by Alisa Woods
He tucked her hand around his arm and led her out of the library.
Jaxson’s wolf was yipping in happy circles inside him.
All because he was bringing Olivia back to the office. Of course, his wolf thought that meant they would soon be bending her over his desk and finding out just how luscious those curves really were… Jaxson sucked in a breath and held the frosted-glass door of Riverwise open for Olivia. He really had to stop thinking of her that way, no matter how much his wolf—and he—wanted that little fantasy to play out.
Everything he said to Olivia was true—she needed a job, Riverwise needed an assistant, and he needed someone to help him work this sticky mess of delaying a mate as long as possible. But even more, he was intrigued by the electric touches… her smart mouth… and what was this about her not wanting a husband? There was something wrong there. Something deep and dark and sorrowful in those chocolate brown eyes. And it was killing him not to know what it was.
Bringing her into the office meant he could keep her close. Spend more time with her. Maybe figure out where that dark sorrow was coming from. But he could already tell: the more time he spent with her, the more he wanted. And not just because his wolf was drooling for her.
In his preoccupation with Olivia, he had forgotten Jared was conducting interviews this afternoon. His brother was in the main conference room—which was simply the open space in the center of the office. The three River brothers, along with the rest of the pack, had their offices around the perimeter, but they conducted all their meetings in the breezy open space in the middle. Jared was sitting there now, grilling a thin girl who appeared barely old enough to vote. With Jared’s oversized bulk, rolled up sleeves, and camouflage pants, he was barraging her with questions. His boots were still muddy from the weekend in the Olympics. Jaxson could see the interviewee’s slender fingers shake from halfway across the room.
He rubbed a hand across his forehead. Why hadn’t he seen this coming?
“We’ll have to do a background check on you, of course. Better if you tell us up front now about any illegal drug use, contraband smuggling, compromising affairs—”
“Jared?” Jaxson put enough point in his voice to interrupt his brother.
He threw a scowl at Jaxson, then pressed on, ignoring him. “Compromising affairs could be virtually any liaison with a foreign national, someone in cyber security, or even—”
“Jared.” He put more bite in his voice but then blasted a full-watt smile for the terrified job candidate. “What my brother’s saying is that we’ll be contacting you shortly if we need more information to move forward.” Jaxson gestured her up from her seat.
The girl shot out of it like she was escaping prison.
“We’re not done here,” Jared said, his tone only half angry… the other half was bewildered as to why Jaxson was interrupting him.
“Oh yes, we are.” Jaxson turned to Olivia. “Could you see our young friend out?” Her quick nod showed she was already completely clued-in to the Jared dynamic. Olivia put on a smile and gently on tugged the girl’s elbow to usher her toward the front. Jaxson’s gaze lingered a beat longer than necessary on Olivia’s delicious rear-end and the way her skirt hugged her curves. He didn’t know which turned him on more: the sway of her walk or the fact that she managed to get the freaked-out applicant to smile again before they disappeared around the corner.
Jaxson whipped back to his brother—he only had a few seconds before she returned. “How about if you don’t terrify our new office assistant?”
“Terrify?” Jared pulled an almost comical expression of confusion. “Was she really scared?”
“Jared, she was shaking like a ninety-year-old man with palsy,” Jaxson said, patiently, like he did every time his brother seemed oblivious to the people around him.
“Oh.” Jared frowned, and this was the part that tore out Jaxson’s heart. Because his brother had killed men from miles away with deadly sniper skills honed by both the Army and his own natural shifter talents… but he wouldn’t hurt a fly otherwise. Not intentionally.
Jared still seemed confused. “I was just explaining—”
“Yeah, well, don’t,” Jaxson whispered quickly. Olivia’s footsteps scuffed the carpet behind him, so he put on a smile and turned to her.
Olivia hooked a thumb over her shoulder. “I tried to tell her you guys were harmless. Kind of doubt she’ll be back, though.”
“That’s all right.” Jaxson turned to present her to Jared. “Olivia, this is my brother, Jared. He’s generally in charge of operations, and we keep him far from the toner supply. Jared, meet Olivia Lilyfield, our new office assistant.”
Jared’s face opened in surprise, but only momentarily. Then it shut down like a bank vault closing. He rose, slowly. He was the largest of the three of them—and none of the River brothers were small—and he towered over Olivia.
She seemed undaunted, just smiling and sticking out her hand. “Pleasure to meet you, Jared.”
Jared nodded and held her hand briefly, as if it were made of porcelain, and he might break it. Then he dropped his gaze to the floor and stared at his boots, still caked with mud from the Olympic mountains.
Jared nodded at his boots like he’d just now noticed them. “I better go get cleaned up.” Then he lumbered away without another word.
Jaxson sucked in a slow breath and hoped his brother would actually go home and get a shower, not trek back to the mountains, dejected and depressed. Again.
The rest of the office was still pretty quiet—Jared must have worked the pack pretty hard to have so many MIA on a Monday. But at least that left Jaxson and Olivia alone.
Once Jared disappeared around the corner, Olivia said, “Yeah… he doesn’t like me.”
Jaxson shook his head. “It’s not you, trust me. It’s definitely him.”
“Is that going to be a problem?” she asked, as if her employment might hinge on Jared and his moods. Her frown was substantial, like this really worried her. She had mentioned a rent payment was due.
Jaxson placed a hand on her shoulder. “Absolutely not. I’m the CEO around here, and if I say you’re in, you’re in.” He could feel the heat of her skin through the thin fabric of her blouse, but not that tingly sensation from before. That must only come from skin-to-skin contact… he had to shove that thought away before his mouth started to water. But his wolf was rumbling happy growls again. Jaxson wondered what in the world he was thinking—she would be at the office every day. There was no way his willpower was going to hold out forever.
He gestured to the just-vacated seats. “While we have a moment alone, let’s discuss the situation with finding a mate.”
She slid into a chair and threw a glance around the office. “I’m assuming this topic is confidential?”
He took the seat opposite her. “Very much so.” He waved a hand at the darkened offices. “If the pack knew I was trying to delay choosing a mate, it would weaken my position as their alpha. Even my brothers would be dismayed.”
Olivia frowned, but her dark, intelligent eyes were searching his face. “Jared seems like he might understand.”
His eyebrows lifted. She was perceptive as well as smart. “Jared is the eldest. He could easily command the lead alpha position of our pack. He found his mate, but… well, let’s just say he lost her.”
Olivia’s frown grew. “How does this mating thing work, exactly? I mean, I’ve heard that shifters mate for life, but that’s really all I know.”
“The mating itself is a magical bond that strengthens both the alpha and his mate.” A familiar pain stabbed his chest—he’d known for a long time that this was the one thrill in life he would never experience, but it still hurt to think about. And not just him—his wolf was howling a long, mournful cry.
Jaxson took a breath and continued, “Technically, mating is a transfer of some of the alpha’s magic to his mate’s blood. The bond makes the resulting shifter pups strong and healthy. Full shifter powers. And, of
course, the mating provides a solid family unit for the raising of those pups.” Another howl. Jaxson tried to work the tension in his shoulders out by rolling his neck.
“That doesn’t sound so bad.” Her voice was very soft. Pained almost.
That lost sound hurt him even more. His hand was out, touching hers before he realized what he was doing. The electric feel of her soft skin against his jolted him enough to make him pull back. He couldn’t figure out what that was about.
“Mating’s far from bad,” he pressed on. “It’s great really. One of the better things about being a shifter. It’s just that… I need to buy some time before I can make that commitment.” Somehow lying to her about this, especially with her helping him, seemed wrong. But he couldn’t risk telling her the truth—he’d only just met her, and it wasn’t the kind of secret he could afford to let loose.
She was nodding, but thoughtfully. Thank heavens the lost look was gone from her eyes. “So you need a delay.”
“Yes.”
“And how many contenders are there?” she asked. “I mean, are there certain requirements your future mate has to meet?”
He smiled and leaned forward on the table. “Are you asking me what like in a woman?”
She actually blushed.
He couldn’t help smiling wider in having caused that reaction.
“Let me guess,” she said, ducking her head. “Gorgeous, smart, and with a talent for keeping secrets.” She peeked up.
He met her gaze. “That’s a great start.” God, what was he doing, flirting with her? He coughed and wiped away his smile. “It would help if she were a daughter of one of the three packs we should be making an alliance with. The daughters are all full-blood shifters, so that’s not an issue. But they’re not all equally… well…”
“Hot?” She smirked, but he didn’t like her knowing look—like she was judging him, and he was coming up shallow. He was even more surprised how much that bothered him.
“It’s not just that,” he said, a little defensively. “It’s not even primarily that. It’s more like… a connection. Some shifters think there’s just one mate for every wolf. And maybe that’s true. But I think it has to be something more than just magic that binds you together. There should be… something else.”
“You want to find your soul mate.” The sadness was back in her eyes again.
His shoulders dropped. “I suppose that sounds silly.”
“No, not at all.”
He hated the pain suddenly back in her eyes. “I just want to be sure I’m making the right choice,” he said softly, trying to draw her out of whatever deep well she had dropped into.
She sucked in a breath and nodded. Some of the darkness lifted. “Okay. Three possible mates from other packs. Advantage: political alliances. Disadvantage: possibly not your soul mate. What if you chose none-of-the-above? What if we went wide in our search? I don’t know, are there a lot of eligible female shifters in the greater Seattle area?”
He smiled—at the effort she was putting in and the fact that it seemed to distract her from the sadness. “Actually, there’s not really an abundance of alternatives. Female wolves are much more rare than males—it has to do with infant survival rates and, well, other factors. Witches for one.”
Olivia’s eyes bugged out. “Witches?”
He frowned. “You know witches exist, right?”
“Um… yeah… a little. I mean, I’ve heard stories about that, too.” She cleared her throat. “What does that have to do with female wolves being rare?”
“Witches hunt them.” Jaxson scowled. “Mated female wolves especially—they have powerful magic. The witches cut out their hearts to obtain it.”
“Really?” She looked stricken and a little disbelieving. “I mean… God. How could a person do that?”
Jaxson let his face go cold. “Witches aren’t people, Olivia. Not the way you and I understand them. Witches are cold, power-hungry, and generally full of themselves enough to think the rest of us exist to serve their crazy-ass whims. If you meet one in a dark alley, don’t play the hero. Run the other way. Fast.” He knew all too well how quickly a witch could ruin your life.
The blood seemed to drain from Olivia’s face, and Jaxson cursed himself internally. He was no better than Jared, scaring the crap out of a woman he hoped would stick around long enough to… well, until Jaxson would be forced out the door of Riverwise himself. Maybe then he could have someone in his life. Not a mate—he would never have that—but maybe he could have something less magical, but still beautiful. Maybe with a gorgeous, smart woman like Olivia, even if she wasn’t a shifter. He’d long known that a human would be his only choice in the end. If his wolf would stand for it. He certainly seemed to lust after Olivia, so maybe… Jaxson reached out to touch her hand, trying to calm the quivers in it. Her skin was crazy soft, and the spark of touching her washed through him.
Maybe being with a human could have its own kind of magic.
“Don’t worry about witches,” he said, trying to keep his voice soothing. “We haven’t had any encounters with them in forever—and I don’t anticipate we will. I was just saying that’s why there aren’t as many female shifters around as you might expect.”
She nodded, but slowly pulled her hand out from under his. Then she folded her arms across her chest, which only reminded him of how ample it was.
He forced his gaze up to meet hers.
“So,” she said, “the three females from the three packs—those are your only real choices?”
“I’m sure there are other female shifters in the city. But if I snubbed all three of our potential allies… well, I’d better have an extremely good reason.”
She gave a sharp nod of agreement and unfolded her arms again. “Okay. So here’s what you do. You make an announcement that you’re taking this mating business very seriously. Issue a press release, or whatever you do in wolfy shifter circles.”
He cracked a grin. “Wolfy?”
She waved a hand at him. “Wolves. Big and bad. However you want to spin it.”
He leaned across the table and snatched her waving hand out of the air. “But we are big and bad.” Damn, she was drawing him in without even trying.
She blushed, and it took everything he had not to pull her in for a kiss, but then she gave him the devil eye. “Save it for the ladies you’re trying to mate with.”
“Ouch!” He dropped her hand and leaned back, but he had to bite his lip to contain his smile.
“Now, listen up,” she said, full bossy mode. “I’m about to solve all your problems.”
He managed to tame the smile a little. “Do tell.”
She drilled into him with those big brown eyes. “You’re taking this mating business seriously, so you’re going to date all the girls. It’s like The Bachelor, only for shifters. You’re not doing this to be picky or choosy or anything obnoxious like that. You’re doing this for the good of all the packs—to make sure you make the best match, for both you and your future mate. The problem is, of course, that this will take time.”
“Lots of time.” He was nodding in agreement now.
“Right. You have to be fair. Give each girl their turn. Three months exclusive dating for each one. And that’s just for the first round. Then you eliminate one girl from contention and date the remaining two more seriously. Say, another three months. That’s a year of dating altogether. By then, you should know if you’re meant to be mates… or not.”
“A year.” It seemed impossibly long to put up this charade, and at the same time, far too little time left in his life as alpha of the River pack. But it would give him enough time to get some major operations underway—and get the pack headed in the right direction. Not to mention get his brothers ready to carry on the pack duties without him. “I can work with a year.”
She smiled. “Great!”
“There’s only one problem.”
Her face clouded. “What’s that?”
He winced as he saw th
e hole in the plan. “There’s this idea among shifters that finding your mate is a love-at-first-sight kind of thing.”
“Really?” Her nose scrunched up. “A little archaic, don’t you think?”
“Not really,” he admitted. “It has to do with your inner wolves knowing when they meet their mates. There’s an instant attraction. Something powerful, almost undeniable sometimes. It’s part of the magic.”
She frowned. “And you’ve already met these girls?”
“Oh yeah.” He sighed. “Our packs have been working together for a while.”
“And no instant sparks? No choirs of angels opening up the heavens?” She gestured wide with her hands.
He shook his head.
“No wonder you don’t want to rush into this mating thing.” She nodded like it was all becoming clear to her. But then she waved that away. “Doesn’t matter. We’ll just put it in the statement that your wolf is equally smitten with all three—that’s why you’re taking the unusual human step of actually dating the women you’re going to potentially marry, er, mate with.”
His eyebrows lifted again. “Actually, that’s kind of brilliant.”
“Kind of?” she scoffed. “It’s a wonder you guys got along without me here for so long.”
He smiled wide. “Truly.”
“Okay, you need to get started right away.” She twirled her fingers at him. “Get me set up with a desk. I’ll need a computer, names, and contact information. Before you know it, I’ll have a dating schedule set up and a statement for you to give.”
He rose up from his seat. “Yes, Ma’am.” He smiled all the way to his office.
A year. A year to keep the mating pressures at bay, from both the other packs and his own. Twelve months to get some key operations under way and lay plans for the future of Riverwise without him. And three-hundred-and-sixty-five days of having Olivia Lilyfield in his office with her soft skin and sharp mind.
This was going to work out even better than he thought.
Jaxson stared into the eyes of the red-haired beauty across the table from him.