms crossed in that inexplicably attractive pose that men seemed to naturally take.

“Do you need something?” I asked, potentially a little sharper than I should have, but I couldn’t help it. My body was screaming out for him, to throw myself into his arms, to taste, to take.

But my pride and my mental state weren’t having any of that. I wasn’t the type to just leap into bed with people. I needed time. I needed…I needed not to have my choice made for me. And while I knew Theo was in the same position as me, I was grieving a love that would never come to be. Meanwhile, if what he said about always liking me was true, he essentially had gotten the mating of his dreams.

Ugh, if I thought about it like that, I would start to resent him. I needed to clear my mind. But that was easier said than done when he was standing there, staring at me like he wanted to devour me.

And my inner wolf absolutely wanted to be devoured.

Or maybe she was the one who wanted to do the devouring. I could feel her desire bubbling through my chest and out into my arms, making my nails much sharper than was convenient for folding clothes.

I closed my eyes and tried to shut Theo out, but it was hard when he was like a wellspring of attraction, beckoning my wolf to him.

I lasted maybe a minute, wondering why I didn’t just tell him to f**k off, until he pushed off the doorframe and walked toward me. The silence was borderline painfully intense as he set his empty bottle beside me and his other hand rested on my h!p.

That same lurid scenario played out in my head, but instead of that or any other salacious thing happening, he just gently k!ssed the top of my head.

When he spoke, his voice was low, but tender, in a way I’d only ever heard it once before. It was a tone that made me feel so valued, like I was hearing Theo’s deepest truths while everyone else only ever got surface-level information.

“I’ve always daydreamed about coming home to you, but the real thing is so much better than I ever could have imagined.”

Good Wolf-Lord-on-High! My breath caught in my throat and it was like every process in my body came to a sputtering halt. He…he couldn’t just say things like that.

And yet, he had said it, and I had most definitely heard it, and I swore my heart was growing in my c.hest at the same time I was drenching my p-anties with want, which was certainly an interesting combination of biological functions.

I turned so that we were face-to-face, and goodness, the expression in those intense eyes of his made my knees weak in a way I wasn’t used to feeling. Even in all my time crushing on Kaleb, I’d never had such a visceral reaction to a man.

I told myself it was just the bonding chemicals, that it wasn’t really me, but I knew that was a lie. I wasn’t reacting to a chemical soup caused by a bite above my mating gland. I was reacting to being respected, cherished, and adored.

Years spent pining over Kaleb had left me with tiny kernels of attention, barely enough to sustain me and leaving me in a state of affection-starvation for far too long. And yet ,Theo was right in front of me offering a feast of genuine appreciation. Of friendship. Of desire, and love.

It hit me right down to my soul, filling me with a type of affirmation I hadn’t even known was possible, and the next thing I knew, I was k!ssing Theo.

And maybe I was crying too, but that was okay. I was so full of so many different emotions that I felt like I might explode. But if I did, I wanted it to be with him.

My arms wrapped around him as I clung to him, my moving l!ps saying everything my brain couldn’t. And for what it was worth, Theo also embraced me, his strong arms encircling my middle and practically crushing me to him.

But I loved it. Loved it. Everything I had been denying myself for so long was flooding over me as I realized just how much I could have if I gave up the ghost of nothing I had with Kaleb and let myself move on.

We k!ssed for so long that I swore our hearts syncopated, thumping in a rapid rhythm against each other. One of my hands moved from around Theo’s shoulders to run my fingers through his blond hair. How had I never known it was so soft?

I gr0aned, especially when Theo caught my lower l!p between his teeth and pulled. I was so caught up in it, in him, and in everything rushing through me, that I couldn’t even think.

And then someone poured a bucket of cold water over me.

Well, that wasn’t what actually happened, although it felt like it. In reality, Theo just pulled away, breathing hard and looking at me like I’d stabbed him.

“What?” I gasped, thoroughly confused and feeling anger rising at the emotional whiplash. I’d finally given in and he was blue-balling me?

“I can’t do this,” he murmured, sounding distraught.

“Did…did I do something wrong?”

“No, it’s just—” He shook his head and took my hand in his, lovingly tracing it. “I love you, Emma. And almost losing you showed me I love you even more than I ever thought possible. Believe me when I say that I crave you. I longed for the moment when you’d happily mate with me. But if you’re just doing this now to relieve frustration, or you feel like you have to, it’d break me. I’d rather you never touch me than feel like it’s something you’re being forced into.”

Oh, Theo. Noble, loving, sweet Theo. I really didn’t understand how everyone thought he was such an ice king, because to me, he was one of the kindest people I knew.

Gently, ever so gently, I raised my hand to cup his cheek, stroking the faint stubble along his jaw. “I can’t say that I love you yet,” I answered honestly. “You’ve got a lot more years on that front than I do. But I can say that I care for you immensely. No one is forcing me to do this, and I don’t feel obligated. You make me feel…feel so wanted and seen in a way I never thought possible.”

I stood on tiptoe so that our l!ps were barely a breath away from each other. “In this moment, I want you, Theo. Me, as in Emmaline. Not the mating bite, not my wolf. So k!ss me, Theo, and show me how much I mean to you.”

He drew in a shuddering gasp, and that was right when my world turned upside down again.

Or maybe it was just when Theo k!ssed me. Who knew, they kind of felt the same. It was like I’d unleashed a feral animal with how he grabbed me, k!ssing me for all he was worth.

But I went with it, m0aning into his mouth as I held on for dear life. My b***d was thundering in my veins and I could feel my teeth sharpening in my mouth, but that just seemed to entice Theo more.

The next thing I knew, I was being lifted. But before I could even wrap my legs around his wa!st, he deposited me on the edge of the kitchen island, knocking my folded laundry onto the floor. In any other situation, I would have been upset at my hard work being undone, but funnily enough, the thought of getting railed was a higher priority in my mind.

“I thought about doing this when you came over to help at my apartment,” he said, his voice barely more than a growl. It sent shivers all down my arms and I swore I felt a pulse between my legs. Oh yeah, I was absolutely primed and ready.

“Did you?” I gasped before his mouth attacked my neck. L!cking, svcking, and biting. It was heavenly, and yet at the same time, the purest sin, making thought more than a little bit difficult.

“Oh yeah. Every time I brushed against you in my kitchen, every time I caught your scent. It was t0rture.”

“But in the best way?” I teased.

“In the best way,” he agreed before his mouth sealed over my m.ating mark.

Shit. I swore my soul left my body as endorphins rushed through me, blanking everything out. I faintly heard myself mewl as my hands gripped him, and the sound seemed to drive Theo even wilder, his hands scrabbling to free me from my p-ants.

Jeez, pants were stupid. Whoever invented them got a zero out of ten in my book.

When he finally got my annoyingly fashionable slacks off, his hand was on me in a moment, teasing my folds just over my underw.ear.

“These are soaked,” he commented, his shock barely coming through the visceral desire in his voice.

F**k. When had anyone ever talked to me like that? Looked at me like that? Certainly not Kaleb.

Kaleb who? The thought echoed somewhere in the back of my mind, and I couldn’t agree more. Why had I been punishing myself by going after someone with no interest in me, when I had someone who wanted to worship me right at my side?

“Told you I wanted this,” I said, diverting to sassiness as I always did. What could I say? I had a quick tongue and quicker wit, even when I was thirsting so hard I thought my soul might invert.

“Such a good girl,” he purred before his fingers slid against me again and sh!t, his words went right through me and I could feel my womanh00d throb against his touch. “I can feel how bad you want it.”

“If you can feel it, why are you making me wait?” I challenged.

I swore Theo’s eyes flashed as he caught my l!ps in another k!ss. “Patience is a virtue.”

“If I was worried about your virtue, I wouldn’t let you do this.”

He chuckled and the sound was like liquid se.x pouring over me and my ears as I shivered. Thankfully, I didn’t have to divert my thoughts to trying to maintain banter, because then Theo finally moved my underwear to the side and slid his fingers directly across my slick folds.

“O-oh f**k!”

I’d never had a simple touch be so visceral, but of course nothing was ever simple with Theo. He spread my we.tness all over, going between my entrance to that sens!tive bundle of nerves at my apex. But he never quite touched it directly, leaving me squirming with impatience.

“Come on,” I begged, leaning forward and k!ssing at his neck. The moment my l!ps touched his neck, I felt him stiffen, and then his fingers finally plunged into me.

“Oh! Oh!”

He curled his fingers just so, his fingertips sliding against that spongy wall within me, and it was all I could do not to scream. I felt so keyed up, every single moment of p.leasure building on top of each other into a cacophony of ecstasy.

God, it never felt as good with my own fingers, but maybe that was because I couldn’t get the right angle, or maybe it was because his were so long and thick. Either way, my wolf was demanding I grab his wrist and ride it out until we were boneless.

But Theo seemed to have other ideas, because right when I could feel myself heading toward my cl!max, he withdrew his hand.

“Hey!” I objected, like he’d just taken away my favorite toy. And for what it was worth, he kind of did.

“Don’t worry, kitten. I’ve got something better for you.”

His hand went to his zipper and oh, I was most definitely on board with that. L!cking my l!ps, I watched as he pulled his length out, already straining for me, dripping slightly at the tip. It was physical proof that he wanted me, and that turned me on even more.

I felt his blunt head nudge my opening, spreading me open bit by bit. He was trying to be careful, so careful, but me and my inner wolf were having none of it.

Once more, I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, but this time I used the hold as leverage to lift myself up just enough to drop myself right onto his d!ck, filling me up in one fell swoop.

“F**k!” Theo gasped, his fingers biting into my h!ps just the way I liked it.

And I couldn’t agree more. I was breathless with how he stretched me, filled me, made me feel so utterly hot, I could melt right there on the counter.

But it wasn’t enough. I wanted more.

“Come on, white wolf. Show me what you got.”

He looked up at me and I swore there was literal fire in his eyes. But I wanted to be burned by it. To be charred to ash and then scattered on the winds so a new Emma could be reborn.

“As you wish.”

And then he drove into me, pulling out then sliding back in with a punishing rhythm. But I took it, I took it, and demanded more, meeting his every thrust with movement from my own h!ps.

We really were two becoming one, our bodies, our souls connecting through desire. Through p…leasure. I would never be able to look at him the same way again, and I sincerely hoped that he wouldn’t be able to regard me the same way, either.

No, I wasn’t magically in love, but I was…open, in a way that I wasn’t before. The anger was abating. The resentment was fading. Perhaps with just a little longer, I could fully r.elease myself from my stupid, time-wasting crush on Kaleb, the loss of the future I’d planned, and everything else that had gone up in smoke.

But in the meantime, I was perfectly content with being d!cked down good.

I was going to walk funny the next day, but I didn’t care. The only thing that mattered was Theo, and the way he was looking at me. I drank up everything he gave me and returned it in kind, the two of us pushing each other to higher and higher heights.

I was getting close, I could feel it bubbling under my skin. But I needed more. Desperately, I gripped his shirt, yanking it up over his head so I could get at his skin. It felt good under my nails, heated and full of life. I wanted to l!ck him all over, to memorize the taste of him and every change in texture along his body. But considering that I was currently holding on for dear life as he pistoned into me, that would have to wait for another time.

Huh, we hadn’t even finished our first time together and I was already thinking about the next. That was certainly progress.

“Don’t stop, Theo, don’t stop!”

“Wasn’t planning on it,” he shot back, voice practically feral. And then his teeth were in my neck again, biting right over my mating mark. My mind went white, my body tensing like a rubber band until suddenly everything snapped, and I came harder than I had in my entire life.

“Oh my God! Oh my God!”

“That’s it, kitten. Come for me. Let me feel you.”

It wasn’t like I could stop. I swore my whole body spasmed as I endured the waves of p…leasure washing over me, drowning out any other thought. By the time I started to come down, I could feel Theo losing his rhythm, his pants growing desperate.

“Ya gonna give it to me?” I panted, somehow mustering the ability to circle my h!ps one last time.

“F**k, Emmaline!”

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

That seemed to do it for him, and a beat later, he was r.eleasing within me, filling me with a primal sort of warmth that absolutely satisfied my inner wolf.

The two of us stayed there for several moments, locked together as mates. Breathless, and definitely a bit shaky, I took my time getting down from the kitchen island.

“Want to take a shower?” I asked, offering Theo my hand.

And he took it, his grin genuine. There was my good friend. It was nice to know I hadn’t lost him with all the blurring lines around our relationship.

“Lead the way,” he answered, voice so soft and sweet that it made my heart swell.

Thing were going to be alright between us, I was pretty sure. As long as those witches didn’t get a say.

---

I hummedto myself as I charred the steaks I was cooking, feeling loosey-goosey and all sorts of good.

“You sure you don’t want me to do that?” Theo asked from where he was wiping down the kitchen island with industrial cleaner. It may have been a bit overboard, but considering a majority of shifters had incredibly developed senses of smell, I didn’t really want people to know I’d gotten my brains fvcked out where they were eating. Rude, and all that.

“No, I’m enjoying myself,” I said, shooting him a smile. Yeah, things were a teeniest bit awkward between us, as they always were whenever two people hooked up for the first time, but I didn’t mind. I was happy what happened, happened, and I was looking forward to what the future brought.

Especially since I hoped it would bring the death of those witch-b!tches who were attacking people.

“So, Mahlan and I have a plan. One that doesn’t involve you playing bait, so you might not want to hear about it.”

I rolled my eyes at Theo’s teasing. Others might think he was saying it straight, but I could hear that slight dip in his tone that told me he was joshing. “What’d the two of you cook up?’

“We’re going to track down the brothers that started this. Apparently, we’ve always had the information of where the comatose one is. Just no one ever visited him because he’s basically deader than a doornail, brain-wise.”

“What if he’s not and the people at the home are either covering for him or tricked?”

“I would think that was more likely than anything else if the council didn’t have someone there to monitor things. They would sense if there was any magical hokey pokey going on.”

“Huh, okay. So it’s just you and Mahlan?”

“And Samson.”

I nodded. “So you’re more comfortable on the trusting him front then?”

“Yes. I had a long conversation with him, and I feel like I understand him a bit more. Besides, if he wanted to sell us out, he knows where all of our moonstones are. The witches would already have them if he wanted to betray us.”

“I’m glad the two of you are on the same page. Lyssa adores him and he’s proven to be a good ally so far.”

I took the steaks off the oven and set them aside to rest for ten minutes. Crossing back to the fridge, I took out my jar of caramelized onions and scooped some into the hot pan before slamming the lid over it. I’d long since learned that I didn’t have the patience to caramelize onions every time I wanted a deluxe burger or perfectly charred steak. So instead I did them in huge batches and put them in jars in my fridge. That way, they took maybe five minutes to heat up and I could have a full meal of delicious, umami goodness.

“I hope you’re hungry,” I said as I stirred my mashed potatoes one last time. I had cheated and used an instant mix, but hey, I was a woman on the go and didn’t always have time to make things from scratch.

“You could say that I’ve worked up a bit of an appetite,” he said behind me.

I just turned and waggled my eyebrows at him. “Are you talking about the food I’ve made or my as*s?”

“Porque no los dos?” he shot back with a wink.

I cackled and started loading up our individual plates. “Well, let’s handle one of those now and see if the food coma will allow for any extracurricular activities.”

“Yes, ma’am!” Theo finished cleaning up the kitchen island and fetched our drinks from the fridge. I set the plates down in our spots, right next to each other, and settled in for a comfortable meal.

“So, about this trip to see coma guy,” I started cautiously between bites of deliciously blue-rare steak. I knew that wasn’t for everyone, but shifters did tend to like their meat on the rare side. Or completely raw, considering the elk Theo, Jacobian, and I had taken down on the last run.

“Yes?” Theo said, equally cautious.

“I want to come with you.”

He froze with his fork halfway up to his mouth, mashed potatoes and onions sliding from it. “I…I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

“Come on,” I said, hoping it wouldn’t dissolve into a fight. Not after the great moment we’d just had. “If I wasn’t your mate, would you let me?”

He didn’t even hesitate on his answer. “No, probably not.”

“What?! Why?”

“You underestimate how I’ve felt about you for years. Why do you think I’ve never brought a date to family dinners or any events like everyone else?”

Oh…he had a point there, didn’t he? “I dunno, I just thought you were like, dedicated to your work.”

“I am,” he answered primly, finally taking that bite. “But that’s because if I was ever going to mate, it was going to be you.” He looked at me with that insanely open expression of his, the one that made my toes curl in my shoes. “It was always you.”

I swallowed hard and tried to recover from the moment. Somehow, I managed a laugh. “Huh, you really played the long game, didn’t you?”

He nodded and I felt all the care he had for me push through our bond, leaving me breathless. I really, really was lucky to have a mate like Theo.

It was just—as I’d thought about a million and one times before—a shame about the circumstances.

“I won’t tell you no, but I ask that you don’t come with us,” Theo said finally.

I heaved a breath. This was that compromise thing that Lyssa was talking about. “I…I need to think a moment. When are you leaving?”

“Tomorrow, sometime just after noon.”

I blinked in shock at that. “Wait, you’re leaving tomorrow!?”

“Yeah, we thought it was best to get on this as quickly as we could so the witches and whoever else couldn’t catch wind of it. We’ll be gone for one night, potentially two.”

I thought for a long, long moment. I wanted to go, I really did, but that meant leaving Lyssa alone in the store. And honestly, if I was in her position, I would be worried sick.

Finally, I let out a sigh. “Jeez, I’m really slacking on this hiring new people thing. I should probably hang back and handle all that.”

Theo smiled at me, and the gratitude in his expression was almost worth having to stay behind and run a boutique. “Thank you, Emma. I really do appreciate it.”

“Hey, I’m doing it for the sake of my shop, not because I’m scared.”

“I know,” he said, leaning over and k!ssing my cheek. “You’re the bravest woman I know.”

“Well, when you’re right, you’re right.”

We shared a laugh and finished my dinner. I just hoped that I wouldn’t come to regret my compromise.

---

I feltstrange going in to work the next morning. Somehow, in less than a week, I’d gotten used to Theo being around the house when I woke up. The thought that he wouldn’t be there the next day, and potentially not the day after that, either, made me a bit unsettled.

It didn’t help when I arrived at work to see double the usual security there, sticking out like sore thumbs. Maybe to the everyday onlooker they didn’t, but I could spot them in less than a moment.

Nevertheless, a promise was a promise, so I headed inside. Lyssa arrived a moment later, her face flushed and her hair mussed.

“Sorry I’m late! I just—”

“Had a quickie before Mahlan ducked town?”

She flushed but nodded her head anyway. “Yeah, pretty much.”

“I’m glad you had fun,” I said, ruffling her hair up even more as I passed her. “You’re gonna need it today.”

“Why, did something happen?”

“No, something’s gonna happen. Today we’re going to do the final hiring for this place.”

“Whoa, really?”

I nodded. “Yep. Enough procrastinating. Let’s get this over with so we can finally catch up and get them onboarded before we combine both sides.”

“Aye aye, captain!”

The morning was a flurry of activity after that, with both of us making sure we’d made the best decision for the shop. And yet, I was still nervous as I made the final calls, inviting Lindsey, Kailey, and Holly to work with us provided they passed a background check.

And by background check, I mostly meant a thorough magical screening that they would have no idea about when Sam greeted them at the door. Maybe it was paranoia, maybe it was just being cautious.

The rest of the day rushed by pretty quickly, and it wasn’t until nearly closing that I remembered exactly what was going on. Theo was out on his fact-finding mission, and I was about to go to my house all alone. Normally, that wasn’t something that bothered me, but normally, I didn’t have a group of witches trying to capture/brainwash/kill me in order to get to my best friend and sister-in-wolf.

“You okay?” Lyssa asked for what probably was the fiftieth time in the past month, but I didn’t mind. I knew I looked strange, standing in the doorway of my office, looking toward the front door while I tried to think.

“Yeah, just uh…I dunno. Kind of don’t want to go back to my empty house.”

Lyssa let out such a relieved sigh that I had to give her a double take. “Sorry, it’s just I was thinking the same thing. With Mahlan out, I don’t really wanna go back to his apartment and be all on my lonesome.”

Whew, we really were two peas in a pod. “Wanna go grab dinner then? At someplace with really slow service? And drinks!” Most definitely drinks. Goodness knows my nerves needed it.

“God yes, that sounds amazing.”

“It’s a plan then!” That cheered my mood considerably.

I’d lived on my own for so long that it wasn’t entirely unusual for me to go home and enjoy my empty house. It was relaxing not having to answer to anybody, and to be as gross as I wanted. But now, after only a small bit of time living with Theo, I’d kind of become used to the company.

I liked the way he enjoyed the food I cooked. I loved that he loaded and unloaded the dishwasher and did the vacuuming. Maybe I was a bit of a shifter stereotype, but I hated vacuuming. The sound always made me want to grit my teeth and shed my human form so I could run far, far away.

I liked that I had someone to talk to while I ate. Someone to watch cheesy reruns or binge entire shows with. He didn’t seem to care if it was reruns of Project Runway or a full season of Peaky Blinders. Whenever I asked what he wanted to watch, he would just reply that he liked the shows I picked.

Crazy. Absolutely crazy. I was getting attached, and as much as I tried to tell myself it was just happy bonding chemicals, I knew it was more than that. Theo had always been my friend, but he was kind of becoming my best friend, tied right up there with Lyssa.

Except I didn’t have a singular drop of s3xual attraction for Lyssa while I absolutely wanted to climb Theo like the tree he was.

“Hey, we should invite Hannah and Savannah!” Lyssa said, pulling me out of thinking about exactly how I wanted to grate my face across Theo’s abs and whether I would start with tongue or end with it.

“Oh yeah, totally! I’ll text Savvy if you text Han.”

“Okies dokies.”

I went about doing just that, expecting our Alma to take a bit to answer, but she replied pretty quickly.

I can do that in about two hours?

Hey, the less time spent alone, the better. I happily took the offer.

Sure! That works for me.

Great! See you then!

Sliding my phone back into my pocket, I looked to Lyssa. “Savvy said she could make it in two hours. Wanna put in a little overtime if that works for Hannah?”

“Yeah, lemme add that to my message to her.”

Hannah took a bit longer to answer, which wasn’t a surprise considering how hard she worked. I didn’t know her overly well, but I did know that she was very dedicated to her work. Especially since she was in a rather delicate position with the whole corporate espionage thing.

But twenty or so minutes later, Hannah answered that she was in and to text her the address of wherever we were going. And just like that, we’d inadvertently made a girls’ night out. Unsurprisingly, it had been a long time since I’d had one, and usually it was just me and a few girls I knew from college.

Because before, there had been no Lyssa, no Savvy, and Hannah had been so busy with college that she never had the time. Even family dinners were hard for her to make. And Addison wasn’t really one for family gatherings, either. She wasn’t standoffish, but the woman didn’t seem to be into big social events. Which was one of the reasons she made such a good mole.

Huh, I’d never thought about how much my friend group had grown. It was nice to be close with a handful of female wolves. Don’t get me wrong—humans were just fine, I wasn’t xenophobic like some folks—but there was something special about sharing all the troubles and tribulations that came with being a shifter who also had a period.

Ugh. Periods.

“Well, now that that’s all settled,” I said, as it was indeed settled, “wanna take some more photos for the website?”

“Oh, yeah! That sounds fun!” Lyssa grinned broadly. “I call the sparkly pink jumpsuit!”

“No fair!” I objected. “I’m the owner of the shop!”

But Lyssa just batted her eyes at me, the brat that she was. “Yeah, but you love me.”

“I suppose I do. Alright, let’s go!”

I didn’t have my camera with me, so that meant we were pretty much taking selfies and cell phone pics of each other, but that was fine. I had an “as seen in real life” section on my website, and ever since I’d started regularly updating that section, sales had significantly jumped. People liked to see items in more natural settings along with the professional photoshoots.

It was easy for the time to flow quickly while we worked together, and I didn’t even pay attention to the clock until a strange expression crossed Lyssa’s face.

“Hey, something bothering you?” I asked, eyeing her in my peripheral vision.

“Oh, no, not really. Just had a funny thought, that’s all.”

“Care to share with the class?”

“It’s just crazy to think that Theo and Mahlan could be meeting my extended family. If I even have extended family.” Lyssa paused, looking up at the ceiling like it contained all the answers she was looking for. “I thought my family abandoned me because I was too much. But…what if I’ve had family all along? Family that wanted me. Mourned me.”

Her smile turned tremulous as her gaze flicked to me, her eyes ever so slightly watery. “I don’t know what to think about all of this. I…I probably should be happy. But mostly…” She took a shuddering breath. “But mostly I think I’m just scared.”

“Oh, my sweet little bean,” I said, throwing my arms open and hugging her with all I had. Sometimes it was easy to forget how young she was. “It’s okay to be scared. None of us know exactly what we’re gonna find, or how they’re gonna react to finding out you survived and were kidnapped. But I’m certain that once they meet you, they’ll truly know how much they were robbed of an amazing pack member.”

“They won’t fight to have me back, will they? I want to get to know my family, but I’m with Mahlan and you guys. I don’t want to leave.”

“Honey, you don’t gotta worry about that at all! Sure, they might want to hijack you for some holidays, but a mating bond is a mating bond is a mating bond is a mating bond. That’s a sacred thing that they won’t mess with unless you ask them to.”

“Do people do that?”

“Occasionally. Sometimes a mate will become abusive, or perhaps fall into addiction. While mating is for life, there is always the freedom to leave if it’s unhealthy.”

“Well, that’s good then.” Lyssa sniffed a bit. “That there are ways out if anyone gets into a bad spot.”

“Of course. We wolf shifters are loyal, but the majority of us want what’s healthiest for our pack members. And sometimes that means kicking an alcoholic husband to the curb, or helping a shifter break his bond with his wife who likes to throw things at him when she’s angry because she knows he’ll heal.”

“That’s really good to know.” Lyssa pulled away slightly, taking a deep breath. “I’ve still got so much to learn.”

“Yeah, but you’ve got all of us. We’ll be right beside you no matter how many witches, b!tches, or trafficking as*sh0les try to get in the way.”

“I’m glad I don’t have to worry about some sort of custody battle between y’all. I mean, I wanna meet them if they wanna meet me, but I’ve built a family here with you. I’ve lost so much of my family, I don’t want to give up any more.”

I couldn’t help it, I had to hug her again. And maybe I squeezed her hard enough to break a human’s rib, but she was a shifter now so I didn’t have to worry. So I just hugged her until I felt like we hugged enough for the moment, which turned out to be about five minutes. I probably could have done ten, but my alarm went off reminding me that it was almost time to go.

“Okay, one last check-in before we rush off,” Lyssa said, composing herself. Not that she needed to compose herself; she was handling everything remarkably well. “Are you okay? What’s the situation with you?”

“I…feel a bit left out I think. I wish I was with Theo. I could just call my parents and they’d probably let me crash there until he comes back, but I don’t want to put them in danger.” I paused, thinking about it in a way I hadn’t really slowed down enough to do since everything happened. “I think I’m ashamed, in a way.”

“Ashamed?” Lyssa echoed.

“Yeah. I just didn’t plan any of this, and I was always so proud of my big ol’ plan. And they’ve been as supportive as they can, all things considered, but I’ve mostly been, I dunno…avoiding them, I guess.”

“Hey, I get it. You’re in a complicated situation right now that takes a lot of navigating and processing. If you need a month or two until you’re ready to deep dive with them, that’s okay.”

“Thanks. I needed to hear that.” I took a deep breath, wiping my suddenly sweaty palms on my th!ghs. “It’s just intimidating, you know, how are we all supposed to progress from here?”

“I dunno. I wish there was an easy explanation. But you had a thing for Kaleb, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, I did, but I realize now that it was going nowhere. When his attention swung to me, it felt good, but that happened less often than a leap year. Now that I’ve had some time to think about it, I almost wonder if I chose him because he was safe.”

“Safe, huh?”

“Yeah, like if subconsciously I knew he’d always be too busy or distant to ever commit to something, so that way I could have a crush but also focus completely on my business.”

“Well, I suppose I’ve heard more far-fetched things,” Lyssa said with a nod. “Makes sense to me.”

“It does?”

“Sure. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m not even twenty yet, but from what I’ve observed, life is complicated and our minds try their hardest to cushion us from all the bad bits. Sometimes those coping mechanisms aren’t the best, but hey, at least it’s trying to protect us.”

I chuckled at that. “Well, you certainly have a point there.”

“That’s what I do. But what we need to do is get going or we’re gonna be late.”

“Oh shoot, you’re right! Let’s lock up and head out!”

It was a quick drive to the bistro we’d picked out, and sure enough, Savvy and Hannah were waiting for us. It was kind of weird to see our Alma step out of a car, but I supposed she had to get herself around somehow. Usually I just assumed she always had her drivers chauffer her around, but that probably wasn’t very practical.

“Hey there!” Savannah said, grinning like it was Christmas itself. Goodness, we really needed to invite her to more things. “I’ve been wanting to go here for ages but I never had anyone to go with!”

Yeah, we definitely needed to invite her out more.

“Likewise over here,” Hannah said, and like it was completely normal, she pulled her hair right off her head.

“Oh my God!” Lyssa cried before we both realized it was a wig, revealing bright green hair underneath.

“Relax, it’s temporary dye that’ll be out in a week. I just wanted something to help me de-stress considering how intense this subterfuge position is.” Hannah gave us a wink that was downright salacious. How was the girl single? She had that old-school Hollywood type of beauty with plenty of curves and a soft tummy that was perfect for resting a head on. “A girl’s gotta have some tricks up her sleeve.”

“Girl, I cannot believe you just did that!” I crowed, clapping her shoulder. “I totally thought you just scalped yourself!”

“Hah! If Jacobian doesn’t get off my back, I just might.”

We all cackled like a bunch of harpies and went in, where we were seated without much fuss. I supposed it helped that it was a weekday, so the dinner rush wasn’t that bad. It was so nice to just have a girls night, even if it was quite impromptu.

“So, how’s the store going?” Hannah asked as we sat. “I’m so sorry that I’m behind on everything, but Jacobian has been riding me nonstop.”

We all paused at her choice of words, staring at her. It took her a solid couple of seconds to get why, and once the realization crossed her face, we all broke into hysterics. Shit, we were being really rowdy, but I was disinclined to shush any of us. I would just have to give the waitress a really big tip.

“The contractors are almost done, so I’m definitely looking forward to being able to merge both of the storefronts.”

“Whoa, you’re combining both?” Hannah blurted, looking genuinely impressed. “Didn’t you just finish setting up the one you have now?”

“Well, I set it up knowing that I would need to combine with my old space once it was fixed up, so I won’t have to do much rearranging. I’ll probably have to shut down for a few days when they knock down the wall between the two in the floor area, though.”

I sighed at that, not wanting to lose even more time being open when I’d missed so much already. Maybe I could kidnap Lyssa to my place and just do an entire marathon day of shooting. We’d be exhausted after, but it might be kind of fun, and definitely productive.

“I’ve always admired your business skill and planning,” Savvy remarked, sipping at the tea she’d ordered. “I certainly don’t have that talent.”

“That may be,” I quipped, “but your b***d can help heal people and I can’t do anything like that.”

“Hah! Fair enough. And you better not start because then I’ll be out of a job.”

“We wouldn’t want that.”

“You’re welcome to spontaneously develop skills and take over my job whenever you want,” Hannah cut in, taking a long swig of the wine she’d ordered.

“Jeez, is it that bad?” Lyssa asked, wide-eyed.

“It is and isn’t. It’s pretty obvious to me that this whole company is a front, but I’m still there in the trenches trying to figure out how and if they’re connected to our moonstones.”

“But they have to be, right?” That was Lyssa again, gripping her soda with white knuckles. She was so good at rolling with the punches that I had to be somewhat on alert to see her little signs. Maybe I should have Mahlan talk to her more about the business. “Isn’t that the whole reason why this started?”

“We got a really reliable tip-off that they were involved,” Hannah answered. “Or at least, that’s what I was told. And I’m supposed to figure out why, how, and find some connections about who they’re working with. But it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.

“And get this, I’ve been asked out three different times and gone on three different dates with these dudes to see if I can suss anything out, and I swear to Werewolf-Jesus on High, they’ve been the dullest dates of my life. And with every date, Jacobian gets even more unbearable. Like, dude, I can’t help it each of these guys are worthless on the intel front!”

I shook my head. “Sounds like you need another drink.”

“You bet your as*s I do. If we don’t leave here with the server judging me, then I’ve held back too much.”

I laughed, shaking my own head. Normally, I didn’t encourage overindulgence, but as shifters, our accelerated metabolism helped us process alcohol about five to ten times faster than a human. “She’s gonna cut you off.”

“That’s a problem for future Hannah to care about. I never liked her much anyway.”

That actually got a laugh out of all of us.

“Why didn’t I know you were so funny?” I asked.

“Probably because I had to be such a hard as*s to get through school and into Jacobian’s intern program. Like, it’s no secret that the company has incredibly high standards, but I was determined to get in.”

Savannah cleared her throat. “Well, I for one am glad you got in.”

“Me too, despite my b!tching. But hey, who wants a sampler? I’m feeling like stuffing myself silly on a broad variety of foods.”

“Sounds good to me!” I said along with a chorus of affirmative noises from the others.

Eventually, our server returned and we ordered a truly absurd amount of food. The poor waitress had such a concerned look on her face as the four of us relatively small women asked for three different appetizers—including a sampler, naturally—and two entrees each as well as several more drinks.

But it was nice to be excessive, and it wasn’t like any of us were hard up for money. While there were plenty of packs across America that were struggling with modernization and being financially literate, our pack did not have those same issues. Thankfully the Silent Ridge pack had always been good at adapting. Even when our alpha was k!lled and our moonstones were stolen.

Or we were forcibly mated. An increasingly common circumstance.

From there, the conversation drifted to Savvy’s life since I’d last stayed with her, then the food, and then a bunch of other things that were entirely fun and nothing about witches or moonstones or whoever was trying to pick off shifters. It was fulfilling in a way I never realized it would be, making me appreciate my fellow packmates even more. When we eventually wound down, I found myself less dreading the solitude of my house and more longing for my beautiful, fluffy, and warm bed. And hopefully when I woke up, Theo would be there to greet me.