“King Raul sends his regards, Your Majesty.” The man who had spoken flinched under my gaze, his eyes immediately lowering to the floor and shoulders hunching forward. If he’d been in his wolf form, his tail would have been curled between his legs and his belly grazing the floor.

A low growl trickled out of my throat, and the messenger blanched, his throat working as he swallowed back his fear. “King Raul can go—”

“King Nicholas,” Zara murmured, clucked her tongue behind me, placing her hand on my shoulder. A gentle reminder that I had a role to fill and expectations to meet.

Unclenching my fist, I spread my fingers across the distressed oak surface of my desk, letting the grain beneath my fingertips soothe the beast inside. “Please let King Raul know that his regards are welcome along with his upcoming visit.” I ground the words out through gritted teeth.

“Most certainly, Your Majesty,” the man huffed out, backing away until he reached the door, then he turned tail and ran. Coward.

“He’s only doing his job, Nick,” Zara reminded me with a soft huff, making her way around the table to take a seat opposite me. She crossed her legs, the hem of her businesslike skirt sliding up a shapely thigh, and I once again wondered why the hell the Goddess hadn’t chosen Zara for my mate. She’d have been perfect, a strong female wolf shifter, with attributes that any male would have to be blind to miss, and a mind as sharp as a blade. She was also twice as cunning as most of the males I knew. “Give over, Nick.” She shook her head at me, a smile lifting her lips. “This buffet isn’t for you, and you know it.”

She also was the only person who I allowed to get away with speaking to me like that. And, damn it, she was right. We’d flirted a little, but my wolf just wasn’t interested. He thought of Zara as a strong packmate, someone to keep at our side and watch our back. “I know, but it would have made things a hell of a lot easier.”

She arched a brow, giving me a look that said she wasn’t impressed with my observation. And was thinking about cutting my balls off with her claws. “Trust me, you couldn’t handle me.” And I’d heard that about her, too. According to rumors, Zara was an alpha through and through when it came to the bedroom, which was yet another reason we weren’t compatible. I didn’t mind a little defiance when it came to bed sport, but my nature demanded that I take charge.

“And don’t I know it,” I conceded with a chuckle, dragging a hand through my hair. Across the room, a large window framed the sky that was softening to a hazy indigo, signaling the coming dawn. “Was that the last thing on the agenda?”

She checked her phone, then nodded. “It was, for tonight, anyway.”

Standing, I stretched, rolling my head to dislodge the kinks that had dug in through the long meetings, though it did nothing to ease the low-level headache that pretending diplomacy always brought. “Good. I’m going for a run. Will you be joining me?” Yet another thing I missed, the freedom to run with the pack whenever the hell I wanted to. I’d heard them earlier, howls of exhilaration drifting on the wind as they hunted and chased, reveling in the freedom of being a wolf, while I was chained to a desk. Not that I would have joined them anyway.

“Not tonight.” She licked her lips, then curved them in a smug smile. “I have another appointment to keep.” Her eyes took on a predatory air, and I almost felt sorry for the man who would surely be waiting in her bed. Almost. At least he was getting some. “Are you taking Alex with you?”

Following her to the door, I held it open as she slipped through. “Of course.” Just the thought of my nephew brought a lightness to my heart, finally easing the headache away. For a while, it had been hard for me to even look at the boy, his appearance so like that of his parents, it had been like a blade to my heart every time I set eyes on him. But, now, even though I mourned my brother and his mate, I also rejoiced in the fact that I still had a part of them in my life. The pack mourned when we lost one of our own, but we were beasts at heart and it was in our nature to embrace the future with a passion that burned away regret and heartache. And Alex was our future, the next alpha of our pack, and he would be a better ruler than me. By blood right, I ruled the pack, but it had never been my true destiny. I was an enforcer, the vengeance standing behind the alpha. The transformation to king and alpha had been a shock and a challenge, testing my patience on more than one occasion, and driving me further from the life I’d once known. I barely recognized myself now, but it was my duty and one I wouldn’t shirk. Even if it meant shouldering everything alone.

Reaching Alex’s room, my spirits lifted and I waved Zara away with a grin, slipping inside.

* * *

Our paws thudded against the ground, kicking up dirt in our wake as we raced toward the sun that peeped over the horizon. Sweat dampened my fur, muscles moving in a languid rhythm, warm and loose from the hour spent running and hunting. Beside me, Alex yipped, his little black body twisting as he jumped into the air, snapping his teeth in an expression of pure joy. Nudging his shoulder with my flank, I steered him into the palace grounds, our claws clicking on the tiles as we made our way around the pool. All around us, the house lay silent, everyone still in their beds fast asleep as we prowled through the corridors. Not that they’d have given us a second glance, seeing that everyone who worked here was a member of the pack.

Nudging Alex’s bedroom door open, we slipped inside, then allowed the change to rush over us. It was as easy as breathing, even if it hurt like a bitch every single goddamned time. The air conditioning cooled my heated skin as we padded over to the bed that dominated the room.

“Go on, into bed with you, little pup,” I whispered, tucking my nephew in and pressing a kiss to the top of his head. His eyelids were already fluttering shut, though a happy glow clung to his skin.

“Love you, Uncle Nick,” he whispered, before snuggling down into the comforter. He was out in seconds, his breathing slow and steady.

I took a moment to breathe, clinging to the calm that always came after running as my wolf. He viewed life in black and white, with no shades of gray to detract him from his goals. There was family, pack, and the pleasure to be taken from life. I envied him the simplicity of his decisions and hated having to turn my back on the same values I had once lived my life by as a man. It wasn’t the mantle of responsibility that threatened to choke me like a noose, I would do anything for my people—kill for them, die for them—it was the fact that, as the alpha and king, I had to play a part, and it was a facade that brought isolation with it. Where before, I had laughed and drank with the guys, now I couldn’t approach them without them lowering their eyes and groveling. Though, I was partially to blame. Being the alpha painted a target on my back.

It sucked ass, but someone had to do it, as my brother would have said. But he’d had his mate by his side, someone to turn to in the dark and ease the loneliness.

“Move away from him slowly.” The voice came from behind me, a feminine hiss that meant business.

Jarred from my thoughts, I stilled, sucking in a breath and scenting the room. Night flowering jasmine and honey seeped into my nose, so rich and heady, I could almost taste her on my tongue. “Shhh, woman, you’ll wake the prince.” My reply was a growled command, a visceral reaction to her presence and the instant arousal surging through me.

“Exactly. He’s the prince and you’re a weird naked man leaning over his bed. I swear, if you don’t move, I’m going to use this thing!”

I glanced over my shoulder. “A golf club?” I forced my voice to be nonchalant, but inside my beast howled. The woman standing in the doorway was all lush curves and moonlit skin, her honey brown hair curling around her chin and showcasing the slim column of her throat. Her legs were bare beneath a pair of shorts, a thin sleep top clinging to her soft breasts and stomach, before hugging her generous hips. But it was her eyes that startled me, had my breath catching in my throat and heart pounding. A smoky brown, flecked with gold and hinting at green, the were wide and set far apart on her face, framed by eyebrows that were reaching up in an arch of astonishment. Her lips parted, probably readying to deliver another ultimatum, and my gaze dropped, mesmerized as she faltered, her jaw clenching and throat working as she swallowed. Her pulse thudded in her neck, her fingers tightening around the steel shaft gripped in her hand.

I cursed under my breath as images of her tightening her hand around another type of shaft flooded me, my cock thickening between my thighs.

Her eyes deliberately swept over my body, as if repaying me for my earlier liberties, but it was the soft intake of air that betrayed her reaction, the hint of a shudder working its way through her spine as she devoured me with her gaze.

She snapped her eyes back to my face, lips set in a firm line. “Who are you?”

“You can call me anything you want,” I growled, striding toward her, “as long as you’re screaming it.”