The white mansion on the outskirts of the city, where the fundraiser was being held, was bathed in lights, with valets running around outside, parking fancy cars and gathering generous tips. A buzz of voices and muted laughter filled the air, diamonds and pearls glinting along with the movements of the immaculately made-up women who strolled inside the building.

This was definitely not Wes’ scene, and it felt slightly odd being out of his usual attire of jeans and a t-shirt. Dakota, on the other hand, looked right at home in her elegant gown, her hips swaying as she walked along on his arm, her head held high and her shoulders pushed back.

They had parked their car a ways off, just in case Elias’ guards were on the lookout for it, and were slipping past the valets toward the open door. Two men in suits stood on either side of the doorway, one with a tablet in his hand and the other looking like he was more used to holding a gun than an iPad.

“Are you sure we’re on the list?” Wes asked quietly, as they ascended the stairs leading to the door.

“We better be,” she whispered, before giving the guys at the door a dazzling smile. “Dakota Thompson,” she said aloud, and the man with the tablet nodded, scrolling along the edge of the screen.

“Welcome,” he smiled, looking up. “Have a wonderful evening.”

“Thank you,” Dakota nodded, and off they went.

Wes kept his eyes open and his senses calibrated to detect Elias. He still remembered the man’s scent from when Dakota confronted him outside his hotel, and while sniffing him out would be more difficult in the sea of smells in the fundraiser, he trusted his nose to give him a heads up.

“Your aunt must know all the right people,” he commented, as he and Dakota walked along the long halls of the mansion.

The place looked elegant, if a little showy for Wes’ tastes. Paintings and sculptures lined the walls, with accents of gold along the edges of the picture frames. The carpet leading the way to the banquet hall was a lush red, offsetting the white of the walls and high ceiling.

“These are her kind of people,” Dakota replied, with a delicate shrug of her shoulder. “She brunches with a bunch of the women here on a regular basis. She might not be as wealthy as she used to be, but she still likes to keep up appearances.”

“Well, at least she got us past the door,” Wes commented.

“I think she might be a little scared of me,” Dakota laughed. “Or maybe she was just excited I would have to put on a gown for once.”

“Which you look stunning in, by the way,” he remarked.

“Thank you,” she smiled. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

“No one is going to be looking at me tonight. Trust me,” Wes replied.

She gave him another smile, but he could tell she was preoccupied. And while she was still holding on to his arm, there was a distance between them that hadn’t been there before. He had felt it ever since he had kissed her earlier in the hotel room.

Ah, yes. The kiss that pretty much sent her running out of the room.

At least she wasn’t fighting his compliments anymore. That had to mean something, right? Either way, it wasn’t the time or place to start questioning Dakota about what was making her pull away from him.

“Yes,” Dakota muttered under her breath, leading him toward the side of the banquet hall, which was now quickly filling up with people. “At least the food at these events is always awesome,” she grinned, tilting her head at the set-up of over-the-top finger foods.

Wes glanced over at the stage set up at the front of the huge room, listening to snippets of extremely boring conversations going on all around him. There was still no sign of Elias, and his wolf was restless, either sensing the possible danger of he and Dakota being there or the fact Dakota seemed to be second-guessing her involvement with him.

It’s going to be a long night.

* * *

A gray-haired man waved and walked off the stage, marking the end of yet another speech on how important continuing cancer research was, and how all the people in attendance were generous saints. Wes and Dakota kept to the back of the room, where they had a view of the entrance and everything else going on.

“What do you think?” Wes whispered. “Fashionably late or a no-show?”

“He could still show. Maybe he wanted to avoid the speeches,” she replied.

“I wish we would have avoided the speeches,” Wes muttered.

“What, you didn’t already know cancer was bad and giving away your money will make you feel better about yourself?” she asked, shooting him a playful look.

“I’m a changed man,” he nodded, putting on a serious face.

The crowd around them applauded, and he and Dakota followed suit. The stage was quickly cleared, and in place of a microphone stand, sheet music stands were set up. Another round of applause led a set of musicians to the stage, who quickly took their places with instruments in hand.

“Now what?” Wes asked, when the clapping had subsided.

“Champagne, mingling, dancing,” she replied, her eyes scanning over the crowd. “You know, the fun part,” she added, laughing when there were absolutely no traces of excitement on Wes’ face. “Or in our case, the part where we try to locate a spellcasting maniac in a sea of rich people.”

“Now that’s what I’m talking about,” Wes grinned.

Dakota shook her head.

“I swear, this stuff excites you way more than it…” she started to say, but Wes cut her off when a whiff of a familiar scent reached his nose.

“Hold on,” he said, taking a deeper breath, his head on a swivel.

“What?” Dakota immediately asked, her gaze following his. “Is he here?”

Wes had to suppress a growl building in his chest.

“Yes,” he replied.

“Do you know where exactly? We’d better avoid him seeing us if we don’t want to get kicked out,” she remarked, hooking her arm in his once again.

“My nose doesn’t come with a compass, unfortunately,” he replied. “But the scent is getting stronger.”

People were starting to take to the dance floor, with the band starting a soft, low-tempo song. Wes kept scanning for Elias’ blond hair while keeping his smoky scent in his nostrils. He wasn’t sure if he was imagining it, but it smelled more acrid than it had the last time Wes had met the man.

In the sea of black tuxes and colorful evening gowns, it was hard for even Wes to single out one person. But when his eyes fixed on a familiar silhouette, he knew in an instant – it was Elias.

He watched the man slowly turn around, a champagne glass between his fingers, his line of sight set straight on Dakota.

Shit!

Thinking on his feet, Wes quickly grabbed her waist and spun her toward the dance floor, fast enough to make her stumble on her feet.

“Whoa,” she muttered, going along with him despite Wes catching her by surprise.

Pressing her against him, he guided her toward the middle of the floor, where they would be more hidden among the other couples slow-dancing all around them.

“I saw him,” he whispered, dipping his mouth to her ear.

It was hard to miss the shiver that ran down her spine when his lips brushed against her skin, or the way her scent changed, warming and telling him his touch did not leave her unaffected in the least.

Just when I thought keeping myself from kissing her again couldn’t get any more difficult.