The Vulfan’s True Mate
Copyright 2017 by Georgette St. Clair
This book is intended for readers 18 and older only, due to adult content. It is a work of fiction. All characters and locations in this book are products of the imagination of the author. No shifters were harmed during the creation of this book.
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Chapter One
“You’re impossible to please, Lukan,” Alexandra Van Der Willig purred as he impatiently pushed the photographs back at her across his broad mahogany desk. There was an array of glossy 8 x 10s, with half a dozen beautiful women smiling enticingly at the camera. “You’re refusing them, but you haven’t even met any of them yet.”
She tossed back her long, glossy blond hair and fluttered her eyes at him. She always got her hair done on the days when he came in to the office. And she also picked her sexiest business suits, with a lacy camisole underneath, and she splashed on plenty of her most sensual perfume.
She was secretly happy to see that he didn’t like any of the potential mates she had suggested for him. Perhaps there was still a chance that he’d choose her. There was no reason not to. All this business about wanting to find his “true mate”, and how his heart would tell him when he met her…what utter garbage.
Alexandra was perfect for Lukan. She was perfect for any man, really – she was beautiful from her tiny, surgically enhanced nose and white-capped teeth right down to her teetering designer heels. She was stylish. She was charming and polished. Of course, someone as special as her would never settle; she deserved a man who was not just rich but mega-rich, and not just handsome but the type who drew longing looks from every female who laid eyes on him.
A man like Lukan.
Lukan, with his commanding presence, broad shoulders, and otherworldly ice-blue eyes. His thick, silky hair was as black as obsidian, his jaw strong, his lips full and sensual. He didn’t walk – he strode, with supreme confidence. He moved like the predator he was – and was she ever ready for him to pounce on her and devour her. That was the kind of man Alexandra deserved.
Unfortunately, Lukan, one of her two business partners at Million Dollar Matches, had not realized this yet. She’d suggested it several times already, but he’d always turned her down. She’d smiled through gritted teeth and pretended to concede graciously, but she would not accept defeat.
“Why don’t we discuss this tonight over dinner? If you come over to my place, I could cook you something.” She could order from her favorite restaurant and pretend she’d cooked it. “I’d love it if you told me exactly what you’re looking for. What you desire.” She leaned forward, flashing some cleavage at him and fluttering her eyes again, faster this time, so he’d notice.
“Is there something wrong?” he asked her, arching an eyebrow. “You are blinking very hard. Are you having…what is called on Earth…a seizure?”
She sat back with a jerk, her grin tightening until it was almost a grimace. “Oh, no. I’m just fine. Thank you so much for asking, though. You are always so considerate. Any woman would be lucky to have you.”
Inwardly, she was seething. Did this stuck-up asshole know the kind of men she was turning down while she waited for him? Men who were almost as rich and almost as handsome as he was!
Just wait until she tricked him into marrying her. She’d figure out a way. And once they were married, he would be trapped. The Wor-Lan married for life. She could behave any way she wanted. She’d make him grovel for sex; the Wor-Lan had notoriously high sex drives. She’d sleep around all she wanted. And, bound by Wor-Lan rules, he would be forced to treat her like a queen no matter what. The Wor-Lan men were as devoted to their women as they were ferocious to their enemies.
She looked around his enormous office, which, despite his careful attempts to blend in, looked alien. Just like him. The twisting silver sculptures that were based on trees from his planet, the abstract red and black painted silk tapestries hanging on the walls, the dark, red-grained wooden ornaments on his desk – carved from trees that never grew on Earth. It was creepy and unsettling. She’d make him redecorate completely after they got married.
His thick brows drew together in a frown. He shook his head and waved his hand in dismissal. “None of these women are acceptable. I am not interested in you searching further at this point. I told you that already. Please continue to concentrate on finding acceptable matches for our clients. Your success rate continues to be low, and it concerns me.”
Well, it wasn’t her fault that a lot of his pack members were as stupid and stubborn as he was. She accepted only the finest quality women, and if they were too dumb to appreciate them, that was their problem, not hers.
And to hell with his pack, anyway. She was determined to land her prize. “Oh, but Lukan, I can’t possibly let you give up on love,” she purred. “I’m sure the right woman is out there. Possibly she’s someone you’ve known all along. Someone that you’ve never really given a chance.”
To her surprise, he gave a short, sharp nod and an unhappy shrug of his broad shoulders. He leaned back in his leather chair, staring out his window at the Manhattan skyline.
She felt a rush of excitement. Finally they were getting somewhere! Was he about to acknowledge that she was the one for him?
She took a deep breath, puffing out her chest as much as possible. She arched her back, started to flutter her eyelashes, then forced herself to stop.
“So,” she said with a smile. “I think that—”
The door flew open, and Talia Fisher, Lukan’s personal assistant, walked in.
Alexandra had picked Talia herself to ensure that Lukan wasn’t distracted or, heaven forbid, attracted, and also to provide a sharp contrast to how attractive and sophisticated she was next to the dumpy girl. Talia was short and overweight and had brown hair and brown eyes. She laughed too loudly, and didn’t even try to dress to hide how fat she was. Today her blue wraparound dress showed every roll on her waist. She let people see her eating all the time. And even though she was as poor as a church-mouse, she always looked cheerful, which somehow annoyed Alexandra even more.
On the bright side, it was obvious that Lukan didn’t like her. He always acted uncomfortable when Talia was around. Perhaps some of the things Alexandra had told him about Talia were responsible for that. She certainly hoped so.
Unfortunately, Talia had an awful sense of timing.
“Hello, Mr. Anders,” she said. “I’ve got the—”
Alexandra leaped to her feet with a shriek of anger. “Damn it!” she screamed. “How dare you barge in here like that, without even knocking?” Just when she’d finally been making progress with Lukan!
Talia stared at her, wide-eyed. “Geez, Ms. Van Der Willig, I’m sorry, but—”
“I don’t give a damn if you’re sorry, you fat, stu
pid cow! You’re fired! Get out, right now, and do not come back! I’m sick of looking at you!”
Instead of cowering like she should have, Talia straightened up and looked Alexandra right in the eye. “I hardly think it’s appropriate or professional to call me names or be insulting.”
How dare Talia treat her with such disrespect? Alexandra took a deep breath, ready to tell her what she really thought of her, but Lukan sprang to his feet, eyes blazing with anger. He was quite impressive when he stood; just under seven feet tall. Even in his Earth-style business wear, an expensively tailored charcoal suit and a crisp white shirt, she could see his muscles tense and bulge as he clenched and unclenched his fists. With luck he’d show that fat little cow the door.
“Talia came in here because I asked her to bring me the files on the latest prospects,” he said. “Do not speak to her, or anyone else who works for this agency, in that manner again. And now, you will apologize to her at once.”
Alexandra’s mouth dropped open. “I will not! She is an employee, not a partner!” she fumed, eyes blazing with anger. “I will speak to her any way I damn well please! And you of all people should understand the importance of ensuring that your underlings show respect, given—”
She saw the way he was looking at her, and stopped herself immediately. She was so furious that she’d almost spewed out something about Lukan being the Reginar of his pack – his people’s word for leader.
“I understand that a leader must behave in a way that commands respect, if they want to be treated with respect. She will not be fired, and you will apologize now, or our partnership will end.”
Alexandra spluttered furiously. Would he really do that? She was his only contact on Earth. His people needed to find human females to mate with – desperately. It was their only chance to repopulate their world after the deadly Population Wars had devastated Ilyria thirty years ago.
She’d already had a well-established dating agency when he’d approached her. How would he find women on his own? He already stood out way too much, with his height and huge size, and there was always the risk that he would spontaneously shift and expose himself.
If he left, would Treffon, the other business partner from Ilyria, stay?
Whatever. She couldn’t risk it. Lukan paid her a fat monthly retainer just for referring women, and he paid her a bloody fortune every time she made a successful match. She was making too much money from this…and anyway, Lukan was hers, damn it! She wasn’t letting him walk out.
She forced a smile. “Talia. I’m sorry I said those things. I shouldn’t have called you a fat cow. I’m under a lot of pressure right now, making this business the best that it can be, and I behaved inappropriately.”
“Of course,” Talia said calmly. “I don’t expect it will happen again.”
Is she kidding? She should be kissing my feet with gratitude right now! Alexandra strangled on her rage, then looked at Lukan and saw him raise an eyebrow.
“Of course not,” she said, turning up the wattage on her smile.
“You may leave us now,” Lukan said, his tone icy, and Alexandra felt a rush of relief. Something about Talia being so close to Lukan made her nervous, for no logical reason at all. Lukan couldn’t possible prefer Talia to her. No way.
“You heard him. Get out. Please,” she added, smiling through bared teeth.
“I was talking to you,” Lukan said to Alexandra, and shoved the photographs into her hands.
Alexandra stared at him in shock for a long, long moment, and finally, when he cleared his throat impatiently and scowled, she turned and walked out, head held high.
She snuck a quick glance back at them. Lukan was sitting back down behind his desk, frowning, not meeting Talia’s eyes.
As Alexandra pulled the door shut behind her, she felt a sharp twinge of worry. Lukan could not possibly, in any way, be interested in Talia, could he? A year ago, when she’d first pointed Talia out to him, telling him that she would be his assistant, he’d actually said to Alexandra, “She is most attractive.” Of course, he was just being polite, but nonetheless Alexandra had rushed to tell him…what she’d told him. She wasn’t leaving anything to chance.
She’d been pleased to see how shocked and horrified he was. She’d chosen her lies well.
Not that Talia had ever stood a chance, of course.
Alexandra barked out a brittle laugh as she stalked down the hallway, which earned her a startled glance from Rosamund, Talia’s equally chubby friend, the staff photographer and web designer. Rosamund was rubbing her arm as if she’d just injured it, and walking quickly away from the studio where she shot her pictures.
“What the hell are you looking at, Miss Piggy?” Alexandra snapped, and was pleased to see Rosamund flinch and shrink back. Her pale face turned bright red.
“Nothing, Ms. Van Der Willig,” Rosamund murmured, and hurried off, glancing back fearfully at Alexandra.
Alexandra smiled to herself. I’ve still got it, she thought, and headed back to her office.
Chapter Two
Talia breathed a sigh of relief when Alexandra left the room.
I need this job, I need this job, she repeated over and over again in her head.
Still, there were limits. Her late mother, her biggest cheerleader, had raised her to stand up to bullies. She might be making triple what a personal assistant fresh out of college would normally get paid, but she wasn’t going to work anywhere with a boss who belittled her. If it came to that, she’d quit and work two or three jobs somewhere else.
She’d done it before. Hell, sleep was over-rated. Her father was disabled from his on the job accident, and needed medication and physical therapy. He’d get everything that he needed, if Talia had to work a hundred hours a week.
She glanced at Lukan. Of course, working here and putting up with Alexandra’s crap did have perks. She eyed the glossy black of Lukan’s hair, the supple curve of his lips, the strong column of his throat. His expensively cut suit didn’t hide the raw strength of his body. It was enough to have her biting back a groan of desire. She was working for the sexiest eye candy in all of Manhattan.
Even if he was also the grumpiest eye candy. Like right now. Mr. Sex-on-stilts was glaring at his desk and looking over the files as if she’d presented him with pictures of rotting garbage rather than beautiful women.
“How are you doing today, Mr. Anders?” she asked.
He glanced up at her, and reached for the small tin can that sat on his desk. He fished out one of the odd-looking blue capsules in the tin, as he did many times a day, and swallowed it.
“I would be doing considerably better if Alexandra wore less perfume,” he said, and Talia stifled a smile.
Lukan pressed a button on his desk, and the overhead fan began whirling. He pressed a couple more buttons, and something began humming, and the thick, cloying smell of Alexandra’s perfume vanished.
Lukan had some weird gadgets on hand – gadgets that she had never seen before. He’d mentioned once that he owned a company that was developing new consumer tech, but they were years away from releasing it to market. She didn’t know why; everything she’d seen seemed to work perfectly.
She looked around the room, so beautiful and exotically decorated, and sniffed at the air. “That was fast,” she said in surprise. “The smell is completely gone. Usually that perfume lingers for hours.” God knew she and Rosamund had spent enough time breathing through their noses, or napkins, after Alexandra had stormed through the room.
“I designed the scent diffuser specifically for her,” Lukan said, perfectly straight-faced.
Talia threw her head back and burst into peals of laughter. “Oh, good lord,” she said, wiping away tears of merriment. “Sometimes I would actually swear you have a sense of humor.”
“You would be wrong,” he assured her gravely, but she was sure she saw a tiny smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Not for the first time, she wondered what it would be like to see him
really smile. A big, happy smile spreading across his face – she imagined it would make him look even more stunning. Talia liked making people smile, and Lukan always seemed so tense and preoccupied. What would it take to get him not just to smile, but to burst into laughter?
That wasn’t the only thing she wondered about Lukan. All kinds of inappropriate thoughts crowded through her mind when she thought about her stern, gorgeous boss. What would he look like naked? What would those soft, sensual lips taste like?
What would it be like to lie naked underneath him? Or bent over that broad desk, with him behind her, hands firmly gripping her hips as he thrust into her… She felt her cheeks coloring at the notion. Thank God he couldn’t read minds.
Could he?
She looked at him. “You can’t read minds, can you?” she asked, a little nervously. Lukan always seemed a little…she couldn’t put her finger on it…otherworldly, to her. More than human.
He stared at her, his face expressionless.
“No,” he said finally. He didn’t ask why she would ask him a question like that, or laugh at her ridiculousness, like most people would have.
His frown grew deeper as he stared at her. His nostrils flared, and he licked his lips as if tasting the air now that the lingering stench of Alexandra’s perfume was gone. Talia’s heart gave a funny little trip in her chest.
“What makes you happy?” she blurted out. That was unusual for her. They normally didn’t discuss anything personal at all. Lukan Anders was all business.
“Me?” He looked at her in astonishment.
“There’s nobody else in here.”
His eyebrows rose even higher as he stared at her. He paused for a moment, then finally shrugged and said, “I don’t think about that when I’m at work.” A non-answer if she’d ever heard one.
“You should. When you’re on your deathbed, you’re not going to say, ‘Gee, I wish I had spent more time at the office..”
The Vulfan's True Mate (A BBW Paranormal Romance) (Starcrossed Dating Agency Book 1) Page 1