Chase sat behind a massive oak desk and eyed the whimpering rule-breaker. The lanky teen couldn’t have been more than seventeen, and he shifted in the green vinyl chair like his ass was sore. His dad most likely had torn the kid a new one the moment his little sister blabbed about what he’d done. Now he had to face the punishment from the pack.

With one elbow resting on the desk, Chase leaned his mouth into his hand, trying to hide the involuntary curve of his lips. Truth was, he saw a lot of himself in the rebellious teen. Growing up, he’d never been one for rules. Now his job for the next twenty-plus years was enforcing them. Who would’ve thought?

“What the hell were you thinking, Landon?” His smile under control, Chase steepled his fingers beneath his chin—a move the old alpha had pulled when Chase got in trouble himself—and leaned back in the squeaky leather chair. “You don’t show your wolf form to humans.”

Landon lifted his hands and started to speak, but he dropped them in his lap and let out a dramatic sigh. “You wouldn’t understand.”

He arched a pierced eyebrow. “Try me.”

“He was kissing my sister in the back of his truck. In the swamp. The swamp. Who does that?” He fisted his trembling hands on the arms of the chair. “I was trying to save her.”

The corners of Chase’s mouth tugged upward, so he shot to his feet and paced around the desk. “Save her from what?”

Landon cowered in his chair. “He’s going to break her heart. Dude’s got a new girlfriend every week.”

He stood behind the chair and peered through the mini blinds at the empty stone corridor. The kid’s mom and sister waited in the bar down the hall, probably cowering in their chairs like rebellious Landon here.

The kid peeked over his shoulder and caught Chase’s gaze. As soon as he made eye contact, he jerked his head forward and stared at his hands in his lap. “What are you going to do to me? Are you going to kill me?”

Now he didn’t fight the smile. “For a first-time infraction? We’re more civilized than that.” He ran a finger across the back of the chair, and the kid froze. The hum of fluorescent lights and Landon’s rapid, shallow breaths filled the otherwise silent room. The red numbers on the digital clock display flipped from eleven forty-five to forty-six. Forty-seven.

A little flush of fear ought to keep the kid in line for a while. It always worked on Chase when he was young. A pair of work boots thudded on the concrete outside, and Landon dropped his head into his hands. Being drilled by the second in command was intimidating enough. Now he’d have to hear it from the alpha.

The door flung open, and Luke sauntered in. He wore paint-stained jeans and a gray T-shirt, and his light-brown hair was tied back at the nape of his neck. Chase liked to think his own tattoos and piercings made him intimidating, but Luke held an aura of authority only members of the first family had.

The alpha dropped into the leather chair and leveled his gaze on Chase. “What did I miss?” Landon let out a whimper, and the corner of Luke’s mouth twitched.

Chase crossed his arms and stood next to the kid. “Showed his wolf form to a human to stop him from making out with his sister.”

“Did he now?” Luke pinned Landon with a hard stare. Both men had their own little sisters, so they could sympathize with Landon’s need to protect his sibling. But the kid didn’t need to know that.

The alpha rested his hands on the desk. “And what’s the verdict?”

Chase strolled forward to lean against the desk. “Thirty hours of pack service and an apology to his sister.”

Luke nodded. “Sounds good to me.”

Landon lifted his head. “Thirty hours? That’ll take forever.”

Chase put a heavy hand on his shoulder. “We could put you in the pit. Or kill you.”

His eyes widened. “No, no. Thirty hours sounds fair.”

“Great.” Luke smirked and took an old toothbrush from a desk drawer. “You can start by cleaning the toilets.”

“Yes, sir.” Landon took the toothbrush and sulked out of the office.

As the door clicked shut, Chase laughed. “That the same one your old man made me use when I screwed up?”

Luke nodded. “That toothbrush has seen more toilets than a frat boy during rush week.”

Chase flopped into the chair and ran a hand through his hair. As second in command, his main job was to deal with rogues and rule-breakers. Lucky for him, Luke kept the pack under tight control. Rules were rarely broken.

Luke opened the laptop on the desk. “How’s it feel being on the other side of the interrogation?”

“If you’d have told me ten years ago I’d be your second, I’d have laughed in your face.”

The alpha chuckled as he punched the keyboard with his index fingers. “You’ve grown up a lot since we were kids. So have I.”

“Yeah, but you knew you’d be alpha from day one. Responsibility’s in your blood.”

“It’s in yours too. Just took you longer to figure it out.” He hit the enter key and closed the computer.

“I suppose.” Responsibility occupied ninety-nine percent of his time lately, but surprisingly, he didn’t mind.

Luke’s phone chimed, and he pulled it from his pocket. “Oh, shit.” He scrubbed a hand down his face. “I forgot about that. Come on, I need a beer.” He paced out of the office before Chase had a chance to ask what was up.

He followed him up the short flight of stone steps into the bar, where Luke’s sister stood behind the counter, polishing a beer mug. Amber wore the standard O’Malley’s uniform—jeans and a black button-up—and she’d swept her light-brown hair into a high ponytail.

“It’s about time you got here.” She set down the glass and picked up a stack of notebooks. “I have to get the stock orders done. Just because you have rank now, it doesn’t mean you get to make your own schedule. I own this bar.” She winked. “I run the show.”

Chase glanced at the clock. “I’m ten minutes early.”

She lifted a section of counter top and sashayed toward him, a playful grin lighting on her lips. “Good.” She glanced at Luke. “Keep him in line. I’m sensing change in his future.”

Chase narrowed his eyes. “What kind of change?”

She shrugged. “Don’t know yet. The feeling’s building.” She dropped into a chair at a table and opened the books, ending the conversation.

Luke settled onto a stool, and Chase slipped behind the counter and poured a tall glass of Blue Moon beer, sliding it to his friend. “Your sister’s gift isn’t very useful.”

“She has her moments. Empathic premonitions are never exact.”

He shook his head. She had helped a bit with the recent demon infestation, but change in his future? No, thank you. He liked his life the way it was. “What’s going on?”

Luke took a swig and gripped the glass on the counter. “Damn cake tasting.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “Cake?”

“For the wedding. Macey’s dragging me to the bakery to taste the damn cakes for the reception. Like I give a shit if she chooses almond or butter cream. Cake is cake.”

He laughed. “Better you than me.”

The alpha narrowed his eyes. “It’ll happen to you one day, my friend, and I plan to enjoy watching you squirm when it does.”

Chase huffed. “You had to mate. I don’t.” And until recently, he didn’t plan to. Ever. He had enough responsibility in his life without having to answer to a mate too.

“When you meet the right woman, you’ll want to.”

He crossed his arms. “I’ve met plenty of women. I don’t want to.”

Luke chuckled and downed the rest of his beer as his mate walked through the door. His entire demeanor shifted, and he shot to his feet and then sauntered toward her. Macey’s smile reached all the way to her emerald eyes as she gazed up at Luke and wrapped her arms around his waist.

“Hi, beautiful. How’s your day been so far?” Luke ran a hand over her head and tugged at the tight bun she wore at the nape of her neck.

Chase looked away from their affectionate display. Since Luke and Macey had gotten together, Luke had been the happiest he’d ever seen him. Apparently, love did that to a guy; not that Chase would know. But he’d reached the age where his mating instincts were kicking in hard. He wouldn’t mind waking up in a beautiful woman’s arms every morning, but he damn well wouldn’t admit it to the alpha. It was hard enough admitting it to himself.

“Good.” Macey pulled from Luke’s embrace. “Hi, Chase.”

“Afternoon, ma’am.”

“How did it go with Bryce?”

“Oh, fine. A heads-up would’ve been nice. I didn’t know I’d have to put on a show.”

She turned to her mate, her eyes widening. “You didn’t tell him I wasn’t going to be there?”

“It may have slipped my mind.” Luke chuckled. “Sorry about that, man.”

Slipped his mind, my ass. He probably forgot on purpose to keep him on his toes. It wouldn’t be the first time. “No problem.”

Macey kissed Luke on the cheek. “Bryce is in the car waiting for me. I got called to a scene.”

“So, no cake tasting?” Luke’s voice sounded way too hopeful.

“I need you to go without me.”

The alpha’s mouth hung open, and Chase stifled a laugh.

Luke shook his head. “Reschedule it. I’m not going to pick a cake without you.”

“I’ve already rescheduled on her three times.” Macey walked her fingers up his chest. “You can do it, baby. I trust your taste.” She kissed him on the cheek and headed for the exit. “Roberta says Spellbound Sweets is amazing. Just make sure nothing tastes gross.” She waved goodbye and disappeared through the doorway.

Luke spun around, a look of terror freezing his features.

Amber shook her head. “Don’t look at me. I’ve got a shipment coming in half an hour, and I have to finish balancing the books.” She glanced at Chase, a sly smile curving her lips. “But I can man the bar if you want to take your second.”

“Oh, hell no.” Chase crossed his arms. “I’m not going to a witch’s bakery. I’d rather go back to the morgue.”

Luke raised his chin. “If another mummified body shows up, you will. Right now, you’re tasting cake. Let’s go.”

Rain took a deep breath to calm her racing pulse as she arranged the cake samples on the platter. After they’d rescheduled the tasting so many times, she’d begun to worry this appointment would never happen. Snow had fielded all the calls from the alpha’s mate, and they both stared at the phone, expecting it to ring any second with another cancellation.

“I think they’re going to show this time.” Snow drummed her lilac nails on the counter.

“Goddess, I hope so. I either get this deposit or I’ll be sleeping on the streets.” She eyed her sister. “Please be on your best behavior.”

Snow pressed a hand against her chest, feigning shock. “Me? You think I’m going to screw this up?”

“Don’t even pretend like you’ve cast a spell. And watch your temper. This is an alpha we’re dealing with.”

Snow smirked. “The hot temper runs in the family, love. I could say the same to you.”

Rain huffed. Her sister had a point. Her temper had been what got her into this mess to begin with. “We’ve been here six months and haven’t had any trouble with the werewolves. I don’t want to start now.”

Snow furrowed her brow. “What makes you think we’re going to have trouble?”

“The Miami alpha’s daughter went to culinary school with me, and we talked. Alphas are rough, no bull-shit men.” She set the tray of samples in the fridge. “I guess they have to be in order to run a whole pack of werewolves. I hear their mates aren’t any nicer.” While she’d never met the New Orleans alpha, she couldn’t imagine him being much different.

Snow blew her bangs off her forehead with a huff. “Jeez. They sound like the clients from hell.”

“Yeah. But if we get this job, we’ll be in. You said yourself how loyal werewolves are. Once the alpha accepts us, the whole pack will. I might be able to keep this place afloat after all.” She dusted the powdered sugar from her pants. “At least I’ll have a place to sleep for another month or two.”

Snow rolled her eyes. “You’ll sleep at my place before you’ll be on the streets. I’ll take my chances with the curse.”

Rain pressed her lips together and peered at her sister. Snow would knock her out with a sleeping spell and drag her to her house before she’d let her end up homeless. And she could imagine the wrath her curse would bring down on her sister if she did. “That will never happen.” She couldn’t let it.

The front door chimed before Snow could argue, and a hummingbird took flight inside Rain’s ribcage. She could do this. Be nice. Don’t piss off the werewolves. Hope they like the cake. She took a deep breath, plastered a smile on her face, and sashayed into the storefront.

The alpha stepped through the door first, his deep-orange aura screaming power like nothing she’d seen before. He stood nearly six-foot-four and had light-brown hair and bright blue eyes.

He stepped aside for the next werewolf to enter, and Rain’s breath caught in her throat. Another male, a few inches shorter than the alpha, shuffled into the store and shoved his hands into his pockets. His shiny, dark-brown hair was cut short on the sides, long enough on top to cascade to one side and curl down to his eyebrow where it accented a circular, silver piercing in his skin. He had a full, dark beard, and a series of intricate tattoos covered both his muscular arms, disappearing into the sleeves of his black shirt.

His deep-orange aura wasn’t as strong as the alpha’s, but he radiated sex and power. The man was scrumptious. His hazel eyes brightened as he caught her gaze, and one corner of his mouth tugged into a cocky grin.

Crap. He’d caught her staring.

Straightening her spine, she stepped toward the men. “Hi, welcome to Spellbound Sweets.” She glanced to the door, expecting a female to enter, but the men appeared to be alone. Pausing, she cocked her head. The taller man was obviously the alpha, so did that make the sexy one his mate? Was that even allowed?

She cut her gaze between the two men, stretching the silence into awkwardness. Snow had never mentioned the mate she’d spoken to on the phone was male. Everything Rain knew about werewolves she’d learned from her friend in culinary school. Alphas had to be blood relatives of the first family, and they were required to keep the bloodline flowing. How could he continue the family legacy if his mate was…? She held back a sigh. All the hot ones were either gay or married, and this one was about to be both. Not that a cursed witch could afford to take a chance on any man, but still…

The alpha cleared his throat. “I’m Luke. This is Chase. We’re here for a cake tasting.”

Luke, that’s right. Snow had written down their names, but Chase didn’t ring a bell. She shook Luke’s hand, and a jolt of magical energy shimmied up her arm. “I’m Rain. This is my sister, Snow. Thanks for coming.”

Snow shook both their hands, and as Rain reached for Chase, a similar electric sensation danced from his skin, but it sent an extra jolt straight to her chest. He tightened his grip and furrowed his brow. “I thought this was a witch’s bakery.”

She pulled from his grasp. “It is. My sister is the witch. I’m the owner.”

He narrowed his eyes. “That doesn’t make sense.”

“Snow? Do you want to bring out the samples?” She motioned to the table she’d set up with forks and water glasses. “Please, have a seat.”

If they found out about her curse, they’d tuck tail and haul ass out of there before the sugar ever touched their lips. She’d have to do everything she could to steer the conversation away from the reason they didn’t feel any magical energy emanating from her skin.

They settled into the chairs, and an amused grin lit on Luke’s face. He looked at Chase. “This isn’t so bad, is it?”

Chase’s gaze slid over her body, feeling way more intimate than it should have. He was gay for goodness sake, and about to marry the alpha. But when he looked into her eyes, she couldn’t stop her tongue from slipping out to moisten her lips.

Where the hell was Snow?

She needed to say something. Anything to break the awkwardness of his enticing gaze. If the alpha thought she was coming on to his future husband, she’d be toast. The first thought that crossed her mind tumbled from her lips before she could stop it. “I thought alphas had to ensure the continuation of the bloodline. How will you do that taking another male as your mate?”

A look of bewilderment flashed in Chase’s eyes. “Your job is to make the cake. Pack business isn’t your concern.”

Luke crossed his arms. “I didn’t realize you were that kind of bakery.”

“I’m not.” Oh, goddess, what had she done? If she had a shovel she’d dig a hole and bury herself for the rest of eternity. She mumbled a little prayer to the Earth Mother, asking for the ground to swallow her whole, which of course went unanswered.

She stepped to a display cabinet and took two cake toppers from a shelf, holding them up so the men could see. “I’ve done same-sex weddings before. You can marry a goat for all I care, as long as the goat consents.”

The corner of Chase’s mouth twitched. “A goat?” He crossed his arms, and Rain couldn’t stop her gaze from sweeping over his muscular biceps.

Sweat slickened her palms, and she returned the cake toppers to the display. Why was she letting herself get so flustered? Sure, they were both powerful werewolves, but she’d been a powerful witch before the curse. She needed to pull herself together. Hold her ground.

Crossing her arms to mirror their posture, she shifted her weight to one foot. “You’re half-animal yourself.” She shrugged and returned to the table. “Pack business isn’t my concern.”

“Oh, Rain.” Snow stopped in her tracks, gripping the cake tray in her hands.

Luke pressed his lips into a hard line.

Dear goddess, please don’t let them shift in my store.

Fantastic. She’d pissed off the werewolves—exactly what she’d warned her sister not to do. Why couldn’t she learn to think before she spoke?

She looked at Luke. If she could make peace with the alpha, maybe she could salvage the situation. “I’m sorry. My comment was out of line. I really take no issue in who you choose as your mate.”

The alpha’s eyes sparkled as his mouth split into a grin and he laughed. “Chase isn’t my mate; he’s my second.”

She ducked her head. “Your second…mate?”

“Second in command.” Chase leaned his forearms on the table. “Do I look gay to you?”

“Yes.” Damn it! “I mean…you’re hot, so…” Jeez! She covered her mouth with her hands before she could say anything else stupid.

“You’ll have to excuse my sister.” Snow dropped the tray onto the table, clanking the forks and shaking the water glasses. “She has no filter between her brain and her mouth.”

Rain sank into her chair, afraid to make eye contact with the werewolves. Afraid if she opened her mouth again something even stupider would slip from between her lips and ruin her chance of getting this wedding…if she hadn’t ruined it already.

Luke laughed again, and the corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled. “No harm done; I’m sure it was an honest mistake.” He winked at Rain and the tension in her muscles loosened. “My mate is Macey. She had to work and didn’t want to cancel on you again, so Chase is here to help me pick the cake. His palette is a little more refined than mine. Right, buddy?” Luke clapped him on the shoulder, and Chase let out his breath in what could’ve either been a chuckle or a huff. It was hard to tell.

She caught Chase’s gaze, and his hazel eyes held hers. Light greenish-gold with little golden flecks dancing around the pupils, they drew her in, pulling the breath from her lungs. She tried to look away, but her eyes ignored the command from her brain.

As his lips curved into that cocky smile, Snow cleared her voice. “Tell them about the cakes, hon, before they dry up.”

Rain blinked, coming back to herself. Maybe the werewolves’ power wasn’t what had her flustered. Maybe it was the man. “Right, the first one is a vanilla-almond cake with classic buttercream frosting. It’s the most popular for weddings because of its light flavor and moist texture.” She needed to pull herself together. An attractive man shouldn’t have made her this flustered. She’d never gotten this goo-goo eyed over one before. Not without the help of a spell.

Snow placed a sample of the cake in front of each man. Luke popped the whole piece into his mouth and grinned. He sure smiled a lot for a hard-ass alpha. “Tastes great to me. Chase?”

Chase used a fork to slice off a small bite and mushed it around in his mouth. He looked thoughtful for a moment before training his gaze on Rain. His piercing glinted as his eyebrow arched. “Too much nutmeg. What else you got?”

She straightened. Too much nutmeg? Was he insane? The nutmeg was what made this cake. How dare he insult her most delectable dessert? “There’s only a pinch of nutmeg to enhance the almond and offset the sweetness of the vanilla.”

Chase shrugged. “Whoever pinched it has a heavy hand then.”

Heat flashed through her veins, her family’s signature hot temper flaring to life. She’d won more awards with that recipe than she could count. No one ever picked up on the nutmeg. She couldn’t help but glare at the man. He may have been as sexy as sugar was sweet, but his taste buds worked about as well as a busted kitchen scale.

Snow rested a hand on her shoulder. “Let’s try the next one.”

Rain let out a slow breath as her sister served the men the next slice. “This one is Italian cream cake with a cream cheese frosting. It has a stronger flavor and a denser texture, but it’s also popular for weddings.”

“This one’s great too,” Luke said with the food in his mouth.

Chase shook his head. “Way too dense. Shouldn’t have to chew it this much.”

Rain bit her tongue to stop from spouting off. She served them two more rounds of cake—raspberry-almond and lemon cream—and both men had their usual reactions. The alpha loved them all, but Chase found something negative to say every time.

Rain curled her hands into fists under the table. He was messing with her, getting her back for the goat comment. He had to be. Her lemon cream was divine, and he did not nearly choke on too much zest…because she didn’t put any zest into the damn cake. “Are you this critical of everything you eat?”

Chase cracked his knuckles. “I know good cake when I taste it, and this isn’t it.”

“If you’re upset because I questioned your sexuality, that says more about you than it does me.” Clamping her mouth shut, she tried to keep her expression neutral. She should have clamped it shut before the insult tumbled out, but like Snow said, she had no filter. Words seemed to shoot from her thoughts to her lips, completely bypassing the rational part of her brain.

Luke made a strange sound in his throat that could’ve been a laugh or a choke. Chase leaned back in his chair. “You don’t know a thing about me.”

She arched an eyebrow. “And I don’t care to.” Unless it involved examining all those tattoos more closely…with her tongue. Stop it, Rain. What was she thinking?

The alpha rose to his feet. “Thank you for letting us sample your cakes. I’ll talk to Macey, and we’ll be in touch.” He slapped Chase on the shoulder and shuffled to the door.

“Rain…” Snow whispered in her ear. “Stop them.”

What was the point? The alpha wouldn’t hire her for his wedding after that debacle.

Rain narrowed her gaze as Chase stood and gave her a curt nod. “Have a nice day, Rain. It was nice to meet you, Snow.” He turned, and she caught a nice view of his backside as he sauntered out the door.

What the hell was her problem? He’d insulted her baking…several times…but all she could think about was what he looked like under those clothes and how much of him was covered in tattoos.