4. Flint

His scent was clogging my nostrils, and my wolf was ignoring my orders to stand down.

Do not take your fur. But my nails on one hand elongated until they were no longer fingernails but my beast’s claws. Thank gods the guy was on the floor and couldn’t see, so I shoved that hand in my pocket.

I had to get out of here before his scent made me do something stupid.

Mating?

No!I knew the rules. They’d been forged by my grandfather, a man with a craggy face, his rules as rough and rigid as his expression.

What about the human?my wolf asked.

He’ll come with me. Leaving him here for Emilio to handle would not end well for the guy. But being surrounded by that tantalizing scent would push me close to the edge.

When I grabbed the phone from the sofa, I fumbled it, the sweat on my palms sliding over the metal. I texted my security detail, Take the rest of the night off. Being close to my mate clouded my judgment, but I’d take my chances that nobody would “off” me on the way home.

There were a few seconds between my message and their replies. Thanks, boss.

I’d made their night. Unlike Emilio who was probably pacing his office, wondering what had gotten into me and what he’d done to anger me. Sure, I’d snapped at him on occasion, but nothing like the searing force of my roar telling him to leave. In our business, pissing off the boss didn’t result in a loss of pay, doing overtime, or getting fired, but rather losing an ear, finger, or their life.

Like me, Emilio was a wolf shifter and finding a mate should be a celebration, especially for the pack Alpha. An Alpha Omega would play a significant role in not only the pack but also the pack business, of which the club was a stellar performer.

But I was faced with two choices. The first was loyalty to my pack. That was paramount. Or second, leave everything my family had worked for to be with my one and only, my mate. Added to that, I’d be thrown out of the pack, a loner with no one to protect me. Not a predicament I’d wish on my worst enemy. And I had a few.

Deep down I knew my dad, my brothers who worked with me and my great-uncle would follow if I chose option 2. Knowing they loved me and had my back had given me confidence growing up and in the early days as Alpha when mafia pack wars raged.

“Don’t move.”

This man, my mate, a club employee, had trespassed. But he did it on whose orders? Because he wasn’t a shifter, that ruled him out as being from a rival pack, though it wasn’t unheard of for other Alphas to hire unsuspecting humans to spy on their competitors.

Or he was from law enforcement. My grandfather and father would have returned him to his bosses in pieces, no matter that their hearts were breaking. They put the pack and the business before everything else, and up until now, so did I.

“I’ll shoot if you make a wrong move.”

“How do I know the difference between a right and a wrong move?” He peered up at me, and I removed the gun from the holster.

What the fuck? He was mouthy, and if he’d been anyone else, I’d have shut him up permanently. But my wolf was amused and was enjoying our mate’s feistiness.

More like foolishness. But I had to admire him a little. No one spoke to me like that. It would have been refreshing except he’d broken the rules.

“Shut your mouth.” The inner turmoil, twisting my belly in knots, added a hardness to my voice, along with confusion as to what I was supposed to do with him.

Getting the guy down the stairs and into the car posed a problem. If he bellowed that I’d taken him prisoner, there might be a mass exodus from the club. While we didn’t let just anyone into La Luna Noir, patrons weren’t all shifters. I foresaw many frantic calls to 911, resulting in the police turning up.

I had many of the local police on my payroll, but there might be a good samaritan in uniform who’d sniff around. That would lead to questions and eyes on our business. While I could offer more bribes and favors, it was a hassle I’d rather avoid.

I smoothed my wool-and-cashmere suit, enjoying the soft fabric beneath my palm, and replaced the gun in the holster.

“If you try to escape or yell for help, I’ll shoot you.”

“Doubt it,” he jeered. “It’d draw too much attention.”

My stomach clenched, and I made a fist. Connecting it to his jaw might shut him up, but I resisted. I’d never put up with anyone giving me lip, even my brothers when we were kids. But this guy? This human, who the universe told me was my mate? I’d earned respect as the Alpha, and this outsider threw it back in my face.

“Fine. I’ll finish you off right here, right fucking now!” I was shrieking, and my hand shook. This guy showed nothing but contempt.

“Don’t, please!” He raised both hands. “I’ll do as you ask.”

My heart rate slowed. Why did this guy have to stumble into my life? I was fine before he arrived. Better than fine.

“Get up.” I dragged him to his feet, noting he didn’t weigh much, and I studied the bruises on his cheeks, the split lip, and bloody nose. His uniform was smattered with blood. Emilio knew better than to leave a mark.

Rather than leave with a gun to his back, I’d pretend we were old buddies. A guffaw, an elbow to the ribs, a “Remember when we were kids and…” had a better chance of not getting attention than me kidnapping him.

“You’re my new best friend.” I lifted my jacket, allowing him to see the gun in the holster. “One wrong move.”

“I still?—”

Gods, I’d fallen into that trap. My wolf moved to the forefront of my gaze, and I stared at the guy, my mate, whose name was… I yanked him around to face me and read his tag. Tony.

His eyes widened, but he puffed out his chest before my beast fell back. I had to admire his courage. Maybe this human would surprise me, but it was for nothing. There were rules for a reason. He’d broken one deliberately and the other just by being human.

Hauling him into my private bathroom, I shoved his head under the faucet and ignored his groans as I threw water on his face. When I yanked him up, we both stared into the mirror, and I compared my broad shoulders and chest to his small frame. But I avoided his gaze when I took a coat from the closet and made him put it on, though it didn’t escape my notice that he sniffed at the fabric. If he snarked that it stank of wet dog, I’d lose it.

I slung an arm over his shoulder, and we strolled out. Or I did. He was limping.

“Why didn’t you tell me you needed a job, you devil.” I slapped his chest. The security guy stood to the side. “You and Emilio really fucked with my head tonight, pretending you were in trouble. Same old Tony. Always a practical joker.”

I tightened my grip around his neck as we made our way along the corridor and out the private entrance to my car with darkened windows.

“I’m not getting in the trunk.”

I had no intention of putting him in there because I wanted to have my eyes on him. Not only because he might try and draw attention to himself—he’d probably seen the same programs I had as a kid where anyone kidnapped and put in a trunk should cut the wires to the taillights. Instead, I shoved him in the front seat and got a pair of handcuffs from the glove compartment.

His brow shot up, illuminated by the dim light from inside the car, accompanied by a smirk. “It’s like that, is it?”

I tried to process what he was saying, and then it hit me. He was insinuating I enjoyed kink with my sex. My nostrils flared, and my wolf tempered my anger by repeating, He’s our mate.

But we can’t mate him. It’s not allowed.

Tony clamped his mouth shut and held out his hands. I attached the handcuffs to his wrists, while noting the soft skin on his inner arm. With anyone else, on another day, another time, I’d have shoved him in the car and fucked him.

But while my wolf clamored to claim him, the Alpha in me, the boss who’d sworn in blood that anyone who defied me would suffer, was fighting against my beast, my heart, and the pack rules.

After attaching the handcuffs to the armrest, I slammed the door and got in the driver’s seat. I preferred to drive myself rather than hiring a driver. More dangerous than if I was sitting in the back seat? Didn’t really matter. Perhaps I was tempting fate. Grandpa and Papa were both murdered in their cars.

The alley was quiet, as it usually was late at night. I glanced at one of the security cameras, knowing Emilio was either looking at me, or if not, would have the CCTV officer rewind the tape in a few minutes.

He’d wonder why I was taking the kid away when he could have handled it, and I’d have to figure that out. Tomorrow. A quick glance at my companion and I reversed out and roared along the narrow space and onto the street.

We didn’t speak during the journey. His scent was taunting me, and luckily it was late and there were few cars on the road. I gripped the steering wheel, wishing I could do what? Turn back time? Tell Emilio to rough him up before tossing him out?

“Who you working for?” I turned off the highway and headed for my country estate.

He snorted, and I slammed a hand on the wheel. What was with this guy? He was mocking me.

“You! I work for you!”

Taking a deep breath, I stared straight ahead, the car’s headlights picking out tall red oak trees and deer feeding in the undergrowth. On any other day or night, my beast would have been urging me to stop and let him hunt. He was close to the surface, just under my skin, and his squirming rippled over my body as he banged against my skeleton.

“You pretend to work for me. Who told you to sneak into Arnie’s office?” I flicked on the turn signal even though we were the only car on the road. My grandpa had instilled in me to always obey the road rules so cops had no reason to pull me over.

“Nope. I’m a student, doing a Master’s Degree, and I needed a job. I have student loans.” He tugged at the cuffs and winced. He’d probably rubbed off the skin. Served him right for being mouthy. But I pictured myself bathing his hands in warm water and patting them dry before applying ointment to soothe his wounds.

He twisted his body toward me. “I have a question for you. Do you know the name Antonio Oakes?”