CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER TWO

Hitting the reset button on life was a bitch, especially when you were only twenty-five years old, but sometimes shit called for an early intervention. And so you found yourself sitting across from your Alpha in his office, announcing that you’d pretty much arranged your own mating and simply needed him to help make it official.

Harlan blinked. “I’ve never even heard of this website.” His pale-blue eyes slid to his Beta. “Have you?”

Leaning back against the wall, Astor nodded. “More and more shifters are using it.”

In terms of appearance, the two males couldn’t be more different. Harlan was dark, stout, and barrel-chested. Astor, on the other hand, was slim and long-limbed with hair so blond it verged on white.

Harlan’s attention resettled on her as he sighed. “I suppose I should have expected that you’d want to be gone from the pride before Nazra and Zaire ascend.”

Quinley didn’t just want to be gone, she needed to be gone. She couldn’t live under their rule. No way. Her cat wouldn’t stand for it even if Quinley was prepared to do so.

It was hard enough for her to see them together—something that was thankfully uncommon, since they’d moved to his pride on claiming each other. Quinley suspected that Harlan had pushed for that transfer, worried that an imprint bond wouldn’t form if Zaire was near his true mate. Because, although Zaire and many others had insisted it was all in Quinley’s head, Harlan hadn’t doubted her.

It was five years ago that Zaire and Nazra had finally mated. Harlan hadn’t been willing to make them the Alpha pair straight off, however. He’d insisted they wait until they’d not only imprinted on each other but were solid enough that all could be certain the bond wouldn’t crumble.

Imprinting could take weeks or years to start. Sometimes the process kicked in swiftly only to be dragged out for a long time; on other occasions, the bond formed during a short period.

Quinley doubted anyone had expected that Zaire and Nazra would take so long to be declared “solid.” She sometimes wondered if maybe Harlan had delayed making the declaration for so long because he hadn’t wanted to give up his position. Alphas generally didn’t step down easily.

“I thought maybe you would ask me to organize a transfer,” said Harlan. “You don’t have to mate someone in order to have a place in another pride.”

“I know that. I want to do this.” Quinley had tried finding a mate the traditional way. She’d dated people from both inside and outside the pride, always open to having something more. But it either hadn’t worked out, or the male in question had intended to wait for his true mate.

What she needed was someone on the same page as her. Someone from outside the pride, so she could transfer from hers. Someone who wouldn’t want to move slowly. Someone who would fit her well enough that imprinting had a high chance of occurring.

Enter FindYourMatch.com.

And Isaiah Hale.

“You’re certain of that?” Harlan asked her.

She gave a decisive nod. “Positive.”

“And what about your cat?”

“She’s on board. She wants a mate, kids, a bond, the whole shebang.” What the feline didn’t want was to be anywhere near Zaire or Nazra, let alone pledge her loyalty to them.

Yes, the cat was still furious at him. She didn’t wish he’d made different choices, though. The animal thought him unworthy of her.

Quinley’s fury had been dead a long time. She hadn’t cried or raged when the pair had finally mated. Instead, a cold acceptance had settled over her. She’d made peace with the fact that she’d never experience a true-mate bond—something that bothered her more than his rejection at this point, because there was too much resentment there for her to pine for him.

But just because she’d made her peace with it didn’t mean she had any intention of answering to him or his chosen mate. Much like her cat, Quinley was not prepared to owe either of them anything, let alone obedience. Nor would she allow them to have any control over her life. She certainly couldn’t swear fealty to them—the words would be a lie.

Harlan leaned forward, resting his clasped hands on the desk. “People don’t enter into an arranged mating lightly.”

“I haven’t made the decision lightly.”

“You’re only in your mid-twenties. You have years ahead of you; years during which you might meet and mate someone the old fashioned way.”

“This way is faster.” And the old-fashioned method had so far failed her. “It’s not like this male is someone who I may have nothing in common with. The site only suggests pairings that suit.”

“She has a point,” Astor chipped in.

Harlan narrowed his eyes at the Beta. “And how can she know he answered his questionnaire honestly?”

Astor frowned. “It wouldn’t have served him to be dishonest, since he’d want his mating to be successful.”

Exactly. “You arrange matings all the time, Harlan. I don’t see why you’d be trying to talk me out of one.”

She hadn’t expected him to be bothered by her decision. His mate wouldn’t have, so Quinley kind of wished the woman wasn’t off visiting relatives—Nel would no doubt have helped speed things along.

The staunch slipped from his shoulders as he sighed. “I didn’t do right by you. I did right by the pride, by my daughter, by me. But not by you.”

Quinley stiffened, knowing what he meant; remembering how he’d come to her the morning after she’d had her first—and only—conversation with Zaire. Harlan had asked her to accompany him on a walk, so she had. And she felt her lips tighten as she recalled the conversation …

“You know, hormones are funny things, Quinley. They can confuse an otherwise perfectly rational teenager into believing the object of their affections is their true mate.”

She ground her teeth, infuriated by his insinuation. He was her Alpha. He was supposed to look out for her. Comfort her. Advise her. Support her.

“Now, the last thing I want is for Zaire to feel uncomfortable coming to our territory because one of my cats is insisting they’re fated to be,” Harlan went on. “He may not yet have signed a mating agreement, but it’s pretty much a done deal that he will mate Nazra and, in doing so, tighten the alliance between our pride and his.”

Quinley sensed that he expected her to duck her head, act all submissive, and go along with this shit. Instead, she asked, “Are alliances so important that true-mate bonds should be forsaken?”

He smiled, surprising her. “You’re sticking to your guns?” He sounded admiring rather than annoyed.

Quinley shrugged. “Fact is he’s my true mate. Another fact is that I can’t force him to acknowledge it, or to choose me over being an Alpha one day. Status is everything to black-foots, and I don’t have one. It wouldn’t make him unusual to renounce his fated mate in order to pursue an ambition. But the situation is still a steaming pile of shit.”

His smile kicked up a notch. “You have fire in you. Not many would try to tell me I’m wrong about anything—something you very expertly said without explicitly stating it.” The curve to his mouth faltered. “The thing is, Quinley, whether the situation’s fair to you or not isn’t going to matter here. He’s made his choice, hasn’t he? He’s not likely to change it.”

Something in his expression made her sense… “You want something from me.”

Again, his lips quirked. “Sharp,” he praised. “What I want is for Zaire to sign the mating agreement. His father and I have been planning a union between him and Nazra for years. It was always going to happen.”

“You’re telling me to back off?”

“It would be in your best interests. Rumors are spreading fast, aren’t they?”

Yes, thanks to Nazra’s fucking bestie, Fila, who’d overheard Quinley’s talk with Zaire. It was humiliating enough that everyone now knew that he’d rejected her. Worse, they’d been told a very twisted version of events: that Quinley had tried to kiss him, gone to bite him, even began to strip for him.

Though both he and Quinley had very firmly stated it hadn’t happened that way, not everyone believed them. Each time she insisted she wasn’t lying, it was taken as evidence that she was in fact a liar.

“Nazra, well, she’ll delight in making life hard for you and your family,” Harlan added. “I’m literally the only person who has any sway over her.”

And then Quinley understood. “You’re saying you’ll keep her away from me and my family if I stay away from Zaire?”

A nod. “Yes. I’ll even make it clear to your peers that no one is to terrorize you on her behalf. But only if you agree to spread far and wide that, yes, it was just your hormones talking. So, what do you say? Do we have a deal?”

Quinley cocked her head, confused. “You could just order me to stay away from him.”

“But you wouldn’t, would you? You may be a submissive, but you’re not passive, nor are you a quitter. It’s admirable, but it won’t help you here. So, deal or no deal?” he pushed.

She wanted to say, “No deal.” She wanted to tell him to stuff his offer up his ass. Wanted to tell him he was a shitty Alpha.

But then she thought of her sisters, of how hard it had been for them since their parents died, about how Adaline was pregnant and didn’t need any stress right now, about how Raya would no doubt recklessly challenge Nazra to protect Quinley.

The whole situation had the makings of a clusterfuck. Whether Quinley liked it or not, this was really the only way to avoid it. So, for the sake of her family, she gritted out, “Deal.”

She’d never forgiven the motherfucker for pulling that stunt. She understood why he wouldn’t have put her feelings first—they’d needed alliances back then, what with a few larger prides coveting their territory. Zaire’s father had been friends with Harlan, true, but he wouldn’t have placed his own pride at risk for mere friendship. Rodrick would definitely have helped protect a pride that his son would one day lead, however.

So yes, Quinley understood the larger picture. But that Harlan had not been in the slightest bit sympathetic, that he’d offered her no comfort, that his only concern had been ensuring she didn’t interfere with his plans … no, she’d never forgiven him for that.

Nor had her cat. Even now it hissed at the memories, glaring at Harlan, having no respect at all for this male who’d failed her as an Alpha.

“You kept your word,” said Harlan. “You never approached Zaire, never spoke to him, never even so much as glanced his way. In fact, you made a concentrated effort to avoid him as best you could. He didn’t always make that easy for you.”

No. No, he hadn’t. There’d been times when Zaire just happened to be strolling around the area of pride territory where she lived. Times he’d uncharacteristically showed up at pride events for the unranked. Times he’d even unnecessarily been something of a shit to a male she happened to be dating.

“I think he was curious about you,” said Harlan. “An eighteen-year-old boy’s priority generally isn’t finding their mate. But as the years tick on, it can become an itch under their skin. Even though he’d signed papers and was committed to one day claiming Nazra, he wanted to know for knowing’s sake if just maybe he had found his mate. You saw that, didn’t you?”

Quinley swallowed. “Yes.” As had her cat, who’d been irate that he’d had the downright gall to go anywhere near her.

“It must have been hard for you to ignore it, but you did.”

It hadn’t really been about sticking to her word; it had been about protecting her family. Plus, she’d felt no desire to satisfy Zaire’s curiosity when he had no intention of claiming her. He could go live with the mystery, the dick.

“I make difficult decisions all the time—some involve sacrificing a member’s happiness for the greater good of the pride. Every Alpha does. It’s my job to keep the pride strong and, by extension, safe. As such, I don’t regret pairing Zaire with Nazra. But, Quinley, I would rather not reward your sacrifice by backing you in entering a mating with a complete stranger.” Harlan paused. “I’d arrange one with a black-foot from another pride, but …”

But she was unranked, so no one would be interested. Being a healer didn’t give her status among the ranked. “I don’t need you to do anything like that. I just want you to come with me to this meeting and, if all goes well, consent to having the appropriate papers drawn up. It’s not like I’ll be trapped in the mating. If there’s no imprint bond within the first year, I get to leave.” That was how it generally worked.

“I don’t like that you quite clearly feel the need to leave. This is your home, your territory, your community. You should haven’t a wish to—”

“He’s from the Olympus Pride.”

Harlan stilled, his gaze sharpening. “I see.”

Astor chuckled. “You really should have led with that, Quinley.”

Because the Alpha was so very obsessed with collecting alliances with powerful shifter groups, she knew. But … “He won’t gain an alliance out of this, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“Pallas cat prides typically don’t form them,” Astor allowed, “but this particular pride is allied with some influential wolf packs.”

A thoughtful look on his face, Harlan hummed.

Quinley felt her belly tighten. He was sat there wondering what he could use to wrangle an alliance out of the Olympus Pride. But she didn’t have money or status or anything else. And she wouldn’t put it past her Alpha to offer Isaiah someone more “worthy” in an effort to get an alliance.

She narrowed her eyes. “As you yourself admitted, you didn’t do right by me when I was sixteen. I’m asking you to not fuck me over now.”

Harlan had the nerve to look confused. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means you’re thinking of throwing another of my pride mates at him to entice his pride into agreeing to an alliance.”

Harlan’s lips tilted upward as he glanced at Astor. “Told you—she’s sharp, that one.” He exhaled heavily. “Yes, yes, I considered it. I would be a fool not to. But I would like to, as my one last act as your Alpha, see to it that you are … compensated for what you lost out on with Zaire.”

If he wanted to make himself feel better, fine—Quinley didn’t care so long as he didn’t mess this up for her.

“What did you say the name of the Olympus male is?”

She hadn’t. “Isaiah Hale.”

Harlan’s gaze sliced to Astor. “Look into him, will you?” At the Beta’s nod, Harlan returned his attention to her. “When and where does Hale want to meet?”

“The location has to be the website’s HQ—that’s a set rule,” she explained. “Isaiah said that he wanted to meet soon, preferably tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow? He doesn’t hang about, does he?”

“I think it’s a good thing. Why spend days twiddling our thumbs when we could just get the meet out of the way and find out for sure if we’re compatible? It’s best to find out as soon as possible. I don’t exactly have the luxury of taking things slowly anyway for obvious reasons.”

Harlan sat back in his chair. “If this is truly what you want, if this is a path you’re certain is right for you, then I will support you. Arrange the meet for ten tomorrow morning.”

Feeling the stiffness in her muscles leach away, Quinley let out a long, relieved breath. “I will.”

“Am I right in assuming you’d prefer to keep working at the salon with your sisters?”

“Yes. Would that be an issue?”

“Not for me.”

Quinley nodded, grateful. “Then that’s what I’ll do.” She rose to her feet.

“Who else in the pride knows about this?”

“Only my sisters and their mates.”

“You might want to keep it that way. At least until papers have been signed.”

Understanding what he was getting at, she nodded. “That’s the plan.” Because Nazra’s friends would otherwise hear of it, they’d pass it on to the soon-to-be-Alpha female, and Quinley didn’t trust that the bitch wouldn’t try to sabotage everything.

“Good.” His gaze dropped to the papers on his desk.

Quinley nodded at Astor and then walked out of the office. It didn’t surprise her that her older sisters waited there. Both petite blue-eyed brunettes looked so alike they could probably have passed for twins if there wasn’t a seven-year age difference between them.

As their parents had died when Quinley was just five, Adaline—being not only the eldest but thirteen years her senior—had been her main mother figure growing up. All three of them were very close.

“How did it go?” Adaline asked without preamble.

Raya cast a brief frown at the office door. “I didn’t expect you to be in there that long.”

“Surprisingly, he didn’t immediately agree because he wanted ‘better’ for me,” Quinley explained. “Turns out he does feel just a little bad about how he put the pride before my right to be with my mate, though he doesn’t regret it.”

“Huh,” said Raya. “Yeah, I wasn’t expecting that.”

“Me neither. He tried talking me out of it, but then eventually he agreed to support me. He warmed up to the idea once I told him that Isaiah’s from the Olympus Pride.”

The corners of Adaline’s mouth tightened. “Typical.”

Indeed. “I can’t see him getting any kind of alliance out of this, which I warned him of. I don’t think he’ll try to screw me over if that turns out to be the case, but we’ll see.” He’d said he wouldn’t, but Harlan had been careful not to give her his word on this.

“He’s screwed you over before,” muttered Adaline.

That he had. “Come on, let’s get gone.”

Together, they made their way through the Alpha’s grand lodge toward the exit. They rarely ever came here. The unranked weren’t invited to all pride events, they didn’t eat meals in the large hall here at the lodge, and they didn’t associate with the majority of the ranked. It was how most black-foot prides operated.

Stepping out of the lodge into the winter air, Quinley shivered and huddled further into her jacket. It was so cold her breath misted the air in little puffs. While December was one of her favorite months of the year, she often missed the summer warmth.

She halted to avoid bumping into two males who tromped right into her path carrying a wide and very tall arch of artificial flowers. Her cat narrowed her eyes at the female trailing after them holding a clipboard. Fila, Nazra’s bestie.

Harlan had kept to his word, keeping Nazra and her friends in line. There’d been no challenges. No attacks. No harassment. But, thanks to Fila here, there’d been bullshit rumors. And with those had come insults, snickering, and a loss of not only respect but friendships.

Attacks weren’t always physical.

Luckily, that crap hadn’t come from every corner. A fair number of people—most of whom were unranked—had believed Quinley’s version of events and had taken her side. But not vocally. They hadn’t dared speak up in her defense, for which she couldn’t blame them. Still, it hadn’t felt good.

Unsurprisingly, Fila was playing a huge part in setting up all the decorations to celebrate Nazra and Zaire’s return and ascension. Quinley sure hoped she was gone before the celebrations began, because attendance was compulsory—she absolutely could not be a part of them.

Fila cast her an ugly look. “What are you doing around these parts? If you’re hoping to help out, the answer is no. I can’t trust that you wouldn’t try to wreck the decorations.”

Quinley shot her a bland smile. “It’s uncanny how well you read me.” She glanced at Raya. “Don’t you just love her?”

Raya grunted. “No.”

Adaline guided Quinley away from Fila. “That woman is a trial.”

Amen. “I really won’t miss her.”

Raya gently bumped her shoulder against Quinley’s. “You’ll miss me, though, right?”

“Probably.”

Adaline snickered. “I’m still bummed that you’re going to leave. Raya and I talked about moving with you. Our mates would—”

“Don’t,” Quinley advised. “I appreciate it. I do. But there’s a chance that imprinting won’t occur. If it doesn’t, I may have to leave. There’s no point in any of you uprooting when I might not stay in the pride.”

“I know, but you’re my baby sister—it’s my job to look out for you.”

Raya frowned at Adaline. “How come you don’t look out for me anymore?”

“That’s a full-time job that I don’t have time for these days,” said Adaline. “I love you to the depths of my soul, but I’ve never been more relieved by anything than when Lori claimed you—you’re her problem now.”

Raya huffed. “That’s very nice.” She looked at Quinley. “It’ll be hard not having you live close by anymore.”

It would. Mostly because they’d emotionally banded together so tightly after their parents died. It had even been difficult for them to live apart at first.

“You’ll still see me almost every day,” Quinley reminded them. “I’m not going to quit my job at the salon. Harlan said I could keep working there if I wanted to.” She’d worked there since she was sixteen, and she loved it.

Blue Harbor Beauty Salon was owned by the pride and exclusive to shifters. A simple spell that Adaline had purchased from a witch was enough to repel any humans who might otherwise enter the salon. Black-foots hadn’t stepped out of the closet yet, so humans were oblivious to their existence.

Blue Harbor provided several services—hair, nails, makeup, spa treatments, massages, and even pampering for their inner animals.

Shifters found the place relaxing because it accommodated their enhanced senses. The products weren’t too strongly scented, the music was never too loud, and the lighting wasn’t too bright. Also, no one had to keep up the pretense of being human since there were none around. They were free to be themselves.

“That is good news,” said Adaline. “I figured he would.”

Raya nudged Quinley. “What about Isaiah, though? You don’t think he’ll want you to give up your job, do you? I mean, he might not like the idea of you working for another pride.”

Quinley frowned. “I stupidly didn’t consider that.” She inwardly cursed. “I’ll make it clear in advance that it’s important to me that I keep working at the salon with you two. If he won’t accept that, I don’t want him. I’m not interested in being with someone who won’t care what’s important to me.”

Raya gave a pleased nod. “So, when’s the meet?”

“Tomorrow morning, providing Isaiah’s good with it.” With that in mind, Quinley fished her cell out of her pocket and used the FindYourMatch.com phone app to message Isaiah: Hi. My Alpha says we could do the meet tomorrow morning at ten. Would that work for you?

It wasn’t long before his reply popped up: 10am tomorrow is fine.

Nosing over Quinley’s shoulder, Raya mocked, “Very verbose, isn’t he?”

“He’s to the point, which I like.” And he was not at all hard to look at. Very masculine with his rugged appearance.

His eyes were an unusual smoky grey that pulled you right in. Intriguing tattoos skated up his neck, ending below a strong jawline that was shadowed with dark scruff. The strands at the top of his black close-cropped hair stuck up slightly in a just-rolled-out-of-bed look.

His profile had only showed his face, throat, and shoulders. But she’d been able to tell he was broad, and she’d seen from his profile details that he was also tall.

Having him in her bed would certainly be no chore.

“I wouldn’t have thought he’d contact me,” said Quinley, pocketing her phone.

“Because you’re unranked?” Adaline waved a hand. “That doesn’t mean much to most shifter breeds.”

True. It was easy to forget that, what with how obsessed black-foots were about it.

“If all goes well and you both decide to move forward,” began Adaline, “do you think there’s any chance this will all be done and dusted before Zaire and Nazra are appointed as Alphas?”

Quinley worried her bottom lip. “Isaiah made it clear he wants to move fast, so maybe. At the very least, there’s a chance the papers will be signed, which is what’s most important. There’d be no way Nazra could try to cancel the contract without offending the Olympus cats. Who’ll want to do that?”

“Hopefully not her,” replied Adaline. “She’ll want rid of you eventually, but not for a while. She didn’t get to torment you all these years because Harlan kept her in line. Once she’s Alpha, she won’t answer to him anymore. And she would just love you to have to owe her your submission and loyalty. That would be hell for you, and she knows it.”

Nazra wasn’t evil or anything. It was just that she would naturally have felt the urge to punish, challenge, or at the very least threaten Quinley for trying to “steal” Zaire from her. An urge that she had bottled up for nine years—that would only have made it worse. She would be highly unlikely to not finally act on it once Alpha.

Quinley sighed. “It’s funny how so many people never believed Zaire’s my true mate … yet she was not among them. It would surely have suited her to feel I was full of shit, but she didn’t close her mind to my claim. She called me a liar. She never meant it, though.”

“No, it was always a taunt to provoke you, not a claim she truly believed,” Raya agreed. “I wonder how Zaire will react to you leaving the pride and mating someone else.”

Quinley blinked. “Well, I mean … I’m sure he’ll feel some relief at knowing I’d be out of his orbit.”

Raya hummed. “Maybe.”

“How he’ll feel or behave isn’t what’s important,” Quinley upheld.

Adaline eyed her carefully. “You really have fully let go of him, haven’t you?”

“It was that or break,” Quinley told her, hearing her voice harden. “No person will ever break me, least of all him.”