Robbie stared, heart aching, at the man on the doorstep. He was standing face to face with her fiancé, both men practically snarling, and had said words she’d never expected to come out of his mouth.

Citrine was always—well, usually—calm. Rational. Non-confrontational. A peacemaker. Right now he looked ready to go to war, and for her.

It just confused her, because although there had always been attraction to him when they’d worked together, neither had ever acted on it. They’d flirted, yes, and been good friends, but she’d never thought he felt something deeper.

Sure, maybe he’d starred in a few of her more intense fantasies, but that was a Robbie from another day, another time, another world.

That was a Robbie who wasn’t weighed down by responsibilities to protect the pack and her family, to do right by those who counted on her.

They had given her some time in the world to experience life in a big city, to have freedom, and then when she’d seen Bryson and members of his pack in Seattle, she’d known her time was limited. As much as her parents wanted her to see the world, Bryson wouldn’t want to wait too long to mate her.

As an alpha female, it was already risky to stay unmated. She had to wear constant masking pheromones when out in the world so no shifters discovered her. The scent of an alpha female could drive any nearby wolf into a frenzy of lust. That was part of why her family wanted to see her mated.

The other part was because Bryson, with his powerful family and their much larger pack and town a little ways away, could provide protection for her and her town. And also, if she had turned him down, his pack would probably keep harassing theirs.

Wolf packs didn’t naturally get along, but mating an alpha from each tended to bond them.

And if it wasn’t him, it would need to be another alpha male. Considering how rare alpha females were, she wouldn’t be allowed to go unmated.

As it were, no one dared to challenge Bryson, so she’d been off-limits. He was one of the most powerful wolves in the state, if not the country.

So what was Citrine, presumed to be human, doing here in wolf country, proposing a fight that could end in death, over a woman he’d never even been on a date with?

“I intend to remedy that,” Citrine said.

She snapped her gaze to him, breaking the tension. “What?”

“I was talking to myself,” he said. His eyes were so beautiful, almond shaped, and turned up at the corners. Lushly lashed. A deep, warm color like a yellow and orange sunrise. His face was masculine and handsome with a hard, angular jaw and high cheekbones. Straight, prominent nose. Full, pouting lips. Dark, thick hair that shone in the sun, layered from jaw to collar.

He was wearing a tunic, as usual, with linen pants, and despite his extreme height and impressive musculature, he didn’t look anything like the other males around here.

She wondered what the villagers were going to think of him.

Her dad came to the door and nudged Bryson aside. He’d been a powerful alpha in his day, and she knew he held no particular love for her fiancé.

He extended a hand to Citrine. “Nice to meet you. My name is Robert. Why don’t you come in?”

Citrine nodded sharply and walked in as Robbie and Bryson stepped back, clearing the way.

She wondered what he thought of the homey furnishings. The faded pink carpet, the hand-painted white furniture. The dark-green drapes. But Citrine was far more focused on her. His gaze only darted around as Robert made introductions and then went back to her as if he were hungry in a way that only seeing her could sate.

It was a look she’d never seen from him, and it made her shiver down to her toes.

But there was still the subject of this stupid alpha challenge to address. No one was going to let him do this, were they?

Citrine took a chair in the living room, and they all sat back down, Bryson with his parents and Robbie with hers. Citrine hadn’t come a moment too soon, because they’d been discussing final arrangements for a full moon ceremony.

Bryson’s parents looked at one another agitatedly. They didn’t have their son’s bullying, abrasive nature, but they clearly felt entitled to this partnership and didn’t like the idea of anyone coming in the middle of it.

Bryson’s father, Ernest, sat back. “This is highly irregular.”

Bryson’s mother, Edna, agreed. “He isn’t from any pack I recognize. Look at his eyes.” She shook her head, blond curls bouncing. “No. He can’t challenge. Who knows what he is?”

“How do you know about us?” Robbie asked quietly. She couldn’t wait for them both to just be alone and talk without everyone there. She’d missed all of her friends, maybe him the most, and longed for news of them.

Even though his attempt to come here and save her from what he probably thought was an unwanted marriage was going to fail, she could at least enjoy seeing him.

“I just do,” he said. “But I’ve looked into your bylaws and there is no rule about who can challenge.”

“You aren’t a human, are you?” Robert asked, glaring over at him.

Citrine shook his head. “No. But I reserve the right to not say more about what I am in order to not give any unfair advantage to my opponent. After all, I’m told alpha wolves don’t tell anyone their powers, so why should I?”

Bryson scoffed. “As if I care. I could beat you in a second. But I want my mate this full moon, not the next.”

“Too bad,” Robbie’s mom, Livvy, said with a shrug. “An alpha challenge can only take place at a full moon, so the wedding would have to happen beyond that. And I assume this young man has studied our rules enough to know that.”

Citrine nodded.

Robbie let out a stifled sigh. Was this really happening? If it was, she should stop it.

But like a train running off a broken bridge, that didn’t seem possible.

“I assure you I know what I’m doing,” Citrine said. “And if you won’t allow me to participate, I will get higher levels involved.”

“This is outrageous,” Ernest said, standing, his cheeks flushing angrily. “This is just another excuse to delay after you’ve already kept Bryson waiting.”

“You want to defy shifter law?” Robert asked.

That shut Ernest up, and he sat, fuming. “So what now?”

“I suppose we figure out the details of how we’re going to do this,” Livvy said, sounding resigned. But Robbie could swear she heard just a hint of relief in her mother’s voice.

Maybe she wasn’t that into her mating with Bryson after all?

Bryson stood, face going the color of a cherry tomato. He glared at his parents, balling his hands into fists. “You’re going to let them do this? They’ve already let this get way out of hand. They’ve let her run around like a—”

Her dad let out a hiss and he and Citrine stood angrily at the same time, then looked at each other in surprise. Her father was the first to step forward.

He motioned to Bryson.

“I think tempers are running high, and you need to go. We’ll talk with our new visitor and contact you about terms.”

Bryson’s expression got angrier, if possible, and he tried to get around Robert to jab a finger at Citrine. “If you think I’m going to leave while he’s here, you’ve got another thing coming.”

Robert backed him up toward the door. He was a smaller wolf, but right now that didn’t matter. Bryson looked mildly terrified as the older alpha backed him toward the door.

“This is still my house,” Robert snarled. “I still decide what happens here, who stays here, and who gets to even be considered by my daughter. There are laws, and then there’s my right as a father to stomp anyone who dares disrespect my family or my pack.” He looked over at Bryson’s parents. “All of you out, now.”

The three of them hustled out, looking various levels of offended, and Robbie put a hand over her mouth, trying not to laugh.

A part of her was shocked because she’d never seen her normally mild-mannered dad stand up for her like that. She was a little proud of him.

She felt a heat on her like mild sunshine and looked over to see Citrine was still staring at her. With those intensely hungry eyes.

Had that hunger been there all along and she just hadn’t seen it?

She looked at her mother and father apologetically. “Can I talk to both of you later? I need some time with him alone.”

They both nodded, having no reason not to trust her, and walked into the kitchen as Robbie gestured for Citrine to follow her to the back of the living room and through double doors that led onto a generous porch.

She led him to the edge of the porch and sat on the bottom stair, her shoes in the cool, green grass there. Then she looked over at him as he sat beside her.

“Citrine, why are you really here?”

His profile was so sharp it could have been drawn with a ruler, and she caught her breath at the sheer handsomeness. When she’d met him and her friends, she’d joked to herself that even most shifters weren’t as beautiful.

Tall, masculine, muscular, with faces that belonged on billboards rather than in a small dating agency.

All of them were a mystery, and Citrine had always been the greatest mystery of all. Never wanting to take a client. Caring for the employees as if he were responsible for them. Like a parent almost.

He was always the responsible one. That’s why it was odd to see him out here all alone, looking sort of disheveled (well, for him) and tired.

Now that she looked closer, she saw the circles under his gorgeous eyes.

He stretched, rolling back powerful shoulders, and then looked over at her. “It’s good to see you.”

She let out a pent-up laugh, leaning over to bump her shoulder against him. “It’s good to see you, too, though I wish it were under different circumstances.”

He was quiet then, looking out at the trees. “Robbie, I…”

“I guess I don’t get why you’re here now,” she said.

“It took a while to find you,” he said with a wry grin. “You didn’t make it easy.”

“Why do you care, though?” she asked. “We were friends, but the last thing I expected was you showing up here to mate me.”

“No one should get married when they don’t want to,” he said.

“Oh,” she replied, pulling up a piece of grass and picking it apart absentmindedly in her hands. “Is that all it is?”

His expression grew serious. “No.”

“Then what?” she asked. “Why are you here? I don’t want you hurt, and besides, I know what I’m doing.”

“Marrying that douchebag?” he asked. “I don’t think so.”

“This is more complicated than you understand. This isn’t the human world, and—”

“I’m not human,” he said tersely. “I can’t tell you what I am because I’ve been warned against it. But I’m not human. And I assure you I can take care of Bryson. If you trust me.”

She sighed, putting a hand on his shoulder and giving him a gentle squeeze. “Citrine, I like you.” More than like you. I have lustful, hot fantasies about you far too often. Not that it matters.

He went somewhat rigid, and she wasn’t sure why. Then he gave his head a little shake, told himself to, “Turn it off,” and settled back in.

“Turn off what?” she asked. “You’re acting weird today.”

“It’s nothing. Sorry. Too long on the road.”

“Anyway,” she said, continuing awkwardly. “I like you, but this is bigger than you think. It’s important I marry Bryson. It’s about more than just me.” She gave him a sincere, warm smile. “I appreciate you caring about me, but I’m going to do my duty. Don’t get in my way.”

His eyes narrowed slightly. “Your duty? Robbie, your duty is to yourself. At least in this. You don’t deserve to be unhappy. You don’t deserve a life with that… that…”

She shrugged sadly. “I don’t know what I deserve. I just know it’s my destiny.”

He shook his head in frustration. “No. I don’t believe that. I believe you’re my mate. It took me time to see it. I went crazy when you left. I let my team get in danger. I got in trouble with my boss. I realized when I couldn’t find you that you were my mate. I’m here to win you. I’m keeping that challenge whether you like it or not. And if I win and you don’t want me, then I’ll walk.”

“You will?”

He lowered his eyes. “I’m not here to force you. Not like that Bryson douchebag. But I’d like to think there’s something between us.” He met her eyes. “Something more than the obvious sexual chemistry I mean.” There was a twinkle in his eyes that made her slightly excited.

“I mean…” She allowed herself to think about it just for a minute. It was warm and hopeful and made it all the worse when she had to eclipse it again and go back to the darkness.

She shouldn’t be so dramatic about it. She would be fine with Bryson. And more importantly, her town would be fine. Her pack would be fine. Her parents would be fine. She could learn to be happy with the rest.

She stood, brushing off her pants. “Come on,” she said to Citrine. “I need to show you something.”