“I can’t believe this shit,” I grumbled to myself as I shoved a second pair of jeans into the book bag.

The buzzer on my door sounded, making my heart race. Of course, Trevor had insisted on picking me up. I didn’t know who I was more furious with, Trevor or my Alpha for setting up the ridiculous weekend plans. They needed me to help prepare for the upcoming festivities. I didn’t need to be gallivanting off with the enemy. I’d only briefly thought about calling Steven to complain. He was the one who had told me, but his tone made it clear that Drake wasn’t budging.

The buzzer sounded again, and I stormed to the door, tossing my book bag onto the couch. I jerked open the door and glared at the Alpha. He looked just as handsome and dangerously seductive as before. The only difference was his outfit. He’d changed into a form fitting runner’s shirt. Just as I’d thought, he was rippling with muscles. I swallowed, shoving the desire further down inside. I had to remind myself of who he was.

“Hey,” I said weakly.

“Ready to hit the road?” he asked with that enchanting grin.

I ground my teeth together. I wouldn’t be swayed by his charm. “Just give me a second.”

Before I could shut the door in his face, he brushed past me and into my small apartment on the lodge’s top floors. His curious eyes looked around as he whistled. “This is a nice place.”

I knew what he was thinking. “I like the size. It’s perfect for one person.”

“It’s cozy,” he said quickly. “I just thought—”

“I know what you thought,” I snapped back at him. “I don’t want a big house with servants and a staff, okay? Yeah, my Alpha has offered, and I’ll tell you the same thing I told him; I don’t want it.”

His hands shot up in the air in a sign of surrender. I spun away from him before the conversation could go any further. I just wanted to get the weekend started so we could get back here, and I could take care of what needed done. The lengthy list was going to take me days, now I would be lucky if I had a few hours to make sure the place wasn’t burning.

“Everything okay?” Trevor asked as I stormed around, shutting off lights.

“Well,” I muttered. “I have a hundred things to get done and now I have to go with you and play house because you demanded it. So, no.”

I thought my words would at least phase him, but to my surprise, he grinned and took a step closer to me. I held my breath, wondering if he was going to make a move. The sexual tension was there, I just forced it from my mind.

“I thought you might use that as an excuse,” he whispered seductively. “That’s why I’ve left fifteen of my men, including our top party planner. I even asked your Alpha for a copy of your list that still needed done.”

My mouth fell open, I knew that I had to look like a fool, but I didn’t care. What was I supposed to say to something like that? Trevor came across as cold and calculating. I couldn’t be sure how I felt about him being anything but a monster. Of course, there was always the possibility this was just an act. As suddenly as I became shocked, my eyes narrowed, and anger took over. Of course, he had an ulterior motive.

“Right, and I’m supposed to believe that you’re just doing it out of the goodness of your heart?” I laughed.

He shook his head, his broad shoulders shrugging. “I did it to help strengthen the new alliance between our packs. Steven said you did the work of ten Omegas, so I gave him that and a few more. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to get on the road.”

“Let me make one thing perfectly clear,” I hissed, suddenly finding my inner strength. “I am going on this trip because my Alpha commanded me to do so. I remember the day our lodge caught fire.”

“Wow,” he said. “You really know how to hold a grudge, don’t you?”

“I just don’t want you getting any ideas,” I whispered, less confidant now than I had been before.

He winked at me. “I promise I will do nothing unless you’ve asked me too.”

“Then plan on doing nothing.”

He laughed, taking my bag from my hand and opening the door. “We shall see about that my Omega.”

I raised my chin, grabbing the bag back out of his hand and storming past him. “I am not your Omega.”

I made my way downstairs, about to storm from the lodge when a familiar dark face appeared in front of me. It was Aiden. I cursed under my breath, completely forgetting that he and I had plans to go for drinks after his shift ended. He smiled when he saw me, but the momentary look of friendship quickly dropped when he saw Trevor behind me. Aiden, like myself had very little trust in the BAMBOO pack.

I spun around. “I need to speak with my security head for a moment. I’ll meet you out there.”

Trevor’s eyes leveled on Aiden. “I’d rather stay.”

“I won’t be discussing our pack’s security with you here,” I insisted.

Trevor’s cold gaze shot away from me to Aiden once more before he stormed past us. Aiden turned around, his mouth dropping open in question.

“Don’t ask, it’s a long story,” I muttered.

“You’ve caught the attention of one of the most feared shifters in the area and all I get is ‘don’t ask’? What the hell man! I was coming to talk about Tom, but this is so much juicier. And boy is he protective over you!”

“No, he’s not,” I shot back, a blush rising to my cheeks. “He’s just wary of most people.”

Aiden shook his head. “No, I know jealous men and that Alpha did not like us having plans together.”

I winced, unwilling to register the emotional tie between the Alpha and me. Of course, I noticed his eyes trailing down my body. I shuddered when I thought of his massive bulge in the front of his pants. Mating with him would be a mind-blowing experience. One that I couldn’t think about, he was still the enemy in my mind.

“So, I guess our plans for drinks tonight is off?”

I nodded. “I’m so sorry. I can’t believe I didn’t let you know. Will you be okay?”

Aiden grinned and nodded. “Better than okay actually. Tom called me today.”

I gasped. Excitement welling for my friend. “Did he ask you out? What happened!”

Before Aiden could tell me the sordid details, the lobby doors opened and my captor for the weekend stepped in again. He looked no less irate than before, but I knew I didn’t need to press my luck. I shot Aiden a sly grin and walked past him.

“Text me later?” I asked him.

He nodded. “Have a fun weekend.”

I rolled my eyes as I followed Trevor out to where the same black truck from before was waiting. A hulking beast, it was sleek and sexy just like the wolf that owned it. He pulled open the passenger door for me and I climbed in. Crossing my arms around my chest, I huffed out my anger as he slammed the door. I jumped a little at the loudness of it. He had no right to be angry with me! He was the bastard that was taking me away from my pack. I let myself sink into the self-pity as he climbed in behind the wheel.

Neither of us spoke, both too stubborn to break the silence between us. The road unfolded in front of us as the silence lingered. After an hour or so, my legs started to cramp. The truck wasn’t designed for men of our height. I had to wonder how the hulking Alpha was so comfortable driving. I shifted in my seat, trying to put a stop to the tingling in my legs without drawing attention to myself.

It failed, Trevor looked over and cleared his throat. “We will pull over soon and grab some dinner, give you a chance to stretch your legs.”

“I would prefer if we kept moving, I’m fine.”

“No, you are stubborn is what you are. Have you ever even left your city before?”

“Of course I have!” I shot back at him.

“Oh? Care to tell me about it?” Trevor asked with that same, dangerous grin.

“Not really,” I muttered, shifting again.

He sighed, “Listen, we are stuck together for the next two days. I know that traveling can be uncomfortable. I’ve traveled all over the world before. Planes are the worst, that’s why we fly private whenever possible.”

“You’ve left the island?” I stammered, awestruck.

He nodded. “Several times in my life my father thought that it was important for us to see the world outside of our home.”

I hated that he'd captured my curiosity. It would seem that all the stories I had heard about him weren’t necessarily true, much to my disappointment. I actually wanted to know more about the outside world, but my stubborn pride was getting in the way as usual. Of course he traveled the world! After all he was an Alpha, no expense was spared for him to have the good life. I snorted, trying to hide the sarcastic chuckle that was threatening to escape.

“You don’t approve of leaving the island?” he asked.

“Oh I approve of travel, I am not one of those who think that we only belong in one place,” I said quickly.

There were a few extremist groups who fought to contain all of the supernaturals to our island. They thought that any contact with the outside world was corrupt. In comparison, they were like our Amish community. However, unlike their religious brethren, they often resorted to violence against the hierarchy to prove their points. As a member of my Alpha’s inner circle, I was often reminded of the dangers posed to our leaders.

I cleared my throat, I couldn’t fight the curiosity. “So what’s it like on the outside?”

“Maybe you’ll give me a chance to show you someday.”

I chuckled softly. “You don’t give up, do you?”

“It’s not in my blood, no,” he said. Before silence could take hold again, he asked, “Is there anywhere you’d want to go in particular?”

From his tone, I knew he was being careful of what he said. I turned to the window to hide my smile. “Not really, though I’d love to see the sunrise from a mountain.”

“Everest is beautiful,” Trevor whispered. “My father took me when I was just a pup. Humans can only go during certain times of the year, but we aren’t restricted by weak lungs and frail skin.”

“Wow,” I stammered. I couldn’t contain my excitement. “That sounds amazing. We have a handful of humans that live in the city. They are all mated to non-humans though. I’ve never interacted with them though.”

“Really?” he said, looking just as surprised as I had moments before. “We don’t have humans in my city.”

“Why not?” I asked, wondering if the rumors were true.

“My pack is very close-knit. We have others that live there, but humans are a young species. If you’d see some of the outside world as I had, perhaps you would understand.”

“They seem like decent enough people,” I muttered in defense of our humans.

“I have no doubt that they are,” he quickly reassured me. “Our pack though still has several elders, they are not so keen on opening the gate. The majority of my pack believes that unity, and acceptance is needed for our species to continue to thrive, but like your extremists, we have those that still believe in secrecy. Their memories go back centuries, and humans still have a lot to learn.”

“You know, no one really knows much about your city,” I offered.

He grinned. “We don’t get out much, but I’m happy that’s finally changing. I think I’ve finally weeded out all the bad apples.”

I wanted to ask what he meant, but the tingling had turned to pins and needles. I had to get out of the truck. Still, my stubbornness wasn’t easily swayed. As Trevor pulled off into a park, I realized that I didn’t need to say anything at all. How could we be strangers, but still seem to know each other so well? I felt like I could read his heart. As much as I hated to admit it, he was a good man.

I felt every belief about his pack starting to crack, an unsettling feeling. Once the truck was parked, I shoved open the door and jumped out. Within seconds, I was stripped and shifted into my wolf form. All I wanted was to get away from him for a few seconds. Even as he yelled after me, I didn’t stop. Just a few miles and then I would turn around.

Clearing my mind, I took a deep breath and let my emotions settle. Within minutes, I was skidding to a stop. Trevor saw me as I started to shift where I’d left my clothing. He watched me without turning around as I shifted, and I made no effort to conceal myself from his prying eyes. My arousal was evident. Slowly, I turned away from him as I bent down to pull on my pants, giving him a full view of my naked and spread body.