Chapter One

Nolan Osborn was running late. He was also completely out of sorts as he pulled up to his parents’ house on the outskirts of Calgary. He glanced at the ominous, serious man sitting in the passenger seat and sighed. He needed to gather half his wits before he went inside. Did the guy have to be so damn…intense?

Carl Schaefer. Officer Carl Schaefer. The man who intended to remove Nolan from his current life and place him in witness protection. He had insisted Nolan leave with him that afternoon, but Nolan pushed back. His parents had returned from a sabbatical in Australia hours ago. Nolan hadn’t seen them in eight months. He really wanted a chance to face them before he disappeared for weeks or months.

Damn his stupid job.

“Five minutes, Nolan.” Schaefer pointed at his watch. His expression never changed, and he didn’t make eye contact with Nolan. He continually scanned their surroundings as he had from the moment Nolan met him about three hours ago.

Nolan twisted his neck in every direction. “Come on. There’s no way anyone followed us here. I’m sure it’s safe. This is a welcome-home party. Let me at least have enough time to explain things to my family and reassure them.”

“Five minutes. And the clock is already ticking.” Carl never stopped scanning the area, his head slowly swiveling right and left as if he were a robot instead of a human. Unfortunately for Nolan, Carl was human. Completely human. This entire day would have gone smoother if he’d been a grizzly shifter, but he was not. And Nolan had to deal with it.

As he reached for the handle to open the car door, he hesitated. Perhaps Carl was right, and the decision to come here was too dangerous. Was he selfish for putting his parents and their friends in jeopardy like this? There were a dozen cars up and down the street. The house was filled with guests.

Fuck.

Determined to at least hug his mom and dad and speak with his two younger sisters, Nolan yanked the door open, set one foot on the ground, and lifted himself out of the car.

That was as far as he got. In fact, his right foot was still inside on the floorboard when he took a deep breath and jerked his gaze toward the house. He could see inside the front window. The living room was packed. The kitchen probably was, too. He scented about twenty different people.

But that wasn’t the problem.

Son of a bitch.

Why? He lifted his gaze toward the sky and tried to keep his heart from pounding out of his chest. Why today? The world was seriously out to get him today. Or at least Fate. Did She think She was funny? He didn’t.

He paused long enough to breathe in deeply a second time and assure himself he wasn’t crazy. Nope. He didn’t know who the scent belonged to that stood out over all the others. It wasn’t someone he’d met before. But there was no mistaking the fact that its owner was his intended mate.

Shaking, he slid back into the car, closed the door, and stared out the windshield.

“What’s the matter?” Carl asked.

“Give me a second,” Nolan murmured. Deep breaths. No way in hell could he go inside. For one thing, he couldn’t possibly put his mate in the kind of danger she would assuredly be in if he confronted her. For another thing, meeting her would only make the separation they were about to face worse.

“Changed my mind,” he whispered as he started the engine. “You’re right. It’s not worth the risk.”

“Thank God. Let’s go.”

His sister Paige was in his head in a heartbeat, communicating in the way only shifters could. “Nolan. What the hell?”

“Can’t explain right now. Tell Mom and Dad I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t even try to blow me off like that. You know Mom is going to be on you in two seconds. Everyone in the house knows you just pulled up and then left.”

“You sure everyone knows?” he asked. If Fate had even one pinch of common decency, She hadn’t revealed Nolan to the woman inside destined to be his.

There was a split-second pause, and then Paige communicated again. “Shit. Yes. Everyone,” she emphasized. “Why the hell are you running from her?”

Nolan fought the urge to groan out loud as he gripped the steering wheel and hoped Carl didn’t notice how stressed he was.

“Long story. Can’t talk now.” He needed to concentrate on the road. It was almost harder to pay attention to his surroundings while communicating telepathically than if he’d been using a cell phone. Carl would notice his detachment any second. He took the next right turn and headed toward the highway.

“You cannot just disappear without saying anything, Nolan Osborn,” Paige screamed into his mind. “Why would you do this? Mom and Dad are waiting for you.”

“Please, Paige, I’m begging you to trust me. I have my reasons. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Do you even know who she is?”

“No. Tell me later. Please,” he pleaded again. He tried to control the tone of his connection before he continued. “Please apologize to her for me. This has nothing to do with her. And tell Mom I’ll call her when I have a chance.”

“Nolan,” Paige screamed.

“Paige. I’m not alone.”

“Oh.” She hesitated. “You’re with a human.”

“Yes.”

“Female?”

Oh, Lord. His sister had the wrong idea, thinking he had a date. Made sense. But no such luck. “No. Give me a bit. Apologize to Mom and Dad. Apologize to my…mate.” He cut off the connection abruptly, mostly because he was afraid his emotions were going to start spilling into the car.

Grizzly shifters did not ordinarily deny their mates like this. It wasn’t possible. But somehow, he was going to have to put off this initial meeting, indefinitely.

∙•∙

Adriana Tarben stood rooted to her spot for long seconds. The tiny hairs on the back of her neck stood up, sending a shiver down her spine. A flush rushed across her face, undoubtedly leaving her cheeks red. She turned her gaze toward the front of the house, her eyes widening, her mouth falling open.

Every breath during the few brief seconds afforded her reinforced what she’d known the moment Paige Osborn’s face lit up as she announced the arrival of her brother. “Nolan’s finally here.”

While everyone around them shifted their attention toward the front door, Adriana froze in her spot. Stunned was too mild a word to describe her reaction. In hindsight, Nolan had only been outside of his car for a few precious seconds, but it seemed so much longer to Adriana. Her world changed drastically without warning.

While her heart stopped beating and the breath was sucked from her lungs, Paige’s brother disappeared as quickly as he’d arrived. Thoughts raced through her mind, too many to grasp at any one thought long enough to follow it.

She couldn’t believe the power of Fate. Intellectually, she knew this could happen to her one day. Any day. Without warning. It had happened to so many grizzly shifters lately, including two of her brothers. But she was only twenty-three. And she was blindsided.

People around her were all talking at once, but she heard nothing. As if a mute button had been pushed, noises stopped reaching her ears. She glanced around, feeling like she’d left her body and was watching everyone move from somewhere near the ceiling.

The large family room of this ranch-style house was filled with people who were oblivious to her plight. Laughter and bits and pieces of conversation filled her ears. A few people sat on the soft beige leather sofa, but most were standing in groups. A glance toward the wide opening that led to the eat-in kitchen reinforced how damn many people were in attendance.

She had to get out of this crowded room.

Spinning on her heels, she rushed down the hallway toward the bedroom she’d been staying in for the past two months while the Osborns were on their sabbatical and her brother and his mate, Alton and Joselyn, were renting this house from them. She slid inside without bothering to turn on the light. She eased herself onto the edge of the bed, her hands shaking, her mind still spinning. The faint glow of a crescent moon spilled across the floor from the partially open blinds. It was all the light she needed. Grizzlies could see fine in the dark. Besides, she didn’t want or need to see anything at the moment.

Nolan Osborn was her mate.

Where had he gone and why?

Unease replaced shock as the implications of his flight took hold of her. He would have scented her, too. Just as strongly. And then he’d fled. There was no other way to interpret that than to realize he hadn’t wanted to meet her. Why?

Granted, the two of them had never met before. She had no idea what he looked like. She knew very little about him, actually. But he most likely had no knowledge of her, either. Until tonight, they had never crossed paths. She was from the small town of Silvertip two hours west of Calgary. Her pack owned and operated one of the two microbreweries in the rural town tucked away in the Rocky Mountains.

Adriana took a few deep breaths as someone else slipped into the room. She lifted her gaze to find Paige shutting the door with a soft snick before padding toward her. “You okay?”

Adriana didn’t know how to respond. Paige knew her brother had arrived and left. If she was sharp, she might even have known there was a connection between him and Adriana. She was certain she had done nothing to school her expression. Besides, she’d turned tail and fled the room hastily.

Paige cleared her throat. “My brother… He, uh…”

Yep. She knew. She’d even communicated with him. Not surprising. They were siblings. They could easily exchange information telepathically, even from a distance of many miles. Adriana said nothing, waiting on her new friend to stammer through whatever explanation she had.

The two women hadn’t known each other long, nor had Adriana spent much time with Paige yet, but she liked her, and she felt confident she could trust her.

Paige reached the edge of the bed and lowered herself next to Adriana. “I don’t know what to say. Nolan isn’t normally like this.”

Adriana almost laughed. “You mean all the other times he realized his mate was in the house, he didn’t speed away without a word?”

Paige smiled, tipping her head to one side as she faced Adriana. “I don’t know what his deal is tonight. He was vague and acting strange.”

“So, he did communicate with you?” Adriana crossed her arms and rubbed her biceps with her palms, suddenly chilled. Hopefully, Paige would be able to give her at least something to explain away the tightness in her chest.

“Yeah, but I don’t know much more. He wasn’t alone. I thought maybe he’d had a date with him and then felt too weird to come inside with her.”

That would explain a lot. Adriana sat up taller. “But that wasn’t it?”

She shook her head. “No. He was with a human, but not a woman. A man. Maybe a co-worker or something?” Paige threw up her hands. “I don’t know. I can’t make any sense of it. Mom and Dad have been gone for eight months. Tonight is all about welcoming them home. Why on earth Nolan would get back in his car and drive away is a mystery to me.”

Adriana’s heart rate increased again.

Paige twisted her body to more fully face Adriana. She set a hand on Adriana’s shoulder and gave a squeeze. “I’m sorry I don’t know more. He did ask me to apologize to you. I’m sure he has some reason for all the drama and mystery. Please give him a chance to sort out whatever he has going on, okay?”

Adriana forced a small smile. “Do I have a choice?”

Paige grinned back. “I guess not.”

“Does he know who I am?”

Paige shook her head, her expression tight. “No. He…didn’t want me to tell him.”

Adriana tried to process that. One word kept running through her mind, over and over. Why? Why, why, why?

Paige stood. “I need to go talk to my parents. I’m sure they’re equally confused.”

“Of course. Go ahead.”

Paige hesitated. “Will you be okay? Why don’t you come back out to the party?”

“I’m fine. Just need a few more minutes alone.”

“I could send your brother in or his mate.”

“No. I’m fine. Really. Alton and Joselyn are having a good time. I’ll catch up with them later.”

Paige stepped toward the door, but before she opened it, she turned back and whispered across the darkness. “This was his room, you know. When we were growing up, I mean. He moved out over ten years ago, of course, but my mother didn’t change much. Some of his things are still in the closet and drawers. Whatever he didn’t take with him when he went to university and then got his own home.”

Adriana swallowed through her emotion. “Thank you.”

Paige bit her lower lip, nodded, and slid out of the room, shutting the door again with a soft snick.

Adriana continued to sit in the blessed darkness, the only sound in the room the pounding of her heart. The dull roar of the party down the hall tortured her with its happiness. From one second to the next, her world had changed so drastically she couldn’t catch her breath.

When she inhaled long and slow, she realized the faint scent of her mate lurked in the room. Until she’d scented him directly, she hadn’t recognized his scent in the house for what it was. Her mate. But now…

Taking the gift of suggestion Paige had left her with, she pushed off the edge of the bed and headed for the closet. When she opened it, she smiled and closed her eyes.

With one hand on the door frame for support, she leaned farther inside the confined space and fingered the first item hanging in front of her. A leather jacket. It was his. Probably from high school, but it had hung here all these years, his scent still gripped in its fibers.

She eased it from the hanger and held it up to her face, inhaling slowly over and over. The potency made her sway, her legs threatening to give out. Her body came alive at the same time, her nipples stiffening and her sex clenching. She was aroused. How absurd. Who got horny for a man they hadn’t even met?

She slid the jacket on. It was too big, the sleeves of the supple black leather hanging past her hands. But it took the chill away as she wrapped it tighter around her over the silk blouse she wore. Less than two hours ago, she’d gotten all dressed up in her favorite purple blouse that hung long over black leggings. She’d designed the shirt herself several months ago and loved the way it hung over her shoulders and draped across her chest. She also wore black heels.

She shut the closet and leaned down to slide her feet out of the shoes, and then her gaze landed on the dresser near the closet. The top had several framed pictures. How had she not noticed them earlier? In her subconscious, she realized they were family photos, but she hadn’t examined them closer.

Now she inched toward the dresser and lifted one trembling hand to pick up the first frame. She held it in the beam of moonlight and let her finger trace over the strong features of the man smiling back at her. A younger version of her mate, no doubt, but he stirred something deep inside her anyway, making the pucker of her nipples more pronounced.

He was blond like his sister. Blue eyes twinkled as they stared back at her. He stood in the middle of a meadow, the mountains in the background. With one foot lifted onto a large rock at his side, he had posed, his elbow on his knee, his chin in his palm. Damn, his smile took her breath away.

Her mouth was suddenly too dry, and she hadn’t blinked for so long her eyes burned. Staring longer would do her no good. She set the picture back on the dresser and headed for the bed. She needed to lie down, overwhelmed. So many emotions slammed into her.

This should be the best moment of her life. She’d just met her mate. Except she hadn’t met him. He didn’t know who she was. And she was alone with the knowledge that, for whatever reason, he hadn’t wanted to confront her.

She forced herself to believe his flight had nothing to do with her. He’d been just as blindsided as she had. Maybe he wasn’t ready? Maybe he’d needed time or space or something to wrap his head around things.

But that didn’t add up, either. Paige said he’d been with someone. A human man. What was that about? She couldn’t take this personally. After all, he had no idea who she was or what she looked like. Unless the man had an aversion to binding in general, his rejection tonight had nothing to do with her. He had something to take care of. It must have been important.

Adriana lowered herself onto the bed, curled up on her side, drew her knees up to her chest, and hugged the jacket around her tighter. Normally she was warm. Grizzly shifters ran hotter than regular humans. But a chill had taken over her body several minutes ago and wouldn’t let go.

She closed her eyes, thinking how fickle Fate could be. Was it pure coincidence that she’d moved to town two months ago to pursue an art degree at the University of Calgary? Did Fate not only decide who Adriana was meant to be with but also when the two of them would meet? No one would ever know the answer to those questions.

The truth was Adriana already had a degree. In computer science. She’d been working fulltime at her family’s brewery since she’d finished her education. But she hadn’t felt connected to the work. She’d been bored and unsatisfied. She should have known. She’d been working at the brewery part-time the entire time she was going to school. However, the minute she finished her degree in May, she knew she’d made a mistake.

A few months ago, when she’d come to Calgary for a visit, she’d gone with Joselyn to a fashion show just for fun. And her entire focus changed from that day forward. She’d always been interested in fabrics and clothing and shoes, but she’d never pursued anything in the arts because it didn’t fit with her goals. With her family’s goals.

Designing outfits had been nothing more than a hobby she played around with at home. She’d gotten her first sewing machine when she was nine and had worn out three machines since then. Her latest had cost a fortune and would last her entire life.

Everyone in the extended Tarben family who was willing and able worked for Mountain Peak Brewery. It was in their blood. There was no call for someone with an eye for fashion. So Adriana had ignored the passion and gone for the practical.

It was Joselyn who noticed her enthusiasm and encouraged her to think bigger. And here she was, two months later, living in Calgary and attending classes at U of C to start her life over again. It would take several years and a lot of work, but she knew in her heart the decision was right. She’d never been as relaxed and calm as she’d been since making this choice, leaving her childhood home and heading to Calgary.

She was a grown woman, for heaven’s sake. She had never lived anywhere but home. The baby. The youngest of five. A homebody.

But not anymore. This new adventure had invigorated her.

Until an hour ago, she’d planned to find an apartment near campus, get a part-time job to help pay for her second round of education, and wrap herself up in her new career choice.

Until an hour ago…

Now? Her foundation was shaking.

She closed her eyes, inhaled Nolan’s scent again, and tried to calm her racing heart.

Where was he? And why the hell had he left her like this?