Chapter One

Ican do this.

I can do this.

I can do this.

I never thought I'd be psyching myself up to— Wait, what was it I was planning to do?

Oh, yeah. Kidnap a mother-freaking alpha.

Maybe if I were a criminal, this would be easier, but I wasn't. Heck, I was a goody two-shoes.

The most criminal thing I'd done in my life was stuffing leftover yeast rolls and honey butter into my purse, even though the buffet didn't allow you to take leftovers home. But come on, it was a far worse crime to toss those fluffy pieces of golden gluten in the trash.

It was that vast experience I was relying on in my mission to kidnap a powerful alpha werewolf who could tear me to shreds with words… and claws.

I had one thing going for me: I was barely over five-feet tall and a hundred and ten pounds soaking wet. No one looking at me would ever suspect I'd ever do something so capybara-crap crazy.

My size also presented a huge problem, though. I was about to kidnap a guy who was easily six foot and some change.

This would have to go off without a hitch for it to work, and my luck didn't usually roll that way. If this plan had relied on my natural abilities to fall up a flight of stairs or trip over invisible obstacles, I would've nailed it with my eyes closed.

My grade-school friends called me Black-n-Blue Lilou. I'd hated it back then, but now I'd give anything to be teased by a group of friends.

Shaking my head to clear that depressing thought, I clenched my fingers around the steering wheel until the faux leather gave a squeak of protest. I stared out the windshield of my crossover SUV, barely noticing the rain streaking down the glass.

It wasn't too late. I could drive home and curl up in my bed with a book. But I couldn't, not with how much was on the line.

Taking a deep breath, I reminded myself for the hundredth time that I totally had this.

Beckett didn't stand a chance against my wit. Letting go of the steering wheel with one aching hand, I absentmindedly rubbed the bruise on my shin. Okay, maybe it wasn't my wit and charm that would bring him down. But if there was anything I could bet on, it was my absolutely terrible luck.

I was walking proof of Murphy's Law—everything that could go wrong, would go wrong. But now wasn't the time to think about my woes.

No, I needed to go over my plan to kidnap Beckett. Everything had to go perfectly if I had any shot of this working.

As soon as I spotted him, I'd channel my inner gangster. Before he had a chance to react, I'd hide the vibrating silicone gun, which I'd bought at 2 a.m. after reading a rather steamy book, up my sleeve and press it against his side. He'd have no way of knowing it wasn't a real gun. Once I'd shoved him inside my SUV, I would speed away.

Yeah, it was a weak plan. But unfortunately, it was the best I could do given the circumstances. And it had to work.

Clenching my teeth, I tried to ignore the what-if thoughts racing around my head. Thoughts like, what if he simply pulled out of my grasp?

He was a werewolf. A bullet wouldn't kill him, so what if he decided to just turn around and grab my, er, gun? Worse, what if he just turned around and ripped my throat out with his claws?

"Not helpful, Li," I muttered under my breath. "It will be fine. A day or two and this will all be over."

I was still trying to quiet my mind when I caught sight of Beckett. He was walking in the rain as though he didn't have a care in the world.

His wet, dark green shirt clung to him like a second skin, and his dark jeans appeared soaked as well. Water coursed down the sharp angles of his face, and with a slight flick of his chin, he wiped the water away.

As though he could feel me watching him, he lifted his chin, locking his eyes with mine.

My heart stuttered, and I forced myself to breathe. It was now or never. And while I preferred never, I didn't have a choice. I had to do this.

As Beckett made his way along the sidewalk next to my vehicle, I gathered my resolve and tucked the weapon-of-masturbation inside my oversized coat sleeve. Leaping into action, I threw open my door and slid out onto the wet concrete.

The shockingly cold air wrung a gasp from my lungs as I walked quickly around my SUV. Lunging forward, I grabbed his arm above the elbow with my left hand and shoved the weapon into his back with my right.

"Listen carefully. I have a gun and I'm not afraid to use it," I hissed menacingly. Or it would have been menacing if my voice hadn't wobbled.

Beckett turned his head to gaze calmly over his shoulder at me. He didn't speak say a word, but his arched eyebrow said plenty.

"Don't test me. I'm serious," I growled, pushing him toward my vehicle.

I yanked the passenger door handle, but it refused to open. Probably because it was locked.

Son of a motherless goat! How stupid could I be?

I darted a glance at his face to find him watching me with a slight, wicked smile curving up the corners of his lips.

"Okay. We're going to walk around the car. No funny business, got it?" I tried to seem calm, as though this were totally part of the plan.

He nodded.

Not giving him time to change his mind, I rushed him around the front of my SUV and hit the unlock button. The whole driver's seat was soaked from the rain since I'd left the door open.

Freaking fantastic. I was going to have a wet backside, which would further add to the uncomfortable awkwardness of my evening.

With a sigh, I closed the door and walked him back around to the passenger side. I refused to meet his eyes as I opened the passenger door. Rising up on tiptoe, I placed my hand on top of his head and pushed him down into the seat like I'd seen cops do on crime TV.

I winced at the crack of his head hitting the metal frame. "Oh, my! I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"

Leaning forward, I brushed my fingers on the spot. The gesture was so automatic I couldn't stop myself. His shiny dark hair carried the scent of cedar, rain, and earthy moss.

Suddenly aware I was sniffing his hair like some kind of weirdo, I backed up.

"First time kidnapping someone?" Beckett asked, his forest green eyes sparkling.

I blinked. He was amused by this? I knew I was desperate and crazy, but what was wrong with him?

"How did you know?" Sure, things were off to a rocky start, but he had no way of knowing this was my first time.

Besides, why was being bad at kidnapping such a terrible thing? Being a good kidnapper wasn't exactly something you added to your resume or bragged about at company dinner parties.

Beckett's eyebrows rose nearly to his hairline and I swear I could hear his voice in my head asking if I was serious.

Huffing, I locked his door and closed it, putting the metal and glass firmly between us as he continued to stare at me.

I can do this.

Heck, I'd already done it. Beckett was in my SUV and I was about to drive away with my prisoner.

I rushed around the front of the vehicle and slid into the driver's seat. My heart was slamming against my ribs and I forced my breathing to remain steady.

Shooting Beckett what I hoped was a stone-cold glare, I warned, "I have a knife too, so don't try anything crazy."

He gave me a sideways glance that I couldn't decode. "I wouldn't dream of it."

"Good." I hadn't expected this step of my plan to go so smoothly.

I'd thought he'd put up more of a fight. If someone had tried to kidnap me, I would have fought like a wildcat. But Beckett made no move to fight me or take control of the situation. If anything, he was acting like I was his rideshare driver.

We'd known each other many years ago, but I was forgettable, so he may not even remember me.

Putting my SUV into gear, I pulled away from the curb and glanced at him again. "Are you comfortable? Do you want me to turn on the heat?"

He tilted his head, studying me with interest. "I'm fine."

But there was no missing the steam rising off his damp clothing, or my own chilly, damp backside.

A shiver traveled through me, and I reached out to turn on the heat. "Well, I'm cold, so I'm sure you must be too."

Beckett gave a slight shake of his head and muttered, "A kidnapper with a heart. Whoever heard of such a thing?"

I risked stealing another look at him. The man was heart-meltingly handsome, but then again, he always had been. If I was being honest, I'd been in awe of werewolves' rugged good looks and powerful bodies for as long as I could remember.

As we pulled onto the freeway, I accelerated quickly to merge with the few cars that were out. In my mind, I cursed the unlucky stars that had led me to this moment where I'd been forced to kidnap an alpha wolf… all thanks to my uncertain future.

Some mythology claimed wolves were cursed, but they had it all wrong. Wolves were blessed.

However, not every full-blooded wolf would shift. The ones that did were rare and coveted—they were royalty, of sorts.

But I wasn't a wolf. I was something else.

Something truly cursed.

And Beckett was the only one who could save me.

All I needed from him was one simple thing.

A bite.

But it wasn't like I could walk up to him and demand he bite me. That would be insane. Instead, I'd taken the calm, measured solution of… kidnapping him.

It would give me time to plead my case, reason with him, and then hopefully, he'd offer to bite me.

Burning tears blurred my vision at the glaringly obvious flaws in my plan. No matter how this played out, my life was completely screwed up.

If I had any other option, I would have taken it in a heartbeat. The last thing I wanted was to hurt Beckett, but I was running out of time.

"Your pack is going to hunt me down, aren't they?" I asked, working to keep my voice steady. "How long do I have?"

Even in the dark interior, I could see him by the soft glow of the dash and radio screen. The green highlighted his cheekbones, the line of his nose, and his powerful brow.

His glittering green eyes locked on my face, and that same infuriating eyebrow arched again. "Hang on. Didn't you think this through before kidnapping me?"

I bit down on my lower lip at the amusement in his voice. No, I hadn't spent as much time thinking about this part of the plan. And I knew why.

I hadn't actually believed I could get him into my SUV in the first place. But I'd never admit it to him.

"Of course I did. It was just a question," I retorted, lying through my teeth. Remembering I needed to sound in control and commanding, I added, "So answer me."

"Yes, ma'am." Was that a mocking note in his voice? "My pack will notice I'm missing in about two hours when I fail to show up for a scheduled meeting I'm supposed to be speaking at. Then they will start hunting us down."

Crap. I'd have to work faster than I'd expected.

"So, whatever you're planning on doing, you better be quick." Beckett leaned back in the seat as though settling in for a nap.

I peeked at him from the corner of my eye. His expression was serene other than that arrogant, yet adorable, twitch at the corner of his mouth.

Nope. Finding him cute was not part of the plan. My story didn't include love, let alone a happily ever after.

Clenching my teeth together, I focused on the road ahead of me. Large patches of water had accumulated on the road thanks to the downpour, and the SUV drifted slightly, skating on the slick asphalt.

Would his pack be able to track us with all this moisture in the air and on the ground? Maybe if I were lucky, the weather would slow them down, like when people waded through rivers and creeks to avoid dogs tracking their scent.

Except these weren't dogs.

They were wolves, and far smarter than the average dog… although I'd known a few who were far less potty-trained.