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  “Do you still love him?” The wolf whines and covers his ears with his paws, and I steel myself for an answer.

  “I don’t believe in love.”

  I blink in surprise. She doesn’t believe in love? That is the whole purpose of mates—to love and cherish each other until death. My parents died together. My mother had dragged me out of the fire and then returned to our home to retrieve my father. He had been trapped under a steel support beam that had fallen to the ground. When she was unable to move the beam, she laid down next to him and they burned together.

  I would’ve done the same—as would any mate. "What do you believe in?"

  "I believe in rational decisions like our marriage. We both have a need and the other was able to fill it."

  I roll the wine glass between my fingertips, debating whether to continue this discussion with her. It never occurred to me that my mate wouldn’t love me. I didn’t know that such a thing could happen between mates.

  "What is your need then?"

  "Actually, we should talk about that. When I said earlier that I wouldn’t break the agreement, it was a selfish statement. Now that I’m here and see how many people you have…" She pauses. "Edon, I have to confess something to you. When I signed the marriage contract, I needed to get away, but I know that’s a mistake now. I shouldn’t have brought anyone else into this mess of my life."

  She says other things about targets and victims and terrible, shifty exes, but all I can hear is that my mate is trying to leave me. The wolf roars his disagreement. I can feel the shift trembling under the surface. My wolf is convinced he can make her stay. I know better. Seeing me change now would terrify her. If she can’t love another human, she could never love a shifter like me. Still, she’s my mate and I won’t let her go.

  "No."

  "What?"

  "No, you can’t leave." I remember the scene outside the airport when I told her she could leave if she reimbursed me for the ticket. She might not believe in the pack, in loyalty, or in love, but she’s honorable. I’ll hold to that for now. "You have nowhere to go."

  "I know, but that’s wrong." Her eyes fall to her lap.

  "If it’s the sex, then we wait. As the contract says, it’s your choice."

  "No. It’s not that. I mean, you probably know that I do want you."

  At her words, my vision blurs and the wolf inside me roars with triumph. She wants me. My mate wants me. I sweep my arm across the table, scattering plates and wine onto the wide oak plank floor.

  She jumps up in surprise. I catch her to me, capturing her lips with mine. The first taste of her is better than the richest, most expensive wine. She parts her mouth, her little tongue flicking out to greet mine. None of the fear from earlier is present. She’s all soft, needy want. I ravage her mouth, exploring every inch.

  For years, I have waited for this. For years, I have brushed aside all invitations from humans and wolves alike. I wanted to save myself for my mate, and my patience has been rewarded with the sweetest flavor in all world. I can’t wait to taste more. I bend her back over the table and drag my mouth along her plump cheek to the little shell of her ear. She moans and digs her fingers into my shoulders.

  "Dig those nails deep, girl. Mark me as yours," I rasp harshly into the delicate skin of her neck.

  "Edon, I…ohhhhh—" She breaks off as I thumb one pert nipple poking insistently against the thin fabric of her shirt.

  I’ll buy her a new one, I decide. A closet full of black thin t-shirts. A semi-full of them, if she wants. But right now I need this shirt off. I need to see her precious tits and suck on her firm nipples. My hands shake when I tear the shirt in two. She gasps as the severed sides fall away, exposing her creamy skin. She wears no bra and her tits bob eagerly before me.

  “Ah, skatten min, look at how beautiful you are.” The endearment falls from my lips. My treasure. I cup her bounty in each of my hands, rubbing a thumb over the tips that pucker and harden under my touch. The urgency to rut has passed. All I want to do is to spend a lifetime drowning myself in the feel and scent of her. I take a long drag to fill my lungs with her intoxicating arousal.

  "Edon, please," she whispers.

  My wolf preens at her passionate pleas. We dreamed our mate would respond beautifully but the reality of it is breathtaking. I trace her collarbone with my teeth, noting with interest how sensitive the hollow of her neck is. She shivers and shudders when I lightly brush my hands against the sides of her tits. She arches against me when I take one of those hard nubs into my mouth.

  She moans my name again. And again. And again. The third time, the discordant, almost distressed tone, breaks through my arousal. I raise my eyes from her beautiful tits to see her blue eyes filled with agony.

  This isn’t passion. She’s not crying out my name because she wants me. What is this then? Doing her duty as part of the business deal? This isn’t how our mating should be. Our coming together should be a joyous thing.

  I push away from the table. “You don’t have to sacrifice yourself for me,” I snarl.

  “It’s not a sacrifice,” she huffs, pulling the sides of her tattered shirt over her bare chest. “Besides, I do want you and you want me.” She points to my erection—the one that’s about to punch through the zipper of my jeans.

  I force myself away from the table. “Not like this.”

  5

  Cassie

  I’ve made an utter mess of this, I think, as I finish washing the last of the dinner dishes. Edon was right to have left. I haven’t been honest with him and to let him marry me without knowing the danger I’m putting him and his pack in would be the worst thing I could do.

  When Ronnie told me that Edon took care of his family, I didn’t realize that meant they all lived on the same property. I didn’t realize that they would all be targets for Cody. I don’t deserve to spend even one night here, let alone marry a man as good as Edon.

  Sure, he comes on a little strong physically, but I don’t actually mind that. Cody always found it embarrassing to even hold my hand in public. Edon’s like that. It’s not so much that Edon gets off on PDA, but rather he doesn’t care how anyone else views him.

  He’s got an innate sense of self and confidence that Cody only had when he had his gun in his hand. Cody would probably piss himself if he came face to face with Edon.

  When I decided to run away and hide here on the Rule property, I wasn’t really thinking about how I might bring danger to Edon or his family. And while I was selfishly making plans to make myself safe, the Rules were creating the perfect sanctuary for me.

  In the reading room, there is a gorgeous Steinway upright. The entire room is surrounded by floor-to-ceiling oak bookshelves stained a dark brown. My books are already on the shelves. A set of sheets and blankets sit on the sofa with a note that indicates that if I ever need to get away from Edon, the sofa pulls out to a bed.

  Off the reading room is a bathroom that could rival any ritzy hotel. It’s tiled all in white with a light blue vanity that is intentionally weathered to look like an antique. A small furry stool sits in front of a makeup vanity. I pull out the stool and have a seat. I’ve never had a makeup vanity before. My bathroom has never been big enough.

  As with the bookshelves, the vanity is full of my stuff. They not only carted all my belongings across the country, but they unpacked everything into the walk-in closet adjacent to the bathroom. When I opened the drawers, I found little heart-shaped sachets smelling of vanilla in my underwear drawer.

  Edon and his family had thought of everything. And how do I repay them? By lying. I press my hands against my face. I have to make this right.

  Outside, a wolf fills the air with a mournful, lonely howl. I feel like howling back. Maybe yelling would make me feel better.

  No. Being truthful with Edon will make me feel better. The problem is that he hasn’t come home. Finally, after waiting for two hours, I go to my reading room and pull out the sofa to make a bed for myself.

  On
ce under the covers, I give Anne a call.

  "Cassie, how are you? I’ve been worried," she says.

  "Oh, Annie, these people are so nice,” I lament.

  “How is that a bad thing and what do you mean by ‘these people?’”

  "Edon lives here with his extended family. Everyone has been so good to me. He paid for me to fly first class. The movers were part of his family. He even built two rooms onto his house, just for me." I lift the sheet over my head, embarrassed at how little I brought to this business deal. "They even offered me an accounting job with the company."

  "That’s so great. Why do you sound like someone shot your dog?"

  "Because it is all so great. Edon has gone out of his way to make this perfect for me and all I’ve done is bring him a bad attitude and a lot of baggage." Why did I bring Cody up during dinner? I could see that distressed Edon.

  "So what are you going to do?"

  "Confess."

  "Do you really think that’s a good idea? What if they start asking questions to verify your story? Won’t that tip Cody off?"

  "I have to risk it."

  Anne falls silent. "Be careful then."

  "I will." Out in the main room, I hear a door latch click and then the sound of boots on the floorboards. "Hey, Anne, I have to go. Edon’s back."

  "Are you really going to tell him tonight? Why not wait a while? Let them get to know you first and then explain what happened."

  "We’re supposed to get married in nine days. It’s better if I tell him now." The footsteps pause outside my door. I cup my hand around the phone and whisper. "I’m going now."

  "Good luck," she says.

  I cross my fingers and wish for the same. "Edon, is that you?" I call.

  "Yes. Go back to sleep. I’m sorry I disturbed you."

  I scramble out of bed and snatch my robe off the floor. I stuff my arms into the silky pink sleeves and hustle for the door.

  "Edon, wait. I wasn’t asleep."

  He half turns toward me, keeping his face averted.

  "Please, shouldn’t we talk?" I say.

  He hesitates and then nods tersely. "Put some clothes on. I’ll meet you in the kitchen."

  I look down. My robe is floor length. Not even my toes are showing.

  "If you come out in that, I’ll need to leave again. I can’t control myself around you." He casts a fierce glance in my direction and then disappears down the hall.

  I close the door and wilt against it. The heat in that gaze is enough to set my entire body on fire. It’s probably wrong to feel this way, but I can’t help but be thrilled that Edon is so attracted to me. I’ve never been the object of desire for any man—certainly not Cody, who often told me that my body looked more like a sack of potatoes and that I should exercise more than my mouth.

  If we can manage to get past my ugly past, maybe there’s hope for this marriage. I hurry to the closet and throw on a baggy sweatshirt from my college days and a pair of Ravenclaw sleep pants Anne gave me for Christmas a couple of years ago.

  Edon is already in the kitchen, heating something on the stove. I take a deep breath and get a whiff of that same scent from earlier—a sharp, crisp breeze. I’d make a fortune if I could bottle that up.

  "Do you want a cup of hot chocolate?" he asks, his back still turned on me.

  "Sure." I bypass the kitchen table and take a seat at the granite counter. I don’t know that I’ll be able to eat at the table without remembering Edon devouring my breasts.

  He sets a steaming mug in front of me, takes a look at my baggy clothes and scowls. "Don’t you have anything less revealing?"

  "This is revealing?" I pull the sweatshirt away from my stomach. "I could fit another person in here."

  "Your shoulder is showing." He points his mug at my right shoulder.

  I glance over to see a sliver of skin peeking out of the collar. Affronted, I pull the fabric up and glare back. "What about you? I can see the outline of your package in your jeans. Maybe you shouldn’t walk around screaming I have a huge dick in my pants."

  "The outline of my what?" His eyes fall to the front of his jeans. "This is how my jeans always look. I’m not screaming at anyone," he protests, but moves adroitly to stand close enough to the counter so I can’t see anything from the waist down.

  "Neither am I," I reply, hiding a smile behind a sip of the cocoa.

  "What did you want to talk about?"

  Any humor that was percolating from that last exchange is killed. I rub a finger across my chin. "From the way you were surprised by the contract, I’m guessing you didn’t know much about it before I arrived."

  "That’s true, but once I saw you, I knew Ronnie had made the right call. But you want to back out now, don’t you?" He sounds unhappy, but once he finds out about my past, he’ll be singing a different tune.

  "No, but you might." I set my mug aside, lace my fingers together and face up to my consequences. I’m done with running. "Three years ago, I was stopped for failure to signal on a right-hand turn. The cop told me that if I met him for coffee, he’d rip up the ticket. I should’ve known right then and there he was a dirty cop, but, instead, I thought he was cute and I didn’t have the money for a ticket. I was just out of college and hadn’t found a job yet." I gloss over the dating stuff. I know Edon doesn’t want to hear that. I can already see him tensing up over the mention of my ex and I haven’t even said Cody’s name.

  "He gave me a tip about an opening for a job at a payroll processing company. I worked at home and helped to issue paychecks for seven companies. A little over six months ago, I was called in by supervisor who said that over a half million dollars had been stolen from these companies. Apparently, my ex was logging into my computer and diverting all the retirement matching funds to some off-shore bank account."

  "But you got blamed because it was your computer," Edon concludes. "You weren’t charged with any embezzlement or Ronnie would have found out."

  "No. The company let me go quietly because they didn’t want the negative publicity, but they warned me that if I ever tried to get another job in accounting or finance, they’d call the police."

  "Was that the end of it?" He gestures to my chin. "You keep touching your scar. I sense there’s more to your story."

  I drop my hand from my scar. I hadn’t realized I’d been touching it. "Yeah. You see, I took precautions. I don’t know why, but whenever someone logs into my computer, I have my camera take a picture. I was able to match up the webcam shots to the login times when the money was transferred. The company said that they would investigate. The next thing I know, I wake up to find my ex on top of me, holding a knife under my chin."

  There’s a cracking sound and I look up to see the granite counter under Edon’s hand crumbling. He waves his granite-covered hand as if nothing out of the ordinary has happened and gestures for me to continue.

  "I tried finding a new job, but everywhere I turned, someone wanted a reference. I was running out of money when Ronnie approached me outside a restaurant that had just told me that they weren’t hiring despite the ‘help wanted’ sign in the window. It appeared to be the perfect solution to all of my problems. I’d get away from Cody. I’d get a job somewhere and I’d have a family, but after learning that you have your entire family here, it doesn’t seem right to bring that kind of trouble to your doorstep." I set my mug on the counter and get to my feet. "I can’t pay you the ten grand back right away, but if you give me time, I’ll pay off my debt."

  "Sit down," he snaps. "Please." He comes around the counter to take my elbow. "I have my own secrets. The entire Rule clan does, and that’s why Ronnie didn’t ask many questions about your past."

  "What kind of secrets?" They can’t be as terrible as mine. I let him lead me into the great room. The big stone fireplace still has a few embers glowing. Edon throws a log in and stokes the fire a bit. There’s a crackle and then a flash of light as the fire takes hold.

  I take a seat on the sofa. There are a few dog
hairs on the cushion. I pick one up and hold it to the light. It glimmers, almost as if there’s a metallic sheen to it. I wonder what kind of dog this is and why I haven’t seen it.

  I open my mouth to ask, but the sight before me is so astonishing that I forget I even know how to talk. A big, silver wolf sits in front of the fireplace where Edon once was. The same glimmer that emanated from the single strand of hair surrounds the wolf like a halo.

  "Ahh!" I squeak, scrambling into the corner of the sofa. "Edon. Edon," I say a little louder. "Edon, there’s a wolf in your living room."

  The wolf gets up and trots over to me. I cower and hold my hands up, but the wolf doesn’t attack. Instead, he lays his nose a few inches away from my foot and stares at me through silvery-gray eyes. Familiar silver-gray eyes. Really familiar.

  I twist around and search for Edon, but find only empty rooms. I swing back to the wolf at my feet. "No." I shake my head. Edon must’ve spiked the hot chocolate. Alcohol and exhaustion equals crazy thoughts. Get it together, Cassie.

  The wolf creeps closer. This time he nuzzles his head under my hand. His fur is thick and soft. There’s no sign he’s going to hurt me. He seems content to sit next to the sofa while I pet him. Maybe he’s a tame wolf. Or maybe he’s just a really, really big dog. It’s not like I’m a dog expert and I know every breed that exists.

  I relax and sink my fingers into his pelt. "You’re a good doggie, aren’t you?"

  He dips his head, as if he’s nodding his agreement.

  "Smart, too?"

  I swear he understands me. I scratch the big boy under his chin. "Where’s your owner? Where’s Edon?"

  The wolf backs away and then his form begins to shimmer and glow. The light bursts and my eyesight is obscured for a second. I blink to clear my vision and when I do, the wolf is gone and a naked Edon sits in his place.

  If I were a fainting girl, I’d be out cold. As it is, I’m super grateful I’m sitting down.

  "When you said you had a secret, you weren’t kidding," I say when I find my voice. "Aunt Steph told me the Rules were different."