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There were so many wolves in the woods when they caught me leaving Audrey’s house, but Shane—Audrey’s brother and the pack’s Beta—wasn’t one of them. Interesting, now that I think of it.
“Told you. I saw your car.”
“And you knew it was mine?”
When I first arrived in Accalia last year, I was careful not to let anyone know that I had my own car. Most shifters rely on traveling by foot, though there are a few pack vehicles that they share. Maybe it’s because I’m an alpha, but I always need to know that I have my own escape. No one knew I had a car until I drove out of Accalia that night. Now it’s a year later. How can he know the Jeep’s mine?
“Of course. It has your scent all over it.”
Really? Because I distinctly remember tossing Aleks’s charmed fang inside of the Jeep before I left with Audrey. And while the magic couldn’t hide my scent since I wasn’t wearing it, I’m pretty sure it’s powerful enough to shield the car.
Even if I didn’t know how the charm worked, concealing my shifter scent—one of its secrets that Aleks shared from the beginning—I nearly snuffle when the stink of Shane’s lie reaches me.
Ah-ha!
I point at him. “You’re lying to me.”
I don’t know what I expect. Did I think that Shane would try to deny it, or maybe cover his ass with another lie? I’m not sure. But when he just looks at me, his eyes narrowing as he rubs the back of his hand along his jaw, I’m ready to admit that I wasn’t expecting that sort of reaction.
Especially when he chuckles and softly says, “So it’s true.”
“What?” I’m immediately on my guard. “What’s true?”
“That part of an alpha’s power comes in knowing if someone’s lying to you.”
“What—”
“I’m not an alpha. Not yet. But, please. Don’t insult my intelligence by denying what you are. It nearly killed me to watch you pretend to be an omega when you first came to me. I think we’re beyond that now, don’t you?”
My jaw drops.
Something happens after that. Or maybe it’s been happening all along and I was too stubborn to pay attention to the warning signs.
He changes. It’s subtle, and I can’t really put my claw on what’s different, but I can tell that he’s changed. It’s in the way he stands, the way he takes a step toward me as he looms, his dimples disappearing into his taut cheeks as he smirks.
Shane’s right. He’s not an alpha, but that predatory look in his eye? I’ve seen it before. In my memories, and in the few photos that my mother kept as warning.
At that moment, Shane reminds me of Wicked Wolf Walker.
He reminds me of my bio-dad.
My reaction is pure instinct. I flex my fingers and, thank the Luna, my fingernails extend into razor-sharp claws. My canines burn, begging to lengthen. I can’t shift, not fully, not yet, but at least I have a partial shift working for me.
I’ll take it.
“You don’t want me to insult your intelligence?” I toss back. “Do me the same favor, alright? You didn’t break me out of Ryker’s basement because you’re worried about me. You know I’m an alpha? Then you know I wasn’t in any danger. So what’s going on here?”
An arrogant sniff, and a smile that doesn’t quite touch the increasingly dark look in his eyes. “It’s simple. I want you, Gem. I want you for my mate.”
You’ve got to be kidding me.
“Oh, fucking Luna.” I roll my eyes. “Don’t tell me that you’re in love with me, too.”
Shane looks momentarily puzzled. It’s an improvement over his false sympathy and his suddenly alarming posture, but not by a lot. “Love? Who said anything about love?”
That knocks me back a few steps. “Um. You did. Just now.”
The puzzled expression vanishes. “Oh. That. Not even close. Love? Please. This isn’t about love. This is about a partnership.”
