I hurried down the street, trying to get back to the B&B where I lived and worked before the rain picked up again. The rain was only coming down right now in a light drizzle. It was almost midnight, and most of the humans were home in bed.

The only reason I was out right now was that I'd wanted to check on my little cousin over at the den. Dylan had been staying in the Alpha's manor with everyone else since the big attack earlier this year. He wasn't a cub. In fact, my omega cousin was nineteen. No, he wasn't there because of being too young. He just didn't want to come home to the B&B because he was still dealing with the aftermath of the attack on our den. He felt safe behind the locked gates of the Alpha’s manor.

Dylan wasn't ready to take over and assist in the running of the B&B anyway. He'd been traumatized the day of the attack. His parents had been shot down in front of him as they'd walked out of the temple where they'd gone to light a candle to the goddess in prayer for the safety of our den. Ironic and depressing as it might be, that ill timed visit to the temple was my cousin's last memory of his parents. He'd only survived because my uncle had fallen on top of him, shielding him even in death.

The Alpha probably wouldn't be happy with me sneaking back and forth to town, but I'd needed to know that Dylan was okay after the storm today. The alpha bear in me needed to look out for my cousin. I knew the loud crashes of thunder would trigger bad memories for him. It was unfortunate that I couldn't stay the night with him there because I had work here in town. But the B&B came first. It had to, because it was our future.

My uncles had raised me after my parents died when I was a cub. I'd been like a son to them, and they'd left the B&B to Dylan and me equally. I'd already been learning to manage it when they died. After we'd lost them, I'd merely stepped up to take on the responsibility.

Dylan wasn't as interested in the place. His goal was to find an alpha and make a home. That was fine. I was more than happy to just pay him a share of the profits after my salary was first deducted. My uncles had structured it like this in their will. They'd known their son would never run this place. But he would still be cared for financially. It was a fair system.

I just didn't want to lose my freedom. I tried to stay under the radar so that I wasn't drafted into soldier duty. I don't know if our Alpha would push me like that when I had so many responsibilities here in town, but I didn't want to take the risk of finding out.

It wasn't that I didn't want to do my duty as an alpha, I had stepped up many times to help when needed. Jules called me whenever he needed someone on the down low. But first and foremost, I had a responsibility. Both here in town to the B&B and to mine and Dylan's futures.

I was about two blocks from the B&B when headlights came careening around the corner. The old Jeep was sliding on two wheels as it took the corner much faster than was safe. It spun around in a full rotation before it finally came to a sputtering stop. Its front fender was just inches from my kneecap.

With a shocked gasp, I darted out from in front of the car. The rain was barely drizzling again, but it was the cold wind that had my teeth chattering. The door flew open, pouring the sweet smell of vanilla tinged with a musky, woodsy note. Mm. Balsam wood. Like the fragrant trees that grew a little to the north of us, I recognized that scent on almost a cellular level. Wait.

I jerked my head up with shock as I took in the gorgeous specimen that was stepping out of the open door on the driver's side of the Jeep. He had huge muscles for an omega and broad shoulders, which seemed completely out of place on his tall, lanky frame. His dark hair was cropped close to his head and combed neatly.

Curious brown eyes peered at me through the thick black glasses that rested on his long, regal nose. He had surprisingly wide, lush lips with a pretty red tint that was visible under the streetlamp. His jaw was cleanly shaved, with a crisp jawline that begged to be touched. I cataloged all of this in a sweeping glance, including the fact that he was a wolf. And an omega wolf at that. Most importantly, he was my omega wolf.

Damn. I knew scenting him meant that he was my fated-mate, but I really wasn't ready to unpack that little bag of knowledge just yet. First I wanted to figure out what was happening. My brain was overpowering my bear's need to yell at him right now for being so reckless. My eyes moved down to his chiseled chest, and I snorted as my brain came to screeching halt.

"Seriously?" I said with scornful grin as I read his t-shirt out loud. "Tony Stark's a Bossy Bottom."

He grinned at me with an adorable smile. "What? Come on, you can't possibly think that Ironman isn't a power bottom! Trust me. Captain America is back at home getting directed on how to plow by that little rich boy butt after every mission."

I rolled my eyes. "Please. Did you see the last Avengers movie? The way he was with Spider-Man? No. Tony Stark is Peter Parker's big iron Daddy."

He looked at me approvingly then. I preened a bit under his intense scrutiny. He stepped away from his vehicle, those thick glasses now spattered with raindrops. Holding out a hand, he smiled confidently.

"Agree to disagree? Or, maybe we can compromise on Ironman being vers? At any rate, I'm Frankie, and you're delicious. I mean, you smell delicious. Wait. That still sound creepy as fuck, right? Sorry, this has never happened to me before. Well," he stopped and chuckled. "Of course this hasn't happened to me before or we would have met already."

I grinned and took his hand. A jolt of awareness shot between us, like a physical spark, when our hands met. "I'm Liam, and you smell pretty good yourself."

We stood there, hand in hand, staring at each other for a few moments. Frankie pulled his hand away with a start. "Oh! Shit! I just realized, I could have killed you! Are you okay? I was already freaking out when I couldn't get control of the car. Then I saw you standing there, and just about shit myself."

I shrugged, already feeling the loss of his hand holding mine. "I'm fine. You stopped just short of me. My concern is if you are okay."

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm so sorry if I scared you, though. I wasn't even speeding! At least, I wouldn't be if it were a dry road with no curve. The curve surprised me, and I think I hit a patch of grease because I lost control there at the end."

I nodded seriously. "We were both lucky. Where are you headed? We don't get many strange shifters around here. Are you staying at the B&B here in Mills Creek? That's where I work and live. I'm part owner and manager there."

His eyes lit up. "Then you're local? You don't live in the den?"

I shook my head. "No, I moved to town here as cub when my parents died. My uncle owned the B&B where I live. We cater to shifters, giving them a safe place to stay. I'm the manager there now, which is why I'm rushing back in this weather instead of having stayed at the den tonight after I visited my cousin. Hopefully I'll get him to move into town with me soon so that I quit these back and forth visits."

He picked up on a single word. "Owned? Past tense? Where is your uncle now?"

Sadly, I bit my lip and shook my head before answering. "My uncle and his mate were killed during the attack on our den earlier this year. Have you heard of that attack? I imagine that our troubles are probably all over the shifter world right by now."

He looked like he was weighing something in his head, then seemed to settle on an answer as he nodded tensely. He looked around to make sure that we had no spies before leaning in and speaking a little softer.

"Yes. I am actually on my way to my buddy Jules' house right now. I'm here to help him and your den Alpha. Do you know him?"

I nodded with a smile. "Know him? I've had many enjoyable evenings with him and his mates. In fact, his mate Colin and I were neighbors when I lived in the den."

"Good, then maybe you won't mind showing me how to get there? My GPS isn't working as well it should. This is a new development and I don't have the update on my device. I'd use my phone, but your town still has no service apparently."

I nodded. "Yeah, when you live this far north, it can take a few for people to reach for repairs after things like this happen. Fortunately, we haven't had a storm like this in about fifteen years or so." I squinted and did the math. "Yeah, I was sixteen that year. Which means that it's been exactly fifteen years."

Frankie grinned. "So that makes you thirty-one. Just four years older than me. Not that it really matters too much. Come on," he pointed to the car. "Let's get into the warm, dry car and head to Jules' house."

I nodded and walked around to the passenger side while Frankie got back behind the wheel. Once I was in the car, I looked over at him with a smirk. "Is your seat wet after you left your door hanging open like that? I'm sorry, I should have pointed it out to you, but I didn't think about it either."

Frankie shrugged. "Honestly? I don't even know. My ass is wet from standing out there anyway. Hey, are you in a rush to get back to your B&B? If you want to hang out with me for a few, I'll be happy to drive you home later."

I sucked in a breath. I'd almost forgotten my duties for a minute, I was so excited to be meeting my mate. "Yeah, I can do that. Honestly? I have a good staff anyway. I'm just too controlling to trust them to do anything as well as I would do it. Although, I would ask that you never quote me on having said that."

I chuckled with a little bit of embarrassment, knowing full well that I had a fully well-trained staff who truly could run things without me. I just hated to give over control to anyone.

Frankie flashed me a smirk. "I know exactly what you're saying. I'm a bit of a control freak myself. I don't let anyone touch my computers, I should probably warn you now. Although, who knows? Maybe it will be different with you. I do know that I already feel like I can trust you better than anyone else in the world. Which is weird, considering that we just met each other."

"Is that a big deal? That you trust me?" I asked curiously. There weren't many people that I trusted either. I had always trusted myself to get things done. There was nothing that I could think of that I'd entrust in another person's hands. I was a firm believer in doing the work you needed to do to achieve your goals.

Frankie nodded thoughtfully. "It really is a big deal that I trust you. I was in the military for four years, in the intelligence department. Now I work as an independent contractor specializing in cyber-security and intelligence gathering."

I looked over at him with amusement. "Take the next right. And then you can tell me what that cockamamie fucking job description you just spouted out really means."

With a grin spreading across his face, Frankie replied with a blush: "Layman's terms? I guess you'd probably consider me to be a hacker."

Shaking my head with an amazed grin, I wasn't sure whether to be impressed as hell or terrified as fuck. "Frankie. Isn't that dangerous if you get caught? And what does this have to do with you helping Jules and Alpha Mikael?"

"I don't do anything illegal. Well, nothing too illegal anyway. If the suspects that I help track found me, or even knew to look for me, I'm sure it wouldn't be good for me. But I live and work in the shadows. Nobody knows more than my first name. I live completely off the grid. In fact, I rarely stay in one place longer than it takes to do a single job."

He turned left when I pointed at the upcoming road. "Look behind you, alpha. I have all of my shit loaded in this vehicle. When I hit the road, I leave ready to stay gone. My parents passed while I away serving my country. I've had no ties, no reason to stay in any of the little places I've stayed over the past few years."

"That makes my bear sad, Frankie. Don't you wolves need to have your pack? Living like a lone wolf can't be good at all for your wolf. Especially with you being an omega. No offense, I'm not trying to be an alphahole. I'm just worried about you."

He shrugged. "I've been alone for most of my life. My parents never knew what to do with an omega that looked like an alpha. They loved me, but I never fit in with the rest of the pups growing up. The omegas thought I was too weird to be one of them, and the alphas were threatened by my size."

I pointed to a right hand turn and asked: "Is that why you're good with computers? Because you spent your childhood alone with them?"

He nodded. "My childhood was spent primarily with comic books and computers. But don't feel sorry for me, I make a lot of money doing what I do."

"I can only imagine. I still don't like the idea of you being in danger. But at least you'll have me now to watch your back. That is, if you'll consider having me."

Frankie chuckled wryly "I'm not sure that refusing you is not an option. My wolf is pretty happy right now that we found you." He sobered then, glancing over at me as he drove carefully down the quiet country road. "You know, we're going to have a lot to talk about if we're going to think about accepting each other as mates."

I nodded. I already didn't like his job, but I also wouldn't keep him from it. I wasn't that kind of alpha. "You never said why you're here. I'm pretty sure I'm going to hate it, so we might as well start there."

With a shy smile, Frankie nodded. I pointed out Jules' house coming up on the right. He carefully pulled into the wide, circular driveway. "I'm here because I have a way for them to end this war."

He parked the car while I looked at him curiously. Looking at me steadily, Frankie took a deep breath and said: "I can lead them to Yvonne. You are one of only five people who know this, so understand that I'm telling you this with complete confidentiality. And other than Jules, only Peter and Alpha Mikael know of my involvement. And now you, so welcome to the inner circle."