Page 5 of Howl About That

Keiro's jaw tightened. How did he explain that he'd just met his fated mate and immediately made the worst possible first impression? That his primal instincts screamed at him to find her, to fix what he'd broken, to prove he wasn't the enemy she clearly thought he was?

"She's my fated mate." The words came out rough, carrying all the confusion and frustration of the past hour. "That lioness. I could smell it the moment she got upset."

Dax went very still beside him. "Your fated mate is a lioness?"

"Yes. The mate who now thinks I'm some corporate raider who destroyed her life for sport." Keiro ran a hand through his dark hair, disturbing the careful styling. "I was trying to help her."

"By outbidding her?"

"By making sure she got the land and didn't bankrupt herself." Even as he said it, Keiro recognized how flawed the logic sounded. "I planned to give it to her somehow. To explain that I'd bought it to help her."

"Without asking if that's what she wanted."

The quiet observation hit like a physical blow. Dax had a talent for identifying the exact moment when Keiro's protective instincts crossed into controlling behavior and tonight had been a masterclass in overreach.

"I'll get the car," Dax continued when Keiro didn't respond. "We can figure out who she is and where to find her later. Then you can explain your good intentions to someone who's probably planning your very painful death right now."

As his Beta disappeared toward the parking garage, Keiro remained on the sidewalk, staring at the moon and wonderinghow someone could find their other half and lose them in the same evening.

I found her. Now I just have to convince her I'm not the villain in her story.

His wolf stirred with determination, ready for the hunt. Ready to prove they were worthy of their fierce lioness mate, even if it meant admitting they'd made a spectacular mistake in trying to protect her.

Suddenly, the click of heels on pavement announced a woman's approach before Keiro caught the scent of vanilla, citrus, and something electric that made his wolf stir. He turned to find a petite woman in a red pantsuit striding toward him with the confidence of someone who owned every room she entered.

"You sure acted impulsively in there." Her voice carried a knowing warmth that suggested she'd witnessed far more chaos than one reckless auction bid.

Keiro studied her—snow-white bob perfectly styled, eyes that shifted between blue and gold in the streetlights, and an expression that managed to be both amused and disapproving. Something about her presence felt deliberately orchestrated, as if she'd been waiting for exactly this moment.

"Yes, I did. And I probably shouldn't have." The admission came easier than expected. "But when you started trying to outbid that woman for that land, my wolf reacted."

Her smile widened, revealing perfect teeth and far too much satisfaction. "Well, that woman is the Alpha of the Mintz Pride, Poppy Mintz. And she almost won that land—her pride land—until you outbid her with that outrageous amount."

Pride land?

Not investment property or development opportunity, but territory that belonged to her family. Keiro's chest tightened as the full scope of his interference crystallized. He'd senseddesperation, but he hadn't understood the depth of what was at stake for her.

"I sensed she was in some sort of desperate situation. I also sensed she was my fated mate." His voice roughened on the admission. "I might have overreacted."

"You definitely did." The older woman's tone carried no judgment, only amused certainty. "Though I have to say, ten million dollars is quite the romantic gesture, even if it was completely misguided."

Keiro's jaw clenched. What he'd intended as protection had become the exact opposite—public humiliation for a woman who clearly valued her independence above everything else. His wolf snarled, demanding they track their mate down immediately and explain.

"Why were you trying to outbid her in the first place?"

The woman's eyes flashed gold and her smile turned mysterious. "Well, I was just putting a little friendly pressure on her, seeing if she would rise to the occasion. And she did. She put everything on the line for that pride land."

Everything on the line.

The phrase echoed in Keiro's mind as he processed what that meant. Poppy had been betting her last resources on something that mattered more than financial security. And he'd steamrolled over her efforts without understanding what they represented.

"How do I get out of this mess now?" The question came out sharper than intended, carrying all the frustration and self-recrimination that had been building since the moment he'd opened his mouth in that auction room.

The woman tilted her head, considering him with the expression of someone solving a particularly interesting puzzle. "Well, I might be able to arrange a meeting with her. Then you can figure out a way to move forward."

Relief flooded through him so quickly it was almost embarrassing. "Can you bring her by my office tomorrow? I don't want to wait too long to fix this."

What he didn't say was that he couldn't wait to finally talk to her properly, to get her close enough to catch her scent again, to find out everything about the fierce lioness who'd fought for her territory with such desperate determination. He didn't mention that his wolf was pacing restlessly, demanding they claim their mate and sort out the complications afterward. He definitely didn't voice his growing concern about how Helias and the pack elders would react to their Alpha taking an Alpha lioness as a mate.