Finn watched as Alex disappeared up the stairs.  “She will be down in a few minutes.”  Charlotte winked at him before she took the dishes to the kitchen.

“You like her?”  Lucky asked curious.  

“She’s my mate, but she doesn’t know yet,” Finn said still looking toward the stairs waiting for Alex to come down.  

“I won’t tell her,” Lucky said.  Finn looked down at the little wolf. His face was serious as he promised.  

“Thank you, Lucky.  I want to be the one to tell her.”  Finn put his arm around Lucky and walked them outside.  He was going to wait in the truck for Alex.  He was afraid of what he was going to do if he watched her lick the syrup off her fingers again.  The woman had no clue what she did to him or maybe she did. 

Every time he got within ten feet of her, he could smell her floral scent mixed in with her own natural scent and it drove him and the wolf into a frenzy.  His wolf was already clawing at his insides wanting to get to their mate.  Hell, he could hardly believe he had made it this long showing this much control.  But thankfully, he was still in his right mind.  If something didn’t happen soon, he didn’t know if his wolf would play nice and break through.

“I think she likes you, too,” Lucky said, watching the front door.

“How do you know?”  

“I know things, and I know she likes you, too, but she’s scared because someone is after her and she feels like she can’t have a relationship until she figures out why the man is after her.  They will come for her and her little brother.  He thinks she has something of his and he plans on killing her to get it.  He’s a bad man, but he will become hunted, too, and that will play in our favor.” 

Finn stared at the young boy who would become an Alpha one day.  “Um, Lucky, how…how do you know this?”

“When I touched her hand, I saw it.  I don’t always get a good reading but sometimes I get just enough to see glimpses of what can happen in the future.  I tried to warm my mom to not go in the woods that day.  I saw her get shot but I didn’t know when it would happen.  We didn’t have any food and we went hunting.  I realized too late.”  Lucky’s voice cracked as he shared the story of how his mom was killed.  The boy was only eight years old but he spoke like an adult.  He had to grow up early knowing he was going to be alone.  He had no clue that the pack was going to be his family.

“It’s okay, Lucky.  Like you said, you didn’t know when it was going to happen and you guys needed to eat.  Even if you tried to stop her, she would have gone out anyway to make sure you got fed.  That’s what a mom will do for her kids.  My mom died, too, when I was young.”  Finn’s heart broke for the little wolf.  He still had his dad growing up and he was great.  Still was, but Lucky had no one except the pack.  Every kid needed a parent’s love.  That’s why he took so much time with him.  He wanted Lucky to feel loved, even if it was from someone like him.

“Here she comes.”  Lucky pointed at the door where Alex and Haine walked out.  

“Okay, let me back out so she can get in front of me,” Finn said, putting his truck in reverse.

“She doesn’t look happy that we waited on her, but I know she likes you,” Lucky pointed out.

“She is a very independent woman and she doesn’t like when someone is following her, even if it is for her own good.  Women are like that.” 

“Alpha said that you and the other guards would give me examples of life experiences. Is this one?”  Lucky asked with the most somber face he had ever seen.

Finn couldn’t help but laugh at Lucky’s interpretation.  “Well, I…”  Running a hand through his hair, he thought about the comment Lucky asked. “I will say this, Lucky, and you can take this tidbit of information to the bank.  Women are the most complex creatures you will ever encounter.  They are beautiful, loving, caring, but don’t you ever turn your back on one.  Because when you think you have them figured out, they will change on you in a heartbeat.”  

Lucky narrowed his eyes.  “I don’t understand.” 

“I wish I understood them, too, but I don’t, Lucky.  I have been told by many of them that it’s their prerogative to change their minds if they want to.”  

Lucky only nodded.  He was still too young to understand any of this conversation.  Hell, he barley understood it himself.  Women were just different and that was okay with him.  All Finn knew to be definite was that Alex was his mate and it didn’t matter who was coming for her, he would protect her with his life, and kill whomever tried to hurt her.

* * *

Finn and Lucky waited on Alex and Haine to walk to the bakery door.  “Why are you following me?”  Finn had to look away from Lucky who chuckled before he went inside the bakery.  

“I just wanted to make sure you got here safely.  We have a lot of wildlife and they like to cross the road at the wrong times.  You should see the damage of some of the vehicles who have hit a deer.”  Finn couldn’t believe the crap he was spouting.  He should just tell her the truth. 

Even Lucky knew he was full of it, but Finn couldn’t stop himself from wanting to protect her.  She was his and knowing that Dominic Santora was after her made his skin crawl. If he got a hold of her or surprised her on the roadway, he knew the man had a reputation of torturing his victims before he killed them. This knowledge alone made him want to always be near her.  

“Uh-huh...”  Alex muttered, walking past him.  Finn held his breath so his wolf would calm down.  If he got a whiff of her scent again, he might decide it was time for him to present himself and Alex wasn’t ready for that.  

“Hey, guys.  How are my little bakers today?  Are you ready to help me get some sweets ready for the festival?”

Both boys nodded and walked to the back with Simone.  “She will keep them busy for a while.  Simone told me she was going to let them pull taffy and decorate cupcakes.”

“I know…I just—”

Finn didn’t want her to be scared to leave Haine.  The pack had guards in the woods and sitting outside at the tables eating and drinking coffee.  They looked like regular customers and nobody would be the wiser.  They would switch out in a couple of hours in case anyone was watching.  He didn’t want to take any chances.  His dad said he was coming by today to meet Alex.  For some reason that made Finn nervous.  He wanted Alex to like his dad and for him to like her.  

He already knew if his mother were alive she would love Alex.  She was feisty and wouldn’t take any shit from anyone.  She always told Finn that he would marry a female who could take care of herself, and no matter what, she would be loyal to him.  Finn prayed his mom was correct on this one.  

“I will check on him regularly, but Simone and the others will watch after him as well.  I guarantee we will protect Haine with our lives,” Finn promised.  

Alex nodded and started to walk away but stopped and faced him. “Why?  I don’t understand why you would do this for a complete stranger.  You say you have this feeling about me, but people don’t risk their lives for people they just met.  No matter how much you want to get into my pants.”    

He knew this day was coming when he would have to tell Alex that she was his mate and what that actually meant.  But how do you tell a human who only knew about shifters from what she’d seen in the movies.  He needed help from Quinn and Simone who were not born shifters like him to give her a woman’s point of view.  He sure as hell didn’t want to lose her by telling her that he got a hard on every time he was around her.  Sure, he could just spit it out, but Alex would be at the Mexican border by the time he caught her.

“I would like to talk to you after work and explain all of this.”  Finn placed his hand on her shoulder and spoke softer so she would know he couldn’t talk about any of this here for fear of customers hearing him.  “I think once you hear everything, you will understand this better.  Can you wait?”

“Sure, what’s a few more hours,” Alex said, rolling her eyes.  

“Hey, guys,” Quinn said, opening the door to her shop.  

“Hey, you,” Alex said, walking inside Southern Treasures.  Finn let her go alone.  He needed to talk with Arden and Bain about security.

A few hours later, Finn walked into Southern Treasures.  His dad called and said he wanted to talk to him about something.  He wouldn’t go over the details over the phone but said he would come to him.  His stomach roiled. Last time his dad did this someone had died. He hoped it wasn’t bad news. Finn knew his father was excited to meet his mate. 

Speaking of his mate, he looked around the store but didn’t see Alex.  Jade pointed to the back where Quinn’s office was located.  Simone and Quinn both were looking over Alex’s shoulder as she showed them something on the computer.  “If you expand the bakery and use it for your online shopping you can get these tax breaks.”  Both women leaned in closer as Alex pointed to the different items.  

“That’s a lot.  I can’t believe how many breaks we both can get if we both use the space and one side would be for Quinn’s online business and the other side would be mine.  How do you know all this stuff, Alex?”  Simone asked.  He could tell that Alex knew Simone wasn’t trying to be nosey but she really wanted to know how she learned about the tax information.

“When I was in college, we had to do an internship with different companies, but I had a double major and thought I had to take another course before I could do the internship so the only place to choose from was the IRS.  I thought for sure it would be the worst internship ever, but I met some pretty cool people and one lady in particular was awesome. 

“Miss Betty O’Neal was her name and she showed me things that companies wished they knew.  I loved it and I guess it showed because Miss Betty took me under her wing and I learned all about this.  I can show you other options.  I need to talk to Jade, too.  I’m sure I can help her out with some tax breaks, as well. 

“Nobody tells you this stuff and most people never get on government website where it gives you all kinds of great information and updates.  The IRS continually puts information on their website.  I go there every other week just to keep up with the new tax breaks.”  

“Alex, you are a genius,” Quinn said, hugging her.  

“Nah, you just needed someone to guide you in a different direction.  I’m just glad I could help you guys because you have helped me more than you know and you’ve taken me and Haine and made us part of your family.  You don’t know how much that means to me.  I didn’t know what I was going to do or go and you all have been so kind that I’m just glad I could help you in some way.”

Alex glanced up and saw Finn leaningagainst the door.  The smile she gave him did more for him…more than words.  She was beautiful and she looked happy.  This was what she did best, working with numbers.  Helping Quinn and Simone with their taxes and doing the books made her happy.  

“Is that her?” Deaton Eagan asked, standing beside him.

“Yeah, I want to introduce you to her,” Finn said, walking toward the office.

“Son, I—”

“Hold on, Dad I want you to meet my mate.” It was important that he liked her as he pulled him to the door.  

“Alex, I’m sorry to interrupt but I wanted to introduce you to my dad, Deaton Eagan,” Finn said, moving to the side so his dad could move into the room.  Alex’s smile faded as she stood. 

“Hey, Chief,” Simone and Quinn said in unison, but Alex remained silent and backed away.  Finn could hear his mate’s heartbeat speed as she stared at his dad.  

“What’s wrong, Alex?”  Finn asked concerned, going to her.  He watched as Alex continued to back up until finally she hit the wall.  “Alex?”

When she didn’t say anything, his dad moved into the room.  “I think I know what’s wrong.”

“What?”  Finn looked back at his dad who held up a piece of paper.  Finn took it and found a small picture of Alex on a warrant.  It was the warrant Scavenger told him about, the assault. It even had her picture on it. Most cops never put the picture on the warrants.  They must have wanted her badly.  He read the charges and couldn’t believe the man had the nerve to say that a woman assaulted him. 

When he glanced up at Alex, she was shaking her head.  “Alex, listen this is going to be okay. It’s a warrant and it says you assaulted Dominic Santora.

“It’s not what you think.  I…”

“You are Alexandra Marsh?” his dad asked.

“Yes, sir.”

“And the man Dominic Santora is part of the Malton crime family?”

“Yes, sir, but I don’t know him,” Alex said, pushing against the wall.  He needed to get her to a chair before she slid down.  Turning toward Simone, Alex pleaded, “Simone, I have no right to ask you, but you can’t let them find Haine.  He is innocent and he hasn’t done anything wrong.  Please take care of him until I can come for him.  They are lying. I never touched that man. You have to believe me.”

The growl escaped his mouth before he got control.  Alex didn’t need this right now.  She needed his support. “Alex, why don’t you sit and let’s figure this out,” Chief Eagan suggested.  Finn stuck his hand out and helped her sit down.  “Why don’t you start from the beginning.”  

Alex blew out a deep breath and explained how her life changed in a blink of an eye. 

“You got to be kidding me,” Quinn said, leaning forward.

“No, he was serious and when I questioned him about it. He said I had no choice, and when I asked who they owed that kind of money to, he wouldn’t answer.  But a man busted through the door and said my parents owed him the money.  Of course, I asked for the paperwork showing that my parents owed him and that I was going to get the signatures authenticated. 

“As soon as I said that, he basically said that Haine and I would end up like my parents. 

“I know my parents would have never done business with this man.  Never.  They had a great company and somebody like Dominic Santora wasn’t part of it.  I remember them talking about the money they borrowed from the bank. Not Santora. Then their business blossomed.”

“I’m wondering why he wants your parents’ estate, too,” his dad asked. “Why would someone like him want your home and all that’s in it?” 

“You can’t let him have Haine, Chief, please!”

Finn put his hand around Alex and said, “Don’t worry, Alex.  Nobody will get Haine or you.”

Deaton Eagan patted Alex’s knee.  “I’m not going to let him know where you are, honey, but we need to find out what’s going on and why Dominic The Bull Santora wants you.”  

“Why would a key member of the Malton crime family want with Alex’s parents?  That’s the question we need to find out.  This isn’t right.  It all started with her parents.  They had something he wanted or…”  Arden said from the door, “maybe they didn’t know they had it.”

“My parents were good people and they would never do anything for a crime family,” Alex insisted, glaring at Arden.

“I don’t know if they knew they were.  I’ve got a call into some contacts of mine in Chicago.  If the Malton family were after your parents, there would be some chatter around the neighborhoods.” 

“You made a call…but how would you know about this?” Alex pulled back from Finn.  She looked around the room and found her answer.  “How did you know?”

“Alex,” Arden started, “you drew suspicion to yourself the moment you came to our town.  You wouldn’t give anyone your last name and you gave Charlotte a fake name.  Everything around you screamed you were on the run.  I’m the Alpha of a wolf pack and you’re in my territory.  I didn’t know if you were really hiding or here to find out about us.  I will protect my pack against anyone and that included you, but Finn…”

Alex looked back at Finn who was watching her every move.  “Finn what?”

“That’s something for him to tell you,” Arden said. “All I ask is for you to give him a chance to explain.”

“Explain what?”  Alex stood, waiting for Finn to say something as everyone in the room got up and started to leave.  

“I need for you guys to stay.  I don’t know if she will understand what a mate is and I want her to truly get it,” Finn said.

Quinn and Simone both pulled a chair up.  “Alex, please sit because you need to be sitting when you hear this.”  

“Okay.”  Alex swallowed hard.  They could hear her heart beating fast in anticipation of what was going to happen.  

Quinn leaned forward with his elbows lying on his thighs.  She had to say this right or Alex would run.  “Well, you have watched the movies and books about shifters and you have heard them talk about mates…that shifters have mates, right?” Quinn asked.

Alex nodded.

“A mate is totally different than anything a human would ever have.  I said that Arden was my husband which he is but he’s also my mate, which is stronger bond than a husband.”

“Stronger?  You’re confusing me.  I thought a mate was what you called a husband or wife.”

“It’s stronger than any piece of paper, Alex.  You see, when a shifter meets their mate, it’s not something they can control.  A shifter can scent a person and immediately know this person is for them.  The human may not feel it at first, but they do feel a connection toward the person.  For instance, when you first saw Finn what did you think?”  Quinn asked.  Alex’s face became flushed and looked away.  “Look there is nothing wrong with thinking he’s hot, because he is.”  

Alex turned when she heard Arden growling.  Simone and the others laughed.  “Now, now, honey, you know you’re the only one for me, but that brings up another issue.”  Quinn turned and whispered, “They get very possessive of any man that comes near you.  It’s the wolf in them and us, too. I get very possessive if anyone comes near Arden, too. 

“We can’t help it, but no matter what, Alex, I feel this pull toward Arden even before he told me I was his mate.  I felt this urge to be near him all the time.  Trust me when I say I tried to fight it, but I just couldn’t.  I think, right now, Finn needs to talk to you alone.  I know you will have more questions and I’m here to answer them, but talk to Finn first.”  

Finn watched as Quinn and the others got up and walked out, closing the door.  Alex was staring at the floor when the door clicked closed.  “Alex…”  Finn waited until she glanced up before he spoke.  “I understand if you want to run out of here.  I’ve been in your shoes before.  When I was bitten, everything was confusing.  I saw life in a different way afterward.” 

“In what way?”

“Everything became clear to me.  I had just returned from the war in Afghanistan and seen a lot and lost friends.  I was so confused and didn’t know where I fit in life anymore.  I survived when a lot of my friends died and I was having a hard time dealing with it.  I held it inside, but as soon as I was bitten I saw it wasn’t my fault what happened to my friends.  What happened was a tragedy, and I still mourn their deaths, but I can’t take responsibility for something I didn’t cause. 

“The wolf in me showed me that.  I do still have nightmares but the wolf gets me through them. But I remember the moment I walked in the diner and saw you.  My wolf practically jumped out of me to get to you.  He was hard to control and I wanted you just as much.”

“Why?”  Alex asked.  Her eyes looked alarmed.

“Because you’re my mate.  You are the one and there will be no other for me.  I will never look at another woman and feel attracted to them like I do you.  Sure, I will notice a pretty lady, but I don’t feel anything for them because you’re the one.  I will never stray or cheat and I will never leave you.  I would die for you and do whatever I have to in order to make you happy and safe.”  Finn waited for Alex to answer, but she didn’t say a word.  Instead she just stared at him.  “Say something, Alex.”

“I don’t know what to say.  I just met you and I’m not a shifter.  I’m human and I’ve got problems, big problems I’m trying to deal with and I just don’t know what to say.  I’m afraid if I say the wrong thing then everyone will get mad at me and I…”

“Alex, nobody will get mad at you.  I won’t get mad at you.  I just wish you would give me a chance.  Get to know me and see if you feel something for me.  I know this sounds crazy…”  Finn got up and started pacing.  “Hell,” Finn laughed. “It sounds stupid to me even saying it out loud.  I know how humans think and this has to sound like a crazy person talking, but I can’t help the way I feel about you.”

“Is this why you chased me out of the restaurant the first time we seen each other?”

“Yes, my wolf got your scent and when you ran…well, he wanted to chase you and catch you.  But mostly, I was terrified you would leave and I would never know who you were.  We only get one mate in our lifetime and you were leaving.  I’m so sorry you thought I was a crazy person.”

“What would you have done when you caught me?”

Finn chuckled then ran his hand through his hair.  “Well, he would have wanted to lick you, that’s for sure, but…I…I want to kiss you more than the air I’m breathing.”

“Okay,” Alex whispered.  Finn blinked several times.  He never expected her to say that.  He just wanted her to understand how much he wanted her.  

Leaning over, Finn whispered in her ear, “Are you sure?”

Alex nodded slowly and Finn didn’t waste any time, praying that she wouldn’t change her mind.  Reaching over, Finn tilted her head up and softly slipped his mouth over hers. Finn could taste the sweet syrup on her lips.  He explored her mouth, making sure he would taste her forever.