He had waited ten years for this moment.

Adrian was a patient man. He had no desire to rush things. Instead, he relished having Darcy in his grip at last.

She’d proven elusive after he’d recovered in the cave. The fifteen Lupines who had sought to warm him with their bodies had become his adopted pack. They were lost wolves, in need of leadership after their alpha passed away.

Soon as he’d been strong enough to lead them out of the cave, Darcy had vanished.

Oh, she’d reappeared now and again, even seeking shelter with him when he’d moved the pack to North Carolina when she was between her mysterious assignments. But always she’d danced away from his sexual advances, saying they were two different for each other.

He didn’t think so. No matter she was a Changeling Shifter and he was purebred alpha.

He wanted her.

He would have her, and that was all there was to it.

Adrian stood at the open sliding glass doors overlooking the rock garden. Instead of resting, or figuring a way to escape, or playing with her cell phone, the woman worked in the rock garden. Sorely neglected after the last hurricane, Adrian had left it as a test for a troublesome, egotistical Lupine to tend it. He told Walter if he weeded and cared for the garden, he’d hand him more responsibilities.

Walter failed the test, mainly because the Lupine thought gardening beneath him.

Foolish Lupine. He would soon find out gardening was a pleasant duty compared to what Adrian planned for him as punishment. But his interest now remained with the dark-haired beauty who yanked tall weeds and dug at the earth with zealous fervor.

Darcy knelt in the earth and then sat on her haunches. “This garden makes my head hurt. How did it get this bad?”

Walter, a younger male who had a sense of pure entitlement, sniffed. “Maybe it was waiting for the help like you.”

“I’m not a servant. I don’t belong to this pack.” Darcy leveled a cold stare at the offending male. “But you do, and leaving this garden in disgrace is a poor reflection of you, your pack and Adrian. And it annoys me to see this. So move your ass and pull those weeds.”

Face reddened, the male scurried to obey. Adrian chuckled. Such a female. Darcy had a natural leadership spirit. No need to raise her voice or whine. Lupines, both female and male, did as she pleased.

She would make an excellent mate for him. If only he could convince her of the role.

He owed Darcy a debt he could never hope to repay. Not saving his life, although that was what she ultimately did.

But saving the lives of more than a dozen ragged, starving Lupines who would have otherwise died without his leadership.

Not ego. Merely a fact. He was a purebred alpha, and ruling was in his blood and bones.

He never intended to become alpha of his own pack at such a young age. He’d been content to quietly wait in the background, learning because he knew he was too young, too inexperienced, to lead. Lars had been a good alpha, and the pack was happy.

All was well until Adrian reached sixteen. And then came the Skins with their greed, anger, hatred and weapons.

They made demands. Lars bit the bait—the money too tempting to resist. He worked his pack hard.

Power went to his head. Later, when quotas were not met, the pack paid.

Sometimes, in the case of the weak and the elderly, with their lives.

Adrian shook his head, clearing the memories as one would clear away wisps of a silky spider’s web.

To rule, one must be strong. Lars had been strong but later turned cruel. Darcy might see his next actions as equally cruel, but he would brook no disobedience.

No disrespect. Adrian strode outside to address Walter. “I told you to weed and tend the garden.”

With his blond hair and beard, Walter looked more wild and Lupine than the other groomed males in the pack. Adrian waited.

Walter shook his head, folded his arms. “I deserve better than that. I went to college.”

Entitled. Arrogant. Adrian locked gazes with the male. “When I give an order, I expect obedience.”

“Or else?” Walter taunted.

Adrian gave him a long, thoughtful look. Then, without warning, his hand shot out, seized Walter by the throat. He lifted the younger Lupine, who kicked. Gasped.

“Must I make myself clear? Perhaps you have a hearing problem?” he suggested, never raising his voice.

More gasping. Pleading, now little gulps of desperation for air.

Adrian threw Walter against a tree. The male hit hard. Whimpered.

No stamina. No inner strength.

But Walter struggled to his feet, now his gaze lowered, his head as well. Blood streamed from his temple where his head had made contact with the tree.

“Yes, my alpha,” he murmured.

“Your punishment for disobedience is cleaning the bathrooms for the next six weeks. All the bathrooms.” Adrian did not smile. “And the diaper pails.”

Blood drained from the younger male’s face. “All the houses?”

“Every one. Go.”

Obviously needing no further encouragement, Walter scrambled away. Nearby, Darcy looked after him. Expression blank, she said nothing.

He waited for her to condemn him, accuse him of being harsh and overbearing.

Her next words stunned him.

“Twerp. Cleaning bathrooms and emptying diaper pails is too good for him. I’d make him use the poop as fertilizer in the garden.”

Throwing back his head, Adrian laughed. He enjoyed her spunk, her innovative streak. “Next time, my sweet.”

He joined her in the garden. The others working there stared at the ground with sudden fascination, not daring to lift their gazes in challenge.

“Leave us,” he ordered.

As Darcy went to stand, he dropped beside her, his hand on her wrist. “Not you, sweetheart. You stay.”

She glowered at him. “I’m not your sweetheart. Unlike your pack, I don’t take orders from you.”

“You do for the next two weeks,” he pointed out.

“Or?” She peeled off the flowered gardening gloves. “What are you going to do, turn me over to the cops because I took something from you? They’d never believe you.”

“I have no need of the authorities.” Adrian picked up an abandoned glove, inhaling the scent of earth, weeds and a delicate fragrance he knew was solely Darcy. “If you balk on your agreement, I will hunt you down and force you back to my pack.”

“Try. I’d like to see a wolf chase an eagle. A little challenging, even for you.”

“I’d never bother. I’d ask Tristan, the Silver Wizard, to intervene and strip you of your powers so we’d be on even terms. Four-legged ones.” He gave her a slow smile. “It would make the chase much more fun.”

Darcy’s jaw dropped. He tipped it up with his thumb.

“Tristan would never agree.”

Adrian knew otherwise, and so did she. The Silver Wizard, the judge and guardian of all Lupines, also ruled over Changeling Shifters like Darcy.

“I’m within my rights, and Tristan knows it. I know a thing or two about the Silver Wizard. He’s very much in favor of letting alphas have their way, as long as said alpha is not violating any rules or disrespecting females.” Adrian let his gaze roam over Darcy’s curves, from the swell of her bosom to the tiny waistline, to the flare of her hips, accented by the yoga pants she wore.

If he put his hands around her waist and pulled her close for a kiss, would she balk? Slap him? Or surrender as sweetly as she’d had the last time two years ago, when he’d stolen a kiss in the moonlight?

We shall see.

“I could argue that your arrogant attitude in ordering me around is disrespectful.”

“I’m not the one who stole anything,” Adrian pointed out. He had no desire to argue with her. “Did Glenda supply you with the clothing you need?”

Darcy nodded. “Seems as if there’s a warehouse of clothes in your pack. I don’t mind secondhand clothing as long as it’s in decent shape.”

He liked that about her, admired her honesty and her no-nonsense attitude. Adrian anticipated knowing much more about her by the time they returned from Colorado.

Most of it had to do with her preference of sexual positions. But he also yearned to know about her childhood, the background she’d always skirted around when they’d conversed in the past.

She knew almost everything about him, from how he’d ignored the advice of his parents and refused to move with them to Alaska to start a new pack when Lars threatened to kick them out for being purebloods, to how his challenging Lars resulted in a brutal fight that broke nearly every bone in Adrian’s young body, to his determination to offer refuge to Lupines who had no place else to go.

Darcy even knew that he could have his selection of eager, willing females in his pack for a mate, and he’d refused. She did not know why.

Adrian was determined to make Darcy into his lifelong mate.

“Come with me. I want you to meet someone,” he told her.

Darcy remained at his side as he detoured through the garden to a lavish playground bordering his mansion.

A cool breeze rustled through the slash pine boughs overhead, lifting the fresh scent of earth and flowers. Adrian inhaled, pleased at this choice he’d made for the pack. Florida was safer than North Carolina for his Lupines, and no threats followed them here. He’d made certain of this.

Anyone daring to even murmur a peep against his people and he’d tear their throat out.

Adrian would do the same to anyone threatening Darcy. She was under his protection, even though she wasn’t pack.

Yet.

Few children played on the swing sets and monkey bars this late in the day, but Hannah, a spry six-year-old, laughed and chased her older brothers as they batted a soccer ball about. In a chaise lounge set at the playground’s edge, beneath the cool shade of a sprawling live oak tree, an elderly woman rested. Adrian’s pulse kicked up, as it always did when he saw her.

“Peggy.” He bent down and kissed her pale, velvet-soft cheek.

He drew Darcy forward. “May I introduce Darcy? Darcy, this is Peggy, the matriarch of our people.”

“Oh posh. I’m no matriarch, just an old Lupine.” Lines like a road map carved Peggy’s careworn face as she smiled. Peggy held out both hands. “Pardon me for not rising, my dear, but my bones ache these days.”

Darcy bent down and gently squeezed her hands. “A pleasure, Madam Peggy.”

He could see Peggy liked the title. Peggy was old school, where manners and respect came first.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

Knowing eyes met his. “Today is a little worse than yesterday.”

Grief pinched him. It pained him to see the elders in his pack growing frail and nearing death. All he could do was make them comfortable and give them the best quality of life he could offer.

They sat on the grass next to Peggy to watch the children play. The contentment on the older Lupine’s face reassured Adrian. Having her descendants close made Peggy happy, and he was determined to make her feel as comfortable as possible.

Suddenly one of her brothers shoved Hannah. She tripped, fell and banged her knee on the hard wood edge of the teeter totter. An unearthly howl tore from the little girl’s throat.

Before anyone could react, Darcy was at Hannah’s side, crouching down, examining the girl.

“It’s not bad, honey. Only a scrape,” Darcy told her. “You banged it, that’s all.”

Hannah howled louder. “It hurts! It’s broken!”

The only way to quiet Hannah was a diversion. As Adrian started for her, Darcy patted the girl’s arm. “Do you like puppies?”

Hannah ceased crying, gave a jerky nod. Suddenly Darcy vanished, replaced by a fat, squirming Labrador puppy. Hannah cried out. “Puppy!”

Barking, Darcy the puppy lumbered off, followed by an eager Hannah, who had forgotten all about her injury. He laughed.

“She is some female,” Peggy said softly. “A keeper. She’d make a wonderful mother to those sons and daughters you keep assuring us you’ll produce some day.”

“Yes.”

“I only wish I could be there to meet your offspring, Adrian.”

Adrian’s throat tightened. We won’t talk about that. He gave her a typical impish grin that always coaxed a smile from this woman he revered. “Stick around a while, and you can watch me seduce her. First step to making those babies, Peggy.”

Peggy’s mouth twitched. “A female would have to be blind, deaf and stupid not to fall for your charm, my alpha.” She sighed. “She’s a good one, that Darcy. Thank you for bringing her here, Adrian. We need her.” She gave him a sage look. “You need her.”

I know.

He shrugged. “I must convince Darcy to listen to you, elder mother. Learn from your wisdom.”

A gruff laugh escaped Peggy. “You’re a scoundrel, Adrian. A good-hearted one. The key to winning her is not forcing her obedience but giving her what she needs most.”

“Orgasms?”

Peggy did not smile at his little joke. “Love. A home where she feels cherished and needed. That one is a wanderer, and until you accept her, faults and all, you will never hold her. She is far different from us than you believe, my alpha. Some might consider her an abomination.”

What a disquieting thought. He knew Darcy was compatible with him sexually, and they enjoyed each other’s company. But different? Yes, she was a Changeling Shifter, with the ability to turn into a wolf, as he did.

As he always did with news out of his control, Adrian tabled it for later. The priority of traveling to the old mine came first. He would work it out with Darcy.

No matter what secrets she hid, he felt confident of stripping away each one the same as he would wear down her resistance to becoming his bride.

He knew this.

A few minutes later, Darcy shifted back into her human form, conjuring fresh clothing. She joined them.

“Thank you for distracting Hannah,” Peggy told her.

“My pleasure. I enjoy playing with kids. They’re one of my best assignments.” Darcy dropped to the grass, hooking her arms around her knees as she sat.

Peggy adjusted the blue-and-white shawl around her bony shoulders. Adrian sprang up to help her. She smiled her thanks and turned her attention back to Darcy. “What assignments, dear?”

“When I turned eighteen, I asked the goddess Danu to direct me into using my talents as a Changeling Shifter.” A shadow crossed her pretty face. “I wanted to make certain I was helping others instead of hurting them.”

Interesting. Most shifters would not be so altruistic. He wondered what motivated Darcy.

“Very noble of you.” Peggy nodded. “What did your parents think of your decision?”

Darcy stared at the cavorting children playing soccer. “They weren’t happy and thought I was foolish for availing myself to the goddess. But by then, I was ready to strike out on my own.”

Even more interesting. It took a strong will for an underage shifter to leave the nest. Shifters, even Changelings, didn’t enjoy being alone in the Skin world. There were too many hazards to navigate, and they had barely begun to control their powers. The penalties for using magick in the presence of a Skin was too terrible.

Peggy’s eyes began to close. Not wishing to disturb the elder’s sleep, Adrian nudged Darcy to leave.

They walked back to the house together. His cell phone buzzed. Adrian sighed. Another interruption.

It was hard to court a future mate when pack problems came first. He glanced at the number. “I have to leave you.”

“Pity,” she said, giving him a singularly sweet smile.

“I shall see you at dinner, however. Dinner is promptly at seven. Be there in the dining hall.” He pointed to the building. “Do not be late.”

“And if I am?”

Adrian rubbed a smear of dirt off her cheek, deliberately letting her feel his touch. Get accustomed to him. He would be touching her many more times from now on. Adrian did not want her resistance. He wanted her soft and pliant and willing, flushed with passion.

“Why do you enjoy gardening?”

She seemed perplexed by the question, as if he’d asked her why she tinkered in astrophysics. Darcy scrubbed her hands against her jeans. “It connects me to the earth. I love the feeling of plants having life, coaxing them into growing. I suppose it’s from the time when I spent in the wild and plants kept me alive. And when I was growing up…”

Falling silent, she toyed with the spade, not meeting his gaze. He wondered what she would have said. What was her childhood like? He knew little of Changeling Shifters, only that they were rare, and powerful.

“And what?” he prodded.

“And I think I need a break.”

Curious, he longed to hear more but decided against pressing her. They would have time in the coming days. “Be on time,” he repeated. “You disrespect my rules, you disrespect my pack.”

“Yes, sir. Any other rules I should know about? Like ironing your tighty-whities? Should I starch all my clothing before dinner? I warn you, it’ll make for an uncomfortable meal. I’m a free-spirited kind of gal.”

Adrian laughed. Darcy’s spirit proved refreshing, but he could not tolerate disobedience in a pack that observed rigid rules or risked falling into total chaos.

“I know. That is what drew me to you, Darcy. You are a minx,” he murmured. “I could kiss you for that, but I’ll savor that for later.”

“So, what’s the punishment for skipping dinner?” She held her wrists out, and he studied the slenderness of her arms, the delicate bones beneath peaches and cream skin.

“The rack?” she asked. “Iron Maiden, starvation?”

“Two weeks in my bed and an unlimited supply of orgasms. All you can take. Better than the beef the cook is preparing. Interested?”

Darcy stared. Licked her plump lips. Adrian grinned.

“Later, sweetheart. I promise.”