“Zac, did you hear what I said?”

His father’s voice jolted him out of his daze. “Huh? I mean, what were you saying?”

Cady sent her son an amused smile as she turned her head back to him where he sat in the back seat of his father’s Mercedes. After the excitement at the club, they had to come back to The Enclave to meet with the Alpha. “I hope you don’t think this is something we have to do on a regular basis,” she said. “I assure you, these days it’s rare we even have to call the police chief when an incident like this occurs.”

“Oh, so she doesn’t cause trouble like this all the time?” he asked.

“Her?” Nick’s brows furrowed. “Oh, you mean Astrid. No, she’s not a troublemaker or anything. But I’ve heard stories.”

“You know Meredith works closely with your father,” Cady said. “And she’s always talking about Astrid.”

“More like complaining,” Nick said. “She’s not a bad kid, but she’s obviously not focused or talented like her brothers.”

“Nick,” Cady admonished. “I’m sure Astrid has her other strengths. Not everyone can be like Cross Jonasson.”

Ah, yes. Cross Jonasson. Zac knew all about the powerful hybrid—that is, half warlock, half wolf shifter—from Lycan and magical gossip. His own cousins from San Francisco were hybrids as well, and Cady was descended from a powerful line of female witches though she was fully human. But apparently, Cross was especially gifted, though he preferred to keep his talents a mystery.

They’d met several times over the years of course, but they didn’t run in the same circles. Most Lycans lived in The Enclave, the clan’s compound on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, but the Jonassons, along with the rest of their family, lived downtown. With his father, Daric, being a powerful warlock himself, they didn’t need The Enclave’s magical protection.

Zac wondered, however, if there were other reasons why his parents and the Jonassons never hung out socially nor did their children. Because if they did, he was pretty sure he would have noticed how beautiful Astrid Jonasson had grown up to be.

He had been initially perturbed that his father and mother’s work brought them to a strip club downtown. It wasn’t a seedy place, but it was obvious what was going on in there. And when they got to the scene, he saw that man approaching his mother and his instincts went into overdrive. The man didn’t get to Cady, but instead went after the woman she was talking to.

Save her, something urged him. And so he grabbed the man and tossed him to the wall, barely containing his Lycan strength. His wolf gave a primal howl inside him, something he had never experienced before.

Then he looked into the depths of those whiskey-colored eyes and got lost. Who was this woman? The face was familiar and it all clicked into place. His mother and father were talking about her on the way here, after all.

His reaction to first seeing her still shook him to his very core. He racked his brain, trying to remember the child she had been. He recalled seeing her running around as a toddler at someone’s—maybe his cousin’s—birthday. As an awkward teen at Adrianna and Lucas’ graduation. And maybe some Fenrir company picnics. But for the life of him, he didn’t know why he hadn’t seen her lately.

And here she was, dressed in that ridiculous red robe. The silk material clung to every luscious curve and the front gaped open to show him a generous hint of her breasts. With her golden hair tumbling down her shoulders she looked like some kind of siren, tempting him to come closer and …

He shook his head. He wasn’t a stranger to beautiful women, but Astrid seemed to have stunned him. Dumbfounded, he offered her his hand and the moment they touched, his skin lit up with electricity. As if it wasn’t bad enough, when she stumbled against him, he felt her body press against his and he went instantly hard.

But it was her scent that drove him wild. Sweet, like the summer flowers that grew in his great-grandfather’s Hudson Valley mansion. It sent his wolf on a frenzy, reveling in that scrumptious scent.

What was she doing here? Dressed like that, a dreaded feeling came over him. He wanted to tear something apart, knowing that other men had looked at her, probably wearing much less than she did at the moment. He felt this strange urge of possessiveness over a girl he hardly knew and could barely remember. It was a good thing Meredith arrived and his father had called him away, because God knows what he could have done.

“Zac?” Cady’s voice shook him out of his reverie. “Are you all right, son?”

“Yeah.”

“Then kindly stop destroying the upholstery? Your father just had them redone last week.”

Zac looked down at his fingers, which had dug holes into the plush leather seat of the Mercedes. “Sorry, Dad.” He gave his father a sheepish look through the rearview mirror. “Have them fix it, I’ll pay you.”

Nick harrumphed. “It’s fine. We’re here.”

Zac looked around and realized they had arrived in one of The Enclave’s private garages. He got out of the car and opened the door for his mother, and soon they were in the elevator and headed back into the Anderson’s apartment.

Unlike when they had left, the Alpha’s apartment wasn’t filled with people, and only the half-empty glasses and hors d’oeuvres platters scattered about were evidence that there had been a party at all. Most people were gone, except for the hosts, plus Adrianna and Lucas, who were seated on the couch with their mother. Grant Anderson stood in the middle of the room, a stern look on his face.

It seemed that the Jonassons had beaten them to the apartment, as Astrid was seated in front of the Alpha, Meredith behind her, an equally severe look on her face. Off to the side, silent as a stone, was Astrid’s father—the powerful warlock, Daric. He leaned casually against the fireplace, his hands folded over his chest. When he turned to look at Zac and those eerie blue-green eyes landed on him, a strange sensation washed over him. He shook it off and followed his father and mother into the room.

“Now that we’re all here,” Grant began. “Anyone care to tell me what happened?”

“I received a call from the Lycan Security Officer in charge,” Nick said. “Miss Jonasson called our hotline and explained that there had been an incident where she had accidentally exposed herself in wolf form to humans.”

“And why would you do that, Miss Jonasson?” Grant said. “You know our laws.”

“Of course I do,” she said impatiently. “But it wasn’t my fault.”

“And whose fault was it?” Nick asked. “Why would you need to shift in such a place?”

“What place?”

“A strip club,” Nick added.

“Gentleman’s club,” Astrid corrected. “And if you just let me talk, I’ll clear everything up.”

“All right, then,” Grant leaned down to look her in the eyes. “Talk.”

“Well, you see, I was working—”

“Oh my God, do we have to talk about how my daughter works as a stripper—”

“Exotic dancer, Mom,” Astrid interjected. “And for the last time. I. Am. Not. A. Dancer.”

“Then what are you?” Zac suddenly said. All eyes turned to him, and he suddenly felt exposed for some reason.

“If you must know,” she began. “I’m a bodyguard.”

“Bodyguard?” Frankie asked. “Bodyguard for whom?”

“The dancers, of course.” She took a deep breath. “Look, I got my part-time job at the library, but that’s not exactly enough to pay my bills. So, I took on this extra job on weekend nights. Mr G.—that’s the owner of The Vixen Den—hired me to look out for the girls. Not on the floor or anything, that’s where he’s got the bouncers, but sometimes some of these slimeballs try to sneak into the dressing room and cause trouble for the girls. And at the end of the night, I walk the girls to their cars, Ubers, or the subway. I just put on my hoodie, and since I’m taller than most of them, I look like a guy.”

“Okay, so we’ve established your employment,” Grant said. “Tell us what happened tonight.”

Astrid’s demeanor changed. Zac could see how her body tensed and lips tightened into a thin line. “One of the girls, Petal, she had an old boyfriend sniffing around. She’s been extra worried about him showing up at home or at work. She came in for her shift tonight, but I was late and I didn’t see her. Then …” She swallowed and her voice shook as she continued her story. “I found her outside. Those three men beat her up good and … they said they were going to do things to her.” Meredith’s hand clamped down on her daughter’s shoulders. “They came at me, and I defended myself. I knocked out one guy, and then used a confusion potion on the other.” She glanced at her father and gave him an apologetic grimace. “But Leon—that’s Petal’s boyfriend—he pulled a gun on me.”

“A gun?” Grant asked. “What happened?”

“I poofed out.” She made exploding motions with her hands. “And then I ended up behind him and—”

“Hold on.” Grant scratched his temple. “What do you mean, poofed out?”

“You know … I poofed.” She repeated the motions, spreading her fingers wide.

“Explain?”

She let out an exasperated breath. “Like this.”

A soft pop filled the air and much to Zac’s surprise, the only real way to describe the sound was indeed, poof. A moment later, she reappeared behind Grant. “And this.”

Grant let out a growl and quickly spun around. Nick moved toward the Alpha, and so did Lucas. Zac knew why; the Alpha’s wolf was taken aback by Astrid’s sudden appearance that it sprang close enough to the surface for all of them to feel it. The ripple of power in the air was apparent, and Zac realized he had just witnessed the Alpha’s power.

“I’m fine,” Grant said, waving his son and Beta away. His eyes returned to normal, losing that glow all Lycans got when their wolves were making their presence known. “But, Miss Jonasson, please don’t do that again.”

“What the hell was that?” Lucas exclaimed. “Are you like Daric? You can transport across spaces too?”

“Only short distances,” Astrid said. “The most I could do is maybe, six feet away? Right, Dad?”

The warlock nodded. “We experimented and that is about her maximum for now.”

“Maximum?” Grant echoed.

“When she was about five, she started poofing through doors,” Meredith said. “Scared the shit out of me when I was leaving the house and she just appeared by my feet.”

“We bound her powers after that,” Daric continued. “As we did all the hybrids, until they were old enough to start learning how to use their abilities. You all remember the accident Cross caused when he was just an infant.”

“When I was about twelve, just before my first shift, Dad removed the binding spell,” Astrid said. “He taught me how to use my powers. It works a little differently than his. I don’t have to learn about anatomy or biology unlike him; I just seem to know how to transport my body. But I can’t transport anyone with me like he does or move other things from one place to another.”

“And did you use your powers to fight those men?” Adrianna asked.

“Er, not quite.” She chewed her lip. “Uncle Connor taught me how to fight. I mean, he did for us all. My cousins and his kids, I mean. He insisted, especially us girls.”

Frankie let out a whistle. “Wow. So, you can fight and poof from one place to another.”

“You almost sound like a superhero,” Cady said.

She shrugged. “It’s not that special. I’m not even that high on the magical scale like Dad, or Cross, or even Gunnar.”

“But she can kick ass,” Meredith said proudly.

“Hmmm.” Grant thought for a moment. “Well, this still doesn’t erase the fact that you’ve caused us a lot of trouble. Daric had to use the forgetting potion on everyone who worked in the club.”

“I’m sorry.” Astrid placed her hands on her hips. “But I would do it again to help my friend.”

“You could have done so much with your abilities,” Nick said. “And you waste it all on a strip club?”

Astrid’s brows raised all the way to her hairline. “Excuse me? Just because they’re strippers, doesn’t mean they don’t deserve protection and respect!”

“You mean, exotic dancers?” Nick shot back.

“Whatever!” She suddenly slapped a hand over her mouth. “I—I’m sorry. That was disrespectful, Al Doilea.”

“All right, all right.” Grant waved a hand. “Everyone, calm down.” He turned to Astrid, who went back to her original seat. “This still doesn’t change the fact that you exposed our secrets to humans. And that means I have to report it to The Lycan High Council. And you must be punished.”

Astrid opened her mouth to protest, but shut it when Meredith gave her a warning look. “I understand,” she said meekly. “Are you sending me to the Lycan Siberian prison?”

“No.” Grant folded his hands together. “Astrid Jonasson, I sentence you to a year in servitude to the Lycan clan.”

“What?” Meredith and Astrid said at the same time.

“Oh, stop, Meredith,” Grant said with a roll of his eyes. “This isn’t like when you were sentenced to ten years for attempting to steal from us. No, Astrid will not be a prisoner or anything. But, she will train with the security team for a year. She will receive the same benefits and salary as any other trainee and work the same hours. You’re still free to keep your other job or take any other job if you wish, as long as you don’t expose us again.”

“Wait, so you’re giving me a job as punishment?” Astrid asked, astounded.

“Yes. You’ll be working with Nick and your mother.”

She slumped back in her chair. “I think I’ll take my chances in Siberia.”

“Oh, so working with me is a punishment?” Meredith murmured.

“You can’t be serious, Grant,” Nick said. “I don’t have space for her in the team.”

“Then make space,” Grant ordered. “She’ll only be a trainee. And if she chooses to stay, she has that option.”

“Ha!” Astrid exclaimed. “Fat chance.”

“I think it is an excellent idea.” All eyes turned to Daric. “It will give my daughter a chance to learn discipline and maybe give her some direction.”

“My team is not a boarding school, warlock,” Nick bit out. Cady sent him a withering glare.

Daric remained cool and impassive. “I pledged to you, Grant, as did my mate, and my children were born of this clan.” He bowed his head to Grant. “We have enjoyed the protection and privilege of the New York clan and live by Lycan law.”

Astrid looked helplessly at her father, but then her shoulders dropped in defeat when he didn’t say anything. She took a deep breath. “Alpha, I know Lycan law is final, and I accept the punishment.”

“Excellent. Now, Nick will work out the details and I guess, I’ll see you all Monday morning.”

And that was their cue to leave. Everyone stood up and began filing out of the living room.

Even as Zac watched all of this unfold, he was still having a hard time digesting it. Astrid and her powers. And just in general, Astrid herself. She was a puzzle, a conundrum that his analytical mind wanted to solve. “Lucas,” he called as he chased after his friend.

“Some night, huh?” Lucas said. “Are you leaving on Sunday? What time is the jet bringing you back to London?”

“Yeah, about that,” Zac said. “I was thinking about what you said earlier in the evening …”

Lucas’s demeanor changed. “Wait. You mean about taking over as COO for Fenrir Corp.?”

He took a deep breath. “Yeah. I’d like to talk about it more. And the London office runs like clockwork, you know. I can be here and do my job, I’ll just adjust my hours.”

“Really?” Lucas gave him a suspicious look. “And about the other position? For my Beta?”

Zac paused. “I’d like to consider that too. Which is why I want to stay and … learn the ropes, as they say.”

“So, you’re going to work alongside Nick, too?”

“It’s the best way to learn.”

Lucas patted him on the back. “Whatever you want. I know your parents would be thrilled that you’re even thinking about it.”

“I know.” He glanced over at Nick and Cady, who were standing by the elevators. “I guess I’ll tell them the good news.”

As he walked over to his parents, he told himself he knew what he was doing. That staying in New York and possibly taking over for his father as Beta of the New York clan was the only reason he wanted to stay. As whiskey-colored eyes flashed in his mind, he brushed aside other thoughts that were creeping into his mind.

“Mom, Dad,” he began. “I wanted to speak with you about something.”