2. Zander

If I thought teenage wolves were bad, they genuinely have nothing on foxes.

With another snarl, I herd the enraged fox shifter back to his house. I’m sure that he’s going to be too embarrassed to tell Mia that I caught him not even a mile away from the house.

I’m kind of banking on it.

Because if he tells her that I not only followed her parting request, but that I had already thought of it before she did…

I don’t want her to know that.

Her brother, Josh, is a wreck right now. I know what it feels like to be that full of emotion with nothing to do about it. I feel kinda sorry for the kid. Until he’s a major dick to his sister.

She’s honestly working her ass off for them. I see her, every morning, coming down to the bakery to bring the cookies she’s selling to make a little extra money, and to help out until it’s her shift to take care of the kits.

I also know firsthand that Mia can be… prickly. But you’d think that seeing your sister bust her butt for you would inspire more than a little gratitude.

Apparently, however, little Josh and I have very different takes on gratitude.

I see a flash of red as a very distinctive fox tail disappears under a bush. Fine. He’s close enough to home now that I don’t feel as bad dumping his ass back here. Hopefully he has the good sense to head in and apologize to Mia.

Sighing, I trot back to my own house. The foxes live in the farthest corner of the pack’s lands, and I don’t live in the town proper, but near enough so that I can reasonably do the work I need to. Even so, it takes me a solid hour of loping to make it home.

The distance between our places is so goddamn annoying.

When I get home, I shift on the back porch and let myself in. I shower, and since it’s my night off, I’m considering whether I’ll cook myself something or head down to the Oakwood Café when I hear a knock on my door.

Another quick sniff, and I can tell that it’s the alpha.

And someone else.

Sighing, I walk over to the door. The house creaks under my feet, something that I’m used to at my height and size. Hard-packed dirt sometimes makes a noise of protest when I step on it. I swear I’ve heard a mountain grumble as I walked on it.

“What,” I say, opening the door.

Thorne raises his eyebrows. “Hi there, Alpha,” he mimics in a singsong voice. “So nice to see you. Won’t you come in?”

I raise my eyebrows and stare at him.

Thorne brushes past me, and Briony smiles at me. “Hi, Zander.”

“Briony.”

“Zander, I was hoping to get a status update from you on how the fox leash is settling in,” Thorne rumbles.

“Um. I don’t know.”

“You aren’t up there every morning?”

I freeze, my hackles raising. “What?”

“We have you on the trail cam.”

Damn it. How did I not know about that? “I like to run up there.”

“Sure. Whatever. Anyway, just wanted to see what your thoughts were,” Thorne says.

I lean against the wall that leads to my kitchen. “They’re fine.”

“Elaborate.” Briony smiles.

“Very fine.”

“I think you need to understand what’s at stake here,” Thorne says slowly. I wince; it’s his ‘you’re-an-idiot’ tone. “This is my first big move as alpha since we moved to Oakwood.”

“Yes,” I nod.

I had been against it. We’re an old pack on new land. Recovering from the financial ruin that Thorne and Evander’s dad had done back in Alaska hasn’t been an easy task. Currently, we’re running cattle that better sell for a hell of a premium at the markets down in Denver. The vision is to make a kind of farm-to-table connection with a restaurant, so that we can charge them a premium for fancy beef. Which they, in turn, will charge a premium to cook for people.

Ranching isn’t an easy life, but it’s one that our pack is familiar with. What we need to do is break into an investment framework. We need to buy land. Houses. Territory. That way the pack will never have to escape again like we did in Alaska.

Plus, land will always have value. The value of it will always increase. It’s a much better plan than investing in beef.

I also hate cows, as it were. They stink, and they’re slow as hell.

Hopefully, the Jeep tour business the pack is working on pans out, too.

Thorne and Briony are staring at me like I’m expected to say something. “What?”

“It’s really important that the foxes are welcomed into the pack,” Briony says.

I raise my eyebrows at them. “Thorne’s the alpha. He said they were part of the pack. Now they are. How much more accepted can you get?”

Briony tucks a lock of hair behind her ear. “Did you know that three of the seven fox kits have been eating their lunches in the bathroom while at school?”

“Gross,” I say, thinking about how that would literally disgust me. “Who would choose to eat lunch in a literal puddle of germs? “

“Because they’re scared to eat in the lunchroom. Because the lunchroom has wolf pups. And the pups are bullying them,” Briony says slowly.

“Sounds like the teachers need to step up.” I shrug.

Thorne sighs. “Then, there’s the matter of the fact that a fox was almost caught stealing some moonshine for a certain group of teenage wolves.”

Fuck. “Almost got caught?”

He nods. “There’s a little tuft of red hair to prove it.”

That brother of hers. I growl. “I’ll keep him in line.”

“You don’t need to do anything crazy,” Briony says gently. “But I think it would be good if you could just… hang out with Mia more.”

“Hang out?”

“You know. Just be seen around town being friendly. Then people would think that you were on top of the situation, and you’re welcoming them into the pack.”

“And that you’ve got an eye on any would-be moonshine thieves, so the humans don’t end up with yet another teenage shifter in a rehab facility,” Thorne rumbles.

“No,” I say, a little harshly. “No,” I repeat, slightly gentler.

“No?” Thorne’s eyebrows are practically touching his hair.

“I don’t need to.”

“You’re our lead enforcer,” Briony replies. “And your family has been in the pack since the beginning.”

I grunt. That’s true. We can trace the Black family back a couple of hundred years, and it seems that all of those years were spent more or less within the same pack. We’ve been in the pack longer than Thorne Alderwood’s family has held the alpha title.

We just aren’t alphas. Never have been. Never will be.

I give them both a curt nod. “So?”

“So, if you were seen with the foxes more, I think it would help the optics.”

“And,” Thorne adds, “you genuinely could make sure there’s no teen foxes out stealing shit.”

Foxes have a little bit of a stigma around that. Some of the most notorious gangs in the shifter community have been made of foxes, and while there are plenty of well-adjusted fox leashes in the world, the ones that stand out are, of course, the worst.

“No,” I say flatly. “I’m already distracted from my job as it is.”

“With what?” Thorne shoots me a glare.

I look down at my feet. “I’m turning thirty in a year,” I mutter.

While I can’t see it, I can feel Thorne and Briony exchange a look.

Briony sighs. “Zander, we aren’t asking you to abandon your search for a mate. We just need you to be seen with the foxes more. Can you do that?”

“As part of your job, since I’m the one who determines what that is?” Thorne adds.

Well, fuck. If it’s a command from my alpha, I don’t have a choice.

“Fine,” I grunt. “Anything else?”

Thorne beams at me. “Nope. Thanks, buddy. I’ll expect an update soon.”

With a final parting look that makes my skin crawl, Thorne and Briony leave.

I grab a beer and then flop down on my couch. My mind is spinning.

I really have been distracted by trying to find a mate. Terra, who I’ve been hoping would be up for the job, is still in shock about Rylan leaving. She just needs time.

But I need to find a mate. I have less than a year before I’m 30, and if I don’t have a mate by then…

I’ll be the last Black in my family line. And I’ll lose everything I’ve ever known.

The thought is chilling. Unfortunately, so is the idea of a mate. I’ve dated plenty. Enjoyed that. But when I think of mates, I think of my parents, who were devoted to each other.

My dad would put my mom’s towels in the dryer while she was in the shower, so she could come out to warm, clean towels. My mom would make my dad’s favorite meal once a week, and every time, she’d be delighted when he said it was better than he remembered.

Their love is my model. I don’t feel that way about anyone in the pack. More than that, I haven’t felt that way since they died.

They were hit by a car on a midnight run, right after I started shifting.

I sip my beer, the old pang of hurt fresh as I think about them. Hanging out with Mia, and the foxes, socially to increase public favor for them? It isn’t going to work.

At least, it’s not going to work fast enough. I need to wrap this up so I can get back to the whole mate search. We don’t have time to just hope people will eventually see them in a better light. We need to do it faster.

I sit up on the couch, a wild idea popping into my mind.

There’s a lot of stupid talk about the whole fated mates thing. The fact that both our alpha and beta found their fated mates, something that hasn’t happened for hundreds of years, is getting to people’s heads.

Unfortunately, it’s the perfect way to do exactly what Briony and Thorne are asking me to do.

People love a stupid love story. They love the idea that just the average person can find their fated mate. If they thought that Mia and I were mates, everyone would be looking at us, ready for that fated mate bond to happen.

It would also mean that the assholes who want to raise hell about the foxes wouldn’t have a freaking leg to stand on. You can’t talk shit about someone’s mate. Not unless you want to bring them, and their family members, down on you.

There’s a bonus here, too. If people think I am courting Mia, then they’ll be less concerned about her brother starting shit. Everyone knows a teenage shifter can be bad, and a teenage fox shifter can be worse. But if they think that the pack’s lead enforcer is there as a role model…

It’s not going to be enough to just be friends. If we want the pack’s opinion on the foxes to change, then we have to pretend for more than that.

We have to pretend to be a couple.

The next morning,the idea that felt perfect the night before suddenly seems like the dumbest fucking thing that I’ve ever done.

I shouldn’t be here.

My hands feel weirdly sweaty around the two coffee cups in my hands. I shouldn’t have gotten myself one. I don’t drink coffee. But I figure that it would be weird for me to show up and just hand her one.

Maybe not.

I’ve never actually brought a woman coffee before, let alone one who vividly and clearly doesn’t like me.

I take one deep breath, then set the coffees on the railing of the porch. I move to knock on the door, but to my surprise, it creaks open.

I blink, looking down, and two small faces look up at me.

“Who are you?” a little girl says. She has more attitude than any child I’ve ever met in my life.

“Zander,” I say, squinting at her. “Who are you?”

She doesn’t answer. The other one isn’t making words. Just little cooing and cuddling noises.

They’re pretty cute, actually. The noises don’t bother me. Both kids stare at me, and I stare right back at them.

“Lana, I told you not to…” Mia’s voice cuts off as she sees me standing in the doorway.

Something ripples through me at her reaction. Surely I’m not that bad of company?

“What are you doing here?” she asks. Harshly.

Um.

I can’t exactly open with, I think we should pretend to date so that you can be accepted into the pack and Thorne will get off my back about hanging out with you. Oh, and so people don’t want to throw your brother in the slammer.

“Can you talk?”

You’d think that I asked her to milk a duck. She makes a face, gaping at me. “You want to talk?”

“Yeah.”

“To me?”

“Yes.”

“Right now?”

I mean, is she honestly not following this?

“Yes. Just over here,” I wave at the porch.

Mia stares at me for another minute. Then, she turns to the kids. “If I don’t come back in ten minutes, get the alpha.”

“What’s a minute?” the first child squeaks

Mia gives the sigh of someone who has suffered one too many small problems in a day, then scoots both children out of the way. She grabs the door behind her, bringing it to a hasty close.

We end up facing each other on the porch. Her chest rises and falls, and I can see the outline of her breasts against her shirt.

I snap my eyes to her face. Which is glaring at me.

“Thanks for talking to me,” I say dully.

Mia narrows her eyes at me, then nods her chin at the railing behind me. “What are those?”

Damn. I forgot about the coffee. Might have been better to lead with that.

“I brought you coffee,” I say. Lamely.

Mia looks at me like I’m in the process of sprouting a second head. “You brought me… coffee?”

“Yeah.”

“You know, you could use more words in your responses. A full sentence might help me figure out what’s going on here.”

I narrow my eyes. “Okay.”

I can practically see her blood pressure rising. It really shouldn’t feel this satisfying, and yet…

I also resist the urge to smirk at her. “Do you want it or not?”

“Want what?”

I hold the cup out. “Coffee.”

Mia considers it before snatching it from me. She takes a sip, closing her eyes as she groans with happiness. That groan makes something in my chest tingle.

“Sorry,” she sighs. “One of the kids was up all night throwing up, and me with them.”

Gross. “Sorry,” I rumble.

Mia sips the coffee again, looking at me cautiously. “What is this about?”

Um. Truly, I have no idea how to do this. “Thorne and Briony came to talk to me yesterday.”

“Good for you.”

I breathe, trying to calm down around the urge to grab her and shake her. “About the foxes.”

That gets her attention. “What about us?”

“Public opinion, mostly,” I mutter. I’m not quite sure how to bring up the stuff about Josh.

Mia’s eyes shut, and I can see a muscle in her cheek shake. I feel terrible… she definitely knows that they’re not exactly in a good place. “Let me guess. You’re here to kick us out.”

I frown. “What? No. Thorne and Briony think that the foxes need to do something to foster a little more positive public opinion.”

“Okay. Like what?”

“Well. Having teenage foxes out stealing moonshine isn’t going to do it.”

Mia’s cheeks flush. “You don’t know it was him.”

“I know that teenage foxes smell pretty bad, and some human in town has a little scrap of red hair and a wild story about a fox trying to steal their moonshine.”

Mia hisses out a breath. “That kid…”

“I think we should pretend to date,” I say in a rush.

It’s fast. Comes out as, Ithinkweshouldpretendtodate.

Mia blinks. “What?”

Oh, please don’t make me say it again. “You heard me.”

“You want us to… pretend to date?”

“Yeah,” I grunt.

Mia’s face looks like she bit into a rotten apple. “Why?”

I hold up my fingers. “One: you all need some good PR. People have a tough time with foxes, and they’re still unsettled. Two: people trust me. By extension, they would trust you. Three: if people think the pack’s lead enforcer is dating a certain fox’s older sister, then they’ll be less worried about him exposing himself as a shifter in public.”

I feel bad when she winces at that one. “You have a really high opinion of yourself, I see.”

I shrug.

Mia doesn’t respond. She sips her coffee again before looking at me over the rim of her cup. “You really want to fake date me?”

“No. but I think it gets the task done quickly.”

“What task?”

“Public opinion. I’m well respected and well-liked within the pack. People who are still pissy about the fox leash like me, and they think I’ll keep Josh under control.”

“Wow. Apparently, humility is not something they teach at the school down on the pack grounds.”

“Ha,” I murmur tonelessly. “It’s not bragging. It’s true.”

Mia considers this, then nods. “I really hate this, and I’m not saying yes. But with Josh…” She shuts her eyes. When she speaks again, her voice is thick. “He… our dad died right as he started to shift. He needs someone more than me,” she whispers.

I can see how much it pains her to admit. “I can help,” I say softly.

I’m surprised as hell that my offer is genuine.

Mia sucks in a deep breath. “Josh is the only reason I’m considering this. I don’t care about people’s opinions about us. We’re foxes, I’m used to people saying nasty shit. I’m also working on a backup plan, so that we wouldn’t be a burden on you if that happened.”

I step closer. “What backup plan?”

She ignores me. “But Josh… He needs someone. He needs someone other than me,” she murmurs.

The pain in her voice makes me feel restless.

Mia’s eyes snap open. “And there’s not… someone you’re interested in?”

My mind briefly goes to Terra. She’s gorgeous, and the wolf that I’ve always thought of as my mate. I’ve had some level of a crush on her since we were kids, but she was always hung up on Rylan. Even after he was banished.

Would it be disappointing to miss out on something with Terra? Yeah. But honestly, it’s not like Terra is trying to become my mate. Unless being in a fake relationship with Mia lights the fire she needs to make her choice.

I’ve offered before to be Terra’s mate. She always declined, stating that Rylan was the one for her.

He’s been banished for a long, long time. Maybe if she sees me with another woman….

Guilt swamps me.

I won’t pit them against each other. Not without Mia’s involvement and full participation. I’m not that much of a dick.

“It’s an easy question, and I’m going to need an answer before we move forward,” Mia whispers.

I blink. “Yes. There is someone I’m interested in. But she’s having… trouble getting over her ex.”

“Is he in the pack?”

“No. Not anymore.”

Mia bites her lip. The sight of her pearly white teeth worrying at the plump pink flesh…

I swallow. Hard.

“Do you think if she sees us together, she’ll be jealous?”

I don’t know. Terra’s not normally the jealous type, but who knows. Maybe it would be inspirational for her.

“She might,” I venture.

Mia scrutinizes me again. “So, we pretend to date. You get the girl you’ve always wanted. I get safety and social acceptance for my leash. It seems like I’ve got a lot more to lose, but no pressure,” she says bitterly.

I shrug. “I’ll be thirty in twelve months.”

Mia’s sharp intake of breath makes my own heart pump in response. “Zander. You’ll lose the ability to shift if you’re not with your mate by then!”

“You think I don’t know that?” I snap.

Mia flushes. “Well. It’s just… I’m just saying. Why would you pretend to date me when you should be trying to find your mate?”

“I think you just stated two very compelling reasons,” I grumble.

She sighs and shuts her eyes. “Okay. Let’s say you want to do this. When should we start?”

I give her a grin. “Right now.