Alpha Temptation: Sanmere Shifters Romance Collection

by Lola Gabriel

  “Thank you for the drink, Logan,” she said, standing up. “I’ll maybe see you around.”

  “Raina, wait,” Logan said. She paused. He gave her his most charming smile, and she felt herself melt inside. “New York has a lot to offer, and if you’re not doing anything tomorrow, I’d love to show you some of the sights,” he said.

  “I’m perfectly capable of seeing the sights myself,” Raina said, trying not to sound rude.

  Logan laughed. “Oh, Raina, I don’t doubt it. But why would you want to when you can do it with me?”

  Raina felt her heart skip a beat at his words. It wasn’t just what he said, it was the way he made a point of looking her up and down as he did. It was clear he meant he wanted her to do a lot more than just see the sights with him.

  Her logic urged her to say no.

  She thought about it for a moment. It really would be nice to see some of the sights, and Logan had mentioned that he knew his way around the city. Maybe he would end up taking her to a few places her kind flocked to, and she might be able to learn something useful.

  “Okay. Sure, why not?” Raina heard herself saying. She could do this. She wouldn’t let him distract her. She just wanted to find her bearings while she waited for the information to come back from Keeley.

  “Great.” Logan grinned. “Meet me in the lobby at eleven.”

  Raina nodded and excused herself. She practically ran from the bar, aware that she wanted to look back and have a last glance at Logan. She resisted the urge. She didn’t want to lead him on, and besides, he had to have a mate. She wasn’t going to be anyone’s bit on the side. She had far too much self-respect for that.

  She made her way back to her room and fired up her laptop again. She saw a reply from Keeley, and she quickly clicked it open. Her heart sank when she saw the message.

  “Good luck with that. No one seems able to pinpoint Chester’s location. I’ve never even spoken to anyone who knows his second name or what he looks like. He’s like a ghost, Raina.”

  Great. Just great. She had even more work to do than she had originally thought, but she was far from giving up. She couldn’t just throw away what she had decided was her life’s mission because of one little set back. She picked up her cell phone, ready to send Logan a message and cancel their day out. She threw it back down and sighed in frustration when she realized she didn’t even have his number. In fact, she knew about as much about Logan as she did about Chester: his first name.

  That was not entirely true. She also knew what Logan looked like. And she knew he was going to be trouble. She couldn’t help but picture his sculpted chest, his sparkling eyes, his perfect skin that she wanted to rub her hands across. She forced herself to stop thinking about Logan for a moment and focus on the mission. She was left with no real choice other than to hope Logan took her some place where she would be able to return later and gather some intel.

  She nodded to herself as she made her decision. She would go out with Logan tomorrow. And it would be a one-time thing. At the end of the day, she would thank him politely and make it clear they wouldn’t be seeing each other again. And the search would start the day after tomorrow.

  4

  It had fast become clear to Logan after meeting Raina that morning that the chemistry between them wasn’t imagined. After she had made such a quick getaway last night, Logan had begun to question whether she was actually in a rush to get away from him, and if the attraction he felt towards her was one-sided.

  He'd decided to do the honorable thing and be there, and if Raina didn’t show, she didn’t show. At least that way, he wouldn’t be left wondering if he’d stood her up. She had showed, wearing a long, light blue dress that matched her eyes perfectly.

  They walked along the street slowly, taking in the sights. Or at least, Raina took in the sights, her face glowing with excitement as she clapped her hands and exclaimed at some of the store fronts they passed, while Logan took in the sight of her. He found himself drawn to her more and more, and he couldn’t keep his eyes off her.

  “Where are we going first, then?” Raina asked, turning to Logan and catching him watching her. She smiled, and her cheeks flushed a little. Logan felt his inner beast growl with lust. He reminded himself that Raina clearly had a mate somewhere and that he himself was promised to Brianna. He could find a way around that, though. Chester had said himself he had other people interested.

  “Are you hungry? We could have a spot of lunch if you are. Or if not, we could walk through Times Square and take in some of the street performances.”

  “Oh, let’s do that!” Raina said excitedly. “We can eat anytime.”

  Logan smiled at her, and she flashed him a quick smile in return and then looked away quickly. Logan knew he wasn’t imagining that Raina liked him, too, but it was clear to him that she was holding herself back from him for some reason. She had to have a mate. But he had to know for sure.

  “So, Raina. What would your mate think about you being with me?” he asked.

  “Well, I think if he existed, he’d be pretty pissed. But he’d try to hide it, because he would trust me,” she said.

  Logan felt his heart skip a beat. So she wasn’t mated. But then why was she holding back? Was she a recent widow? “I find it hard to believe a female bear isn’t mated. Or at least promised to someone. Unless you’re younger than I first thought?”

  “I’m two hundred and fifty,” Raina grinned, ignoring the rest of the question.

  “Well, shit. You look good for that. Not a day over two hundred,” Logan said.

  Raina laughed and playfully slapped his arm. “Watch it. I’m dangerous, you know.”

  “Oh, I can see that,” Logan laughed.

  “So what about you? Do you have a mate?” Raina asked.

  Logan wasn’t quite ready to tell her about the arrangement he had with Chester. If there was any chance of them being together, he didn’t want to scare her away by making her think he was taken.

  “Nope. I’m happily living the bachelor life,” Logan said.

  “But you said you’re the alpha of your district. So you must be, what? A couple of hundred years, at least. What does your pack think of your bachelor lifestyle?” Raina asked.

  “I’m five hundred and seven,” Logan told her. “And the pack can think what they like. Enough about me, though. Tell me about you, Raina. Seriously, how are you not mated?”

  “It’s a long story,” Raina said.

  “We have a long time.” Logan smiled.

  “Okay, you asked for it. But we need cocktails if we’re going to go there,” she said, nodding to a cocktail bar they were passing.

  “Sounds good to me,” Logan said. He pointed to a little table beneath a yellow umbrella. “Why don’t you grab us a table, and I’ll get us some drinks. What do you fancy?”

  “I don’t know. Surprise me.”

  Logan walked into the cool bar. He finally let himself relax and smile. Raina really wasn’t mated. And she was starting to warm to him a little. She was ready to tell him about her past. That had to mean something. Maybe she was just a little shy.

  He took a quick look at the cocktail menu, not wanting to keep her waiting. He chose two Summer Sunsets and ended up with a layered drink of orange, yellow, and red. He went out to the table, where Raina laughed when she saw the drinks. She took a tentative sip of hers and nodded.

  “It’s good.” Logan tried his and nodded. It was sweet, but not too sweet, and it had a nice kick to it.

  “Okay, then, let’s hear your long story,” he prompted her.

  “When I was barely into my twenties, my dad made a mistake that cost him his status in the pack. He told me to leave and not let his mistake affect me. I traveled around Europe, Africa, and finally, Asia. I stayed away from places where immortals hung out, and I never told anyone my identity. Not my true one, anyway. I had a couple of flings, but nothing special. I wanted to wait until I met my soul mate to commit.

  “Then a couple o
f months ago, out of the blue, my dad called me and asked me to go home. If I was willing to mate with the future alpha, the current alpha would pardon him. I had no choice, really, did I?”

  “You ran?” Logan asked, enthralled by Raina’s words.

  She smiled and shook her head. “No. My mom died when I was young, and my dad raised me alone. I owed him a shot at getting his life back. So I returned. It turned out the future alpha was no happier about the arrangement than I was. He had already found his soul mate, but his parents wouldn’t accept her because she was mortal, and they were afraid she would produce a female heir. Long story short, I helped him convince them otherwise, and we were both off the hook.”

  “Wow. I can see why you chose to travel. That must be pretty awkward now.”

  “Actually, it’s the opposite of awkward. Noah is the alpha of the pack now, and he and his mate are two of my best friends.”

  “So, you’re still waiting for your soul mate?” Logan probed, not even trying to get his head around the weird dynamic between Raina and the pack’s alpha.

  Raina shook her head and gave him a sad smile. “No. I’ve given up on the fairy tale ending for me.”

  “Never give up on love, Raina,” Logan said. He looked deep into her eyes, feeling his heart beating faster as Raina held his gaze. She caught herself and cleared her throat, looking away quickly. She picked her drink up and downed it.

  “Want another?” She grinned, getting up.

  “Sure,” he answered. “But it’s on me.” He was halfway out of his chair when Raina waved him away.

  “I think I can stretch to a thank you drink, seeing as you’ve taken time out of work to show me the sights,” she said.

  Logan shook his head in bewilderment as Raina walked away. So she wasn’t mated, she had no dark past, but she’d given up on love. Well, he’d have to see about changing her mind about that.

  He watched the street while he waited for her to return, looking at the crowd of tourists milling around, the locals hurrying through them trying to go about their day, and when Raina did return, he laughed out loud. She was carrying two drinks, each with a lit sparkler fizzing in them, at arm’s length, keeping the sparks as far away from her as possible. Logan got to his feet and took the drinks from her, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Note to self. When it’s my round, get beer.”

  Logan laughed and discarded the now spent sparklers. He took a sip of the drink. It tasted of pineapple and coconut, and he made an appreciative noise.

  “At least it tastes good,” he said with a smile.

  Raina tried hers and nodded her head. “Yeah, it does. Hey, you told me not to give up on love, yet you’re half a century old, and you’re not even trying to find a mate. Have you given up on love?”

  “Kind of. Look, I lied earlier when I said my pack’s opinion doesn’t matter to me. They’re getting pretty restless about the whole no heir thing. So I guess it’s time for me to give up on love and find a mate, too.”

  “And you’re here to try and do that?” Raina said. Logan nodded, shocked that she’d worked it out so fast. “So, you lied to me twice. You said this was a business trip.” “Well, I didn’t want you getting the wrong idea,” Logan said. “But I’m actually here to collect a girl from a Matchmaker.”

  Raina’s eyes went wide, and her mouth dropped open.

  “Are you serious?” she demanded.

  “Yes,” Logan admitted. “But I can always call the deal off. You know, if fate intervenes and shows me who my true mate should be.”

  5

  Raina felt her whole body tense up as Logan casually announced that he was here to buy a mate from a Matchmaker. Her first instinct was to throw the remaining half of her cocktail in his face and tell him exactly what she thought of him, but she was so stunned by his admission that, for a moment, she could barely react beyond a stuttered, “Are you serious?”

  When Logan then equally casually said he could call the deal off if his real soul mate was revealed, she felt her anger rise up another notch. She wasn’t sure at that point which was worse: that Logan thought it was okay to pay someone to abduct a woman and then force her to become a bear shifter and be his mate, or that he was just as happy to throw her away like trash if a better offer came along.

  She thought now, though, that she at least knew why her instincts were telling her to spend time with Logan. She could use him for information. Maybe her instincts for this kind of work where better than she’d first thought.

  It took a lot of effort on Raina’s part to stop herself from reacting like she wanted to, but she managed to smile at Logan in a way she hoped was friendly. She had to play this just right. She had to quiz him about the deal and about how he had been able to locate a Matchmaker in the first place, but she also had to play it like she was interested in more than just the deal he had made. Otherwise, he was going to get sick of her questioning him and move on.

  “Raina? Are you okay?” Logan asked. He sounded genuinely concerned, and Raina felt her stomach clench. How could he come across as so sincere and be someone who could openly use a Matchmaker’s services? He didn’t even seem embarrassed about it.

  “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine,” Raina said, forcing herself to calm down and act normal. “I guess I’m just surprised that someone like you has to resort to finding a mate that way.”

  “Someone like me?” Logan raised a questioning eyebrow.

  “Well, yeah. I mean, you’re the alpha of your pack, and being with an alpha has a certain appeal, right? Besides, you’re not exactly ugly, are you?” she said.

  “I’ll take that as a compliment,” Logan said. “Are you ready to move on and head to Times Square?”

  Raina glanced down at her glass and saw that it was empty. She nodded her head, and they got up and began walking again.

  “So how do you even go about making an arrangement like that with a Matchmaker, then?” she asked as they walked.

  “A friend of mine used Chester’s services. He put me in touch with him,” Logan replied.

  Raina felt her pulse quicken at the mention of Chester’s name. She was on the right track here. “And then what? Is it like a website where you choose from a list or something?”

  “No, nothing like that. Chester asked me a couple of questions about what I was looking for in a mate, and then when he found the right candidate, he sent me some pictures and a video. Then it’s just a matter of paying the deposit. The rest is paid when the girl is brought to me. God, I’m making this sound really awful, aren’t I?”

  How could it sound anything but awful? Raina shook her head and smiled.

  “Not at all. I find it fascinating, and I guess it’s the only way for a lot of immortals to be able to have children. So, when will you get your delivery?”

  “My delivery?” Logan laughed. “Now who’s making this sound awful? Chester has a few things to take care of on his end, and when it’s all sorted, he’ll contact me and arrange to drop Brianna off.”

  “As simple as that, huh?” Raina mused.

  “Well, sure. It’s a simple enough process, isn’t it?” Logan asked with a frown.

  Raina knew she was starting to sound judgmental, and she forced herself to laugh. “Yeah, I guess it is. I don’t really know a lot about it. I always imagined it would be more complicated than that.”

  “No, it really isn’t. The hard part seems to be finding a reliable Matchmaker if you don’t know anyone who has used one before,” Logan said.

  “I always figured they’d have a website or something,” Raina said, faking innocence.

  “Honestly? So did I,” he said. “I must confess, before I decided to do this, I didn’t know much about it all myself.”

  “So, after a bit research, how the hell did you come to the conclusion that this is an acceptable way to find a mate?” Raina snapped. She cursed herself inside when Logan looked at her, clearly taken aback by her suddenly acidic tone.

  “I don’t really have
any other choice, Raina. Or, at least, I didn’t think I had. My pack is on the verge of revolting if I don’t find a mate soon. And I guess I gave up on the idea of meeting a female bear who was unmated.”

  “Right,” Raina said, forcing herself to laugh to bit to make up for her snapping earlier. “I guess desperate times call for drastic measures and all that.”

  “Exactly.” Logan grinned. “But like I said earlier, this isn’t set in stone. I can always call Chester and tell him I’ve changed my mind. I mean, I’d probably lose my deposit, but it’s only money, right?”

  “Right,” Raina agreed quietly. Her mind was spinning again as she tried to make sense of this. She had genuinely thought Logan was a nice guy. He was funny, charming, and he definitely had a magnetism about him that she couldn’t ignore. But then he had dropped a huge bombshell, one that changed the way she saw him completely. He just didn’t seem to think that Matchmaking was wrong, or even morally in the grey area. His only concern with his confession seemed to be letting Raina know it wasn’t set in stone.

  That made it all even harder to bear. It was now obvious to Raina that Logan was taking an interest in her. He had even hinted that he believed fate had put her in his path because she was his rightful mate. Before he had told her about his dealings with Chester, she would have found that hard to resist. But now she had to accept the truth: Logan wasn’t a nice guy, and her instincts were firing to tell her he could be useful to her, not that he could be her mate.

  “I’m sorry, Raina. I’ve ruined this, haven’t I? I shouldn’t have told you,” Logan said, interrupting Raina’s thoughts. “I just wanted to be honest with you, that’s all.”

  “What? No,” Raina said. “I like that you’ve been honest about everything. It’s just a lot to take in.”

  “Okay.” Logan clapped his hands together. “New plan. No more talk of Matchmakers or mates. Let’s just have some fun.”