~Editor's Pick~
She ran from an arranged mate.
Now she's pretending to belong to another.
Desperate to escape the pack determined to claim her, Wren blurts out the biggest lie of her life… she already has a mate.
The problem???
The gruff wolf she chooses has never seen her before.
Boone agrees to the deception to keep her safe, but the longer they pretend, the harder it becomes to ignore the undeniable pull between them. As enemies close in and secrets unravel, their fake relationship may be the only thing standing between Wren and the life she escaped.
Sometimes the greatest lie leads to the truest love.
Dax stops and so does everyone else. Wren goes perfectly still beside me but my wolf lunges against my ribs, teeth bared, snarling mine in a voice that’s older than language.
Mine.
The word slams through me, a brand searing itself into bone. I nearly flinch from the force of it.
No.
Not mine.
Not anything.
I don’t know this female. I don’t know why she’s running from Ashstone, why she smells like bitter herbs, or why she’s decided I’m the best shield when an Alpha is standing ten feet away. All I know is Dax moved toward her, and every instinct I have howled to protect, violent and absolute, a promise carved into blood and bone that I never chose. And it’s damn inconvenient.
“Boone,” Caine says again.
This time there’s warning in it. I pull air through my nose, slow and controlled.
“I heard you,” I tell him.
“Did you?” Peyton asks softly.
I don’t look at my Luna. She sees too much.
Wren clears her throat. “Obviously, darling is protective.”
“If you call me darling again,” I mutter, “I swear to god, we’re going to have a fucking problem.”
Her smile flashes too bright, panic flickering beneath the surface. “Of course, sweetheart.”
My wolf makes an almost interested sound. Traitor.
Dax’s mouth twists. “This is absurd.”
“That’s one word for it,” I say. “Fucking circus is another.”
Wren elbows me. It’s not subtle and definitely not effective. She might as well elbow a boulder, my arm doesn’t even move an inch.
“Stop helping,” she whispers.
“I haven’t started.”
“Maybe don’t.”
Caine steps between the Ashstone wolves and us, reclaiming control without raising his voice. “Dax Mercer, you and your wolves will leave my territory until I call for a formal meeting.”
Dax’s stare flicks from Caine to Wren to me. “You expect Ashstone to accept this?”
“I expect Ashstone to respect Katu borders.”
“My Alpha has a signed agreement.”
“And I have a female requesting sanctuary,” Caine says. “Until I review the contract and speak with your Alpha directly, Wren stays here.”
Dax smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “With her mate?”
Wren’s palm turns clammy in mine, sweat slicking our skin. She holds on anyway. She stares straight ahead, jaw locked, eyes burning with unshed tears and something fierce and unbreakable. Brave the way a cornered wolf is … nothing left to lose. Brave as a cornered wolf.
Ridiculous fucking female.
I should step away. I should tell the truth. I should say she lied, that I’ve never seen her before in my life, that whatever desperate game she’s playing has nothing to do with me. Instead, I thread my fingers through hers, slow and deliberate, staking a claim I don’t even want to name. A claim I don’t understand.
Her breath catches and so does mine. Her hand fits too well, like a key sliding into a lock I never wanted anyone to find. That is the most irritating fucking thing that has happened all fucking morning.
“Yes,” I say. The word is quiet, but the entire clearing hears it anyway.
Wren turns her head, staring up at me with wide eyes, but I refuse to look at her.
Dax’s expression goes flat. “A mating can be verified.”
“Then verify it formally,” Caine says. “Not at my gate. Not without counsel. Not while making threats in front of witnesses.”
Dax’s nostrils flare. He’s angry. Not angry enough to challenge Caine, but enough to show the truth under the polish. He doesn’t want Wren because he loves her. He wants her because she ran. Males like that can’t stand being escaped.
“We will return,” Dax says.
“I know,” Caine replies.
Dax looks at Wren. “Think carefully. Your mother remains in Ashstone.”
Wren’s fingers turn ice-cold. The clearing changes—air crackling, wolves bristling, every heartbeat tuned to violence. Every Katu wolf catches the threat. Growls rise from the wolves behind Caine, from the trees, from me. Even Peyton’s face goes hard.
My vision narrows on Dax. “You threaten her family again,” I say, “and the next thing you taste will be the dirt.”
Wren inhales sharply, the sound slicing the hush. Her fingers clench, white-knuckled.
Dax looks pleased for half a second, like my reaction proves something. Then he seems to think better of it. He gives Caine a shallow nod and turns, and his enforcers follow him back to their vehicle.
