Petros walked into The Agency’s headquarters at precisely eight a.m. Monday morning. Although the offices were open, the only other people there were the skeleton crew manning the overnight shift. He gave them a terse nod and headed to his office. It seemed strange to even have an office. He was not used to being in a management position, having been in the field for more than a decade.

As soon as he turned eighteen, Petros signed up to become part of The Agency. It involved six months of hard training in the most adverse conditions, and only about a quarter who join make it to the end. On Lykos, it was one of the biggest honors to be chosen by Ari Stavros himself for the most elite squad of agents, the Alpha’s Team. The day he had finished his training was the best day of his life. He had dreamed of it since childhood, along with his—

He slammed the door of his office shut and sat down on the shiny new leather chair by the large, sleek glass desk. Christina mentioning Cyprus had brought back those memories. Even weeks after the incident, no one would dare mention it or even say that name. He had worked to forget it, keep it deep inside him, or the memories would surely drive him mad and push his wolf to the brink. Maybe that was part of the reason he came to Blackstone. To forget.

No. He came here for his destiny. And though his mate was resistant, she could not stop fate. He would bide his time; after all, he was a patient man.

“Petros,” a voice called his attention. “How was your weekend?”

“I mostly slept.” He didn’t bother to look up from the reports he was reading since he knew who it was.

Agatha Agrippina walked into his office, her hips swaying seductively as she came closer. She was one of the more junior members of the staff, and an annoying gnat he couldn’t seem to swat away lately.

“You didn’t do anything fun? At all?”

When he looked up, she leaned down low, showing off the generous line of her cleavage. He quickly went back to the reports he’d been reading before she barged in. “There is no time for fun, not when there is much work to be done.”

“There is always time for fun, Petros,” Agatha said. “What do they say here in America? ‘All work and no fun’ and all that?”

With a long sigh, he put the reports down. “Why did you come into my office uninvited?” He really had no time for her games, and his patience was running short with her. Since she arrived a few days ago, she’d done nothing but pester and hover around him.

Of course, he already knew what she wanted—Agatha seemed determined to sleep her way to the top, and she wasn’t shy about it. Some said she had her sights on bagging one of Ari Stavros’ sons and was using her position as an agent to get close to them. She was a fool though, if she thought any of them would even consider taking her seriously. Nikos Stavros would maybe play with her, but Kostas or Xander? They were both far too serious and responsible to sleep with a member of the team. And Petros was smart enough to follow in their lead.

“I’m just making small talk. Or water cooler talk, as they say,” Agatha said with a petulant pout. “You know, Blackstone has so many things to offer. There’s this delightfully rustic bar called The Den—”

His wolf perked up at attention. Not because of Agatha or her insipid stories, but because she was here. The figure that darted into the corner of his vision moved with a familiar grace. He thought it was a mirage of some sort, but that was definitely his mate who entered through the door.

As Kate Caldwell walked into the offices of The Agency, he felt like his body had been smashed across one of the limestone cliffs back in Lykos. She looked gorgeous today, with her dark blonde and pink hair falling down in waves past her shoulders. Her skintight black leggings clung to her sexy legs, and the leather jacket she wore added a hint of danger around her. Of course, he wasn’t the only one who noticed. All the male eyes around her followed her with their gaze.

Petros stood up and slammed his palms on the desk, making Agatha startle in her seat. He ignored her questions as he strode out of his office, determined to stop this nonsense.

Kate was headed toward Christina’s office, unaware of the male attention. She seemed distracted in fact, and when Petros stood in her way, she didn’t see him and jumped back with a small shriek.

“What the hell are you still doing here?” she asked, her pretty green eyes all ablaze.

“I live here.”

“Here?” She looked around. “In the office?”

“In Blackstone.”

Her jaw nearly dropped to the floor. “No, you don’t.”

“Yes, I do,” he said. “I’m second-in-command of the Blackstone branch of The Agency. Of course I must live here now.”

Her face turned red as a tomato. “That’s not … she didn’t mention … you didn’t!” She clutched her laptop bag against her chest and then side stepped around him, walking straight into Christina’s office.

Petros watched as Kate stormed into the glass-walled office, shutting the door behind her. As she let out what Petros presumed was a profanity-laden rant, Christina simply looked at her, cool as a cucumber, and let her continue.

He shook his head. His mate was upset, and once again it was his fault somehow. Determined to find out what happened, he walked to the office and opened the door.

Kate stood there, her face now the shade of an eggplant. Christina merely unfolded her arms and raised a brow. “Are you done? If so, maybe we can get to work.”

“I’m not working here!” she protested.

“You signed a contract,” Christina countered. “Or did you forget?”

She clenched her fists at her sides. “You sneaky … is that why you rushed it over to me yesterday?”

“What is going on?” Petros asked, finally getting a word in.

“Great, you’re here.” Christina stood up and walked over to them. “Petros, meet the newest member of our team. Kate will be helping us set up and maintain our software systems.”

“What?” Kate would be working here? With them? He frowned. That would definitely complicate things.

Kate huffed. “You can’t force me to work here.”

Christina trained her cool blue eyes on Kate. Petros expected a cutting remark, but instead she let out a long sigh. “You’re right, Kate. I can’t force you to do anything. You can go anytime. Petros,” she said. “Kindly re-assign Adriano to keep track of the testing on the servers.”

“Adriano?” Petros frowned. “But he’s working on finding those trafficked shifter girls in New York. He’s been tracking their movements for over 48 hours. We can’t waste any time or else they could leave the country and we’ll never find them.”

Kate's face went red. “You’re going to—” She shut her mouth and then grabbed her laptop bag. “I’ll be checking over your servers and letting you know my recommendations.”

The door slammed so hard, Petros feared the glass walls would shatter. He turned to Christina. “You hired her? To be part of our team?”

“Only as a contractor. She really is the best in town, and she’s already familiar with the equipment Lennox bought us,” Christina said. “Besides, I don’t have time to hire anyone and go through the process of vetting them. And you know we can’t spare anyone as it is.”

He massaged the growing ache in his temple. No, this wasn’t what he wanted. Having her work here would complicate things. He prided himself on being one hundred percent professional and focused. Having Kate here would be a distraction, not only to his team, but he knew he would be spending most of his time fighting off any overeager suitors.

“Petros? What’s wrong?” Christina asked. “I mean, I thought this might also help you and us out. Kill two birds with one stone?”

“I’m certain Kate has killing on her mind, but it’s not birds.” Maybe his stones.

“Petros, I know we’re not particularly close,” Christina said. “But you helped me out a lot of times over the last year when I started as an agent. I just thought, well … if she were around more, then she could get to know you. The mate bond really is a special thing. I know you’ve had it rough and maybe she could—”

“It’s fine,” he said. Christina had thought she was helping, which made it even worse. “I’ll handle it. Is there anything else?”

Christina, seemingly taking the hint, nodded her head. “Yes. I hate to dump more work on you since you’re barely into your second week here, but there’s another development.”

“What is it?”

“My brother-in-law, Luke Lennox, will be getting married next week,” Christina said. “We need to secure the event in case anyone tries to make trouble, like they did at Catherine’s wedding.”

“Of course,” Petros said. “Once you have the details, I’ll come up with a security plan.”

“Thank you, Petros.”

He didn’t wait to be dismissed, but instead, left her office. Walking straight to the server room, he found Kate inside, a deep frown on her face as she muttered curses under her breath and examined the cabinets of computer equipment.

“It’s customary for a gentleman to knock,” she said without looking at him.

“I’m not a gentleman. I’m a caveman, remember?” No reaction. “Just so you know,” he continued, “I did not ask her to hire you. I didn’t even know you were coming here until I saw you walk in the door.”

She ignored him and instead continued her perusal of the machines.

“Please, Kate-m—”

Kate whipped around to face him. “What do you want, Petros?” She stalked toward him, her steps deliberate and slow. “Do you want to fuck me? Is that it? Because if that’s all you want that can be arranged—”

“I do not want a quick tumble in bed.” How could she even think that? “If that were all I wanted, believe me, it would have happened already.” He leaned down, staring into her eyes. “I want you.”

“You want to own me,” she shot back.

“I want you to be mine, and in turn I will be yours. I want us to share each other’s lives and create a home together.” He voice lowered. “And I will make love to you and give you pleasure until you beg me to stop. I want to see your belly ripen with our child.”

“Ha! Ripen? Not gonna happen, dude.”

“Why do you resist this?” he asked. “We are mates. Our animals call to each other. Even now, your wolf longs for me—”

“You’re such a stubborn ass,” she said. She straightened her shoulders. “Look, it’s not you, okay? You seem like a great guy. It’s me. I like my freedom.”

“You make it sound like being mates is a trap.”

“It is, isn’t it?” she asked. “Besides, if you got to know me, you might not even like what you find out.”

“I highly doubt that.” He touched her cheek, then brushed away a lock of hair from her face. “Why would you think so?”

She planted her hands on her hips. “I’m no meek mouse who’s going to bend to your every will.”

“You are spirited,” he said. “I know this.”

“A—and I’m not just going to stay home and raise babies, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“We will raise them together,” he said. “You could stay at home if you want, as I have a generous salary and pension from The Agency, but if your work fulfills you, then you can do that as well.”

“I’ve been around the block a few times,” she said in a defiant tone. “I’m not some virgin who—”

“You are experienced,” he countered. “And you know how to please a man and will not shrink away from me.”

“Are you freaking serious?” She slammed her palms on his chest. “I just told you that I’ve been with other m—”

The growl that came from his lips sounded feral, even to his own ears. He backed her slowly against the wall, trapping her with his body. “There will be no more talk of others. Not for me or you. I do not care about your past because all that matters is the future. From now on, it will only be you and me.”

“Jesus,” she muttered under her breath. “You are intense.”

“I’ve been told I’m single-minded,” he said, leaning down and tipping her face up with a finger on her chin. “But it’s only with things I truly want.”

“Petros.”

He touched his lips to hers, gently this time. The first time they kissed had been wild and unhinged, but now he wanted slow and deliberate. He wanted to see if he had been dreaming all this time about the taste and scent of her. Oh no, it had been no dream. She was just as delicious as before, especially now as she melted against him. Finally, he was getting ahead and moving forward. She wanted him, that was for sure.

He was so wrapped up in her that he didn’t hear a person approaching the server room. It was only a split second later as the door opened that he broke away from Kate just in time.

“Petros?” Agatha’s annoying nasal voice made the desire surging through his body instantly dissipate. “Where have you been? I’ve searched—” Her eyes narrowed as they landed on Kate. “Oh, who’s your friend?”

Kate’s face twisted. “I’m not his friend.”

“No, she’s not,” Petros said with a smug smile. “She is my mate.”

While Kate let out a choked protest, Agatha’s face fell, at least for a moment. “Oh, that’s nice.” She flipped her hair. “Now, I need some help with those reports they need at HQ. Could you please assist me?”

“I will come to your table shortly,” he said. When she didn’t move, he crossed his arms over his chest. “Now go.”

“Fine,” she said with a pout, then pivoted on her heel and left the room.

“Why don’t you go ‘assist’ her?” Kate spat.

He chuckled. “Green is a good look on you, my mate.”

“I—what?” She pushed at him. “I’m not jealous!”

“There is no need to be jealous.” Her antics amused him so much, he couldn’t help himself. He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “You are the only woman for me.”

“Just go,” she said.

Her resistance was puzzling, especially since he could feel her wolf’s desire for the mating. But, then again, Kate was still a woman first. Petros reminded himself that he should not expect her to fall at his feet just because they were mates.

He had to woo her still. Having her here was a setback, as he did not want any hint of impropriety at The Agency, but hopefully since he already laid his claim to her as his mate, the others wouldn’t see it that way. Christina, after all, worked with her dragon mate side by side, and no one batted an eyelash. Yes, it would not be inappropriate at all.

“I shall leave you to your work, then,” he said. As he left, his mind kept going back to how he was going to win her affections. It wasn’t like Lykos was an isolated island and growing up, they had access to the Internet. He had watched a lot of American movies over the years, though mostly it was action movies. He had seen a few romantic ones. Perhaps she was expecting some type of wooing in the style she was more accustomed to. If so, that was something he could definitely do.