He stalked toward her like the predator she knew lived within him. His wolf flashed gold in his eyes and she nearly stopped backing away. She didn’t want to stop him, but she had no choice. Everyone was counting on her. Dante Montague was the last royal on the list of eligible bachelors. Her aunt would expect nothing less.

Why?

“You mean why isn’t life all butterflies and buttercups?” Her wolf snorted inside her mind. “Stop running from Fate. She’s given you a way out of this mess. She’s shown you where to find happiness. Where to find peace and love for both of us.”

I have responsibilities. “I have responsibilities to my pack,” she said aloud, focusing all her willpower against the overwhelming urge to rip off her robe and offer herself—mind, body, and soul to this…stranger. She barely knew him. This wasn’t natural. She shouldn’t want to do this. She didn’t sleep with strangers. Didn’t kiss strangers or rub up against them like she was some kind of animal in heat.

She didn’t used to be the Demakis sister that had it all together. But she was the only one left. She had to have it together. She was the one everyone else expected to rule. To pick up where her parents’ deaths had left a gaping hole in the werewolf royal network.

Hallie Demakis didn’t get to choose.

“You have to leave. Now,” she bit out, her tone taking on the sharp edge she hated. It was the weapon she wielded when surrounded by men who wouldn’t listen. Men who didn’t respect her because she was a woman without a mate. A weapon her aunt had helped her hone. “This will never happen. Not with you.”

He jolted out of his forward-leaning stance and paused. His teeth ground behind tightly pressed lips. A growl rumbled in his throat.

Hallie’s hand trembled at her throat. Just go. Please just go.

“You’re cursing us to a life without our mate…our true mate. Don’t do this.” Her wolf begged and pleaded within her mind, straining to take control, but Hallie wouldn’t back down. She pushed down her wolf and stepped backward, out of the doorway.

“Go. Now.” She said, using every scrap of willpower to keep her voice level and unbroken.

“You’re making a mistake. But I will honor your wishes.” He walked past her without another glance.

Hallie felt her heart shatter with the slam of the bedroom door. He was gone. He’d never ask again. It wasn’t their kind’s way. He’d respect her choice even if it killed their souls a little each day for the rest of their lives. And it would. They had touched. Kissed. The mate bond had started already. It would always be there…a least the ghost of it would connect them for all eternity.

She leaned against the doorframe and sobbed, letting her body slide down the smooth wood until she was no more than a puddle on the floor. Hallie Demakis, royal princess indeed, reduced to a mascara-blackened-mess with one kiss.

“It wasn’t just any kiss,” her wolf reminded her.

I know. She did. She knew he was her fate. Could feel it in every cell of her body. Magick didn’t lie. Everything else in the world could lie, but magick didn’t. It was unbiased and consistent and truthful. Always.

She sat on the floor, huddled against the doorframe until her legs began to go numb. An hour could’ve passed. Thirty minutes. She had no idea.

Struggling, she pulled herself up and limped back into the bathroom. The tub had overflowed and was spilling over the rim into the sunken rock-covered floor beneath it. Must’ve had a drain under it or she would’ve already flooded the entire room. She flipped the handle to off, dropped her robe to the floor and stepped into the scalding hot water. The bath salts she dumped into the tub had mostly dissolved and gave off a soothing lavender aroma, reminding her of home. Of her real home…back in Las Vegas. Her mother had always used lavender in every bath. The scent comforted her and reminded her of a time before the Demakis family had fallen apart. Before her parents had died and her sisters had abandoned her to a role she’d never thought would be hers.

She dunked her head beneath the water and exhaled until no air remained inside her lungs. A little push sent her face above the surface and she gasped. More tears remained, but they would have to be shed later. Right now she had to do her duty to her family to her pack. That meant washing off Vance’s scent so Dante wouldn’t know his man had tried to steal her right from beneath his very nose.

She couldn’t have Vance, but that didn’t mean she would put him in danger. He would leave. Must leave. Was probably leaving at this very moment. More tears surged forward, running down her cheeks to drop in the steaming water. Her wolf was painfully quiet. Both of them grieving for a relationship that’d never had a chance.

Hallie knew she’d never be able to see Vance again without revealing their connection. It would be glaringly obvious to any other wolf. Probably to most humans too.

The bath.

Getting dressed.

Fixing her hair.

It all went by in a blur. Suddenly she was dressed and slipping on a pair of black heels, staring at herself in a large mirror. Her eyes barely masking the pain she felt carving out chunks of her soul. How the hell was she going to fake her way through this dinner. Through the rest of her life. Always knowing and regretting that she’d sent away her soul mate.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

She turned to the main suite door just as it opened. A spritely young red-headed woman stepped through, dressed in a navy blue pant suit. “Dinner is served, ma’am, if you are ready to come down.”

“Yes, thank you. I don’t believe I’ve forgotten to put anything on.” She gave the staff person a half smile. “Everything look in order to you?”

“Yes, ma’am. You look lovely.”

Hallie gave a small sigh and exited the bedroom ahead of the young woman, then paused, realizing she had no idea really which way to go.

“Straight ahead and down the front stairs.” The woman’s voice was light, but confident and pleasant. “Mr. Montague is so pleased to have you here. We’ve been preparing the house for your arrival for nearly three weeks. Dinner tonight was prepared by a special chef. I’ve never seen Mr. Montague so interested in anyone…ever.”

“Oh—” Hallie swallowed, not sure what say. He was excited to meet her? He hadn’t seemed overly interested or excited. Reasonably polite, but nothing more than that. The match was smart. Diplomatic. Marriage to her was a smart move for his family. The Demakis family stood in a much closer relationship with the council.

For a moment she felt guilty. She’d betrayed him before she’d really gotten to know him. That was no way to start a solid partnership. Dante sounded like a good man—a man who deserved someone who could stand firm in their commitments to family and politics. Someone who wanted to build something great. Unite families. Not a woman who had ruined everything…before a relationship had even started.

Hallie descended the stairs and widened her eyes at the view before her. Across the foyer, the dining room lay decorated like a valentine fantasy. Red satin seat covers. A white satin tablecloth. Clear and red tinted crystal that rivaled anything her parents owned. The lights had been lowered to a more intimate setting and candlelight flickered, reflecting off the crystal and the silver pieces adorning the long table.

Dante stood at the head of the table with a generic smile on his face. He raised his glass to her and beckoned her forward. Her feet moved of their own volition, barely noticing the rest of the cavernous house. The click of her heels on the polished stone floor and the soft swish of her dress were the only sounds apart from the very loud beating of her heart. Surely he could hear that too.

“Ms. Demakis…Hallie, you look positively divine.” Dante’s voice rang from the end of the table like an announcement to the world.

Compliment as it was, she couldn’t help but scan the area for any sign of Vance before entering the dining space and approaching her would-be-mate. But he wasn’t there. Not even a scent. “Dante, this is lovely. I can’t believe you went to so much trouble for me. It really wasn’t necessary.”

“Oh but it was. I wanted you to know how welcome you are here in my home. How desired you are, Hallie.” He stepped closer and held out a champagne glass filled nearly to the top. “To us.” He raised the glass in his opposite hand and waited.

She followed suit, raising her glass, but couldn’t seem to will a single word from her mouth. To us? Was that really what she wanted? She’d traveled the world. Met every eligible royal. Given them all a fair chance. Now, standing in the home of the last man on her aunt’s list, she found herself seeking out the bodyguard who’d offered himself to her upstairs. The wolf her animal had cried out for and she’d denied. She’d sent away her chance for true happiness. The happiness her sisters had all found. The happiness her parents had never had.

She was saluting to a life without love. A life without a magickal connection when one existed. Fate had shown her another option and she’d slammed the door in his face. For what? Honor? Pride? Fear?

Nothing she’d listed in her mind seemed like a valid compromise after tasting just a hint of what could be with Vance.

Neither she nor her wolf was thinking about Dante any longer.

“I was never thinking about Dante. Only how to convince you to give up this quest,” her wolf snapped.

“Hallie?” A raised eyebrow and a questioning look jarred Hallie from her thoughts.

“To love…” she replied, then waited with her glass just a fraction of an inch from his.

Dante didn’t clink his glass to hers. Instead he frowned and set his glass down. “I’m perfectly happy to wine and dine and enjoy times of intimacy, but I want to be quite up front with you. I don’t know if I will ever love you. We are royal. We marry and make the best match to further our claim, our power within the pack hierarchy. I’m not a first born son. I won’t inherit a pack. You are my way to alpha status and for that I will be grateful. But—”

“You just want the seat,” Hallie whispered, setting her glass on the table as well.

“With the return of the originals, having a place on the council as an alpha is even more—”

Hallie held up her hand, somewhat surprised at his quick silence. She shouldn’t have been. He’d as much as said he was there to win her hand. He’d probably do anything she asked if he thought it would get him closer to her hand in marriage and the coveted seat at her side as part of a royal house.

“He’s a douche. A fake. A—”

I get it. Hallie answered her wolf forcefully.

“Do you really want to live like this? With a business partner you have to sleep with?” Her wolf whined and paced and pushed at Hallie’s nerves. She was not going to be pleased. In truth, neither was Hallie. When she and her sisters secretly continued to speak with their animal halves, instead of closing off and pushing them away like the rest of the royal families taught and insisted, she’d known she ran the risk of being unhappy. Of ending up like her mother—crazy and brokenhearted. Maybe not the bloodthirsty part, but that had come much later.

“We’re not getting married.”

“W-what?” Dante sputtered for a split second before his eyes narrowed, shifting the shock to anger. “Your aunt said I was the last stop on your tour-of-royal-bachelors,” he spat. “You can’t say no. You’ve got nothing left.”

Hallie’s wolf put up hackles and Hallie took a step away from the bristling male. “You have no right to order me one way or the other. I have complete control of my future. And I will not be intimidated by a rich self-entitled stud.” She spit out the last word for emphasis. The power in this exchange was hers. She had come to offer a seat at her side. He was offering nothing but his name and sperm for their heirs. And now—he sucked in a deep breath—she knew that really was all that was on the table for him. She’d hoped he might be interested in a relationship. In falling in love. If he’d said almost anything other than the ugliness that’d spilled from his mouth, she might have given him a chance. Might have stayed. Might have married this…

“Douchenozzle.” Her wolf finished for her.

Hallie couldn’t help the snort of laughter that escaped her lips. Which in turn, made the douchenozzle even angrier. He took a menacing step forward and every alarm in Hallie’s body went off like a rocket. “You touch me and not only will I rip you to shreds, but that original werewolf you’re so impressed by that resides in New York now with my aunt…he’ll come finish what I start.”

Dante slowed, wariness replacing his anger. “Forgive me, Ms. Demakis. Perhaps this has gotten a bit emotional. I’d hate to think we let this Valentine feast go to waste. Won’t you sit and eat. We can just talk.” He gestured to the heavily laden table.

The smells were divine, but Hallie’s stomach wasn’t winning over the thrum in her core that cried for the wolf she’d sent away. “Please send for your man, Vance. He brought me my suitcase. Please have him fetch it from my room and drive me to town. I’ll find a room of my own.”

“There’s no need. You’re welcome to stay here.” The look of defeat in Dante’s eyes gave Hallie permission to breathe a little easier. At least he didn’t look like he was going to leap on top of her and force the issue any longer.

Hallie shook her head and backed up another step. “Please call him. I need to go. I’m not comfortable staying in your home any longer.”

“I’m here,” a low voice rumbled from the corner of the room.

Hallie’s breath caught and she struggled not to sigh with relief. She couldn’t show emotion. Not right now. Not while Dante was so on edge.

“Do as she asks,” Dante said, his voice edging back toward an angry growl. He sat at the table and gulped down his glass of champagne before looking up and catching her gaze again. “What did I do wrong?”

“I wasn’t looking for a business partner, Mr. Montague. I was looking for a husband. A friend. A lover. A mate.”

“Royals don’t get those things.” He replied, a heaviness in his voice drew out each word.

“What if we could?” She said, keeping her gaze firmly on Dante. He hadn’t paid attention to Vance. Hadn’t even looked his direction when he left the room to get her bag. He hadn’t noticed. It was still possible she could get out of his home without him knowing.

He shook his head. “We can’t.” The vehemence in his voice cut her like a blade. “It is the price of being royal. The responsibility of ruling the packs. We must be focused. Not caught up with our animal.”

“We will agree to disagree, Mr. Montague.” She gave a bowing nod and backed up a step before turning away from him. She was halfway to the door when he gave a short cough. The kind of noise a person makes before they say something important.

“I’ll be speaking to your Aunt, Ms. Demakis.”

A chill froze the surface of Hallie’s skin. Gooseflesh prickled from head to foot and her wolf growled angrily from deep inside. “How dare he.” Hallie whirled to face the Canadian royal again once more, sucking in a quick breath at his darkened eyes and tightened lips. Pissed didn’t even begin to describe his demeanor.

“You know, this just proves to me even more we wouldn’t have been a good match. Good evening, sir.” She walked quickly from the room, leaving his huffy-rapidly-decaying-mood far behind her. Hallie wanted nothing more than to get out of his house and into a car with the man who made her wolf and her heart happy.

With just a touch he’d proven Fate was more powerful than anything she’d ever imagined. Her sisters had tried to tell her, but she just hadn’t believed.

She did now.