His head hurt like a son-of-a-bitch. Rafe struggled to sit upright. His muscles screamed in protest and everything ached. He squinted in the fluorescent-lit room and growled as his surroundings began to make sense.

Concrete walls. Concrete floors. A metal cot with a bare mattress and an open toilet in the corner.

“Son of a…” Rafe dropped his head into his hands and scrubbed at his face.

His brother had thrown him into a jail cell. The little shit. He’d had the sheriff tranq him and while he was out they’d thrown him in a cell. Bastards. He hadn’t done anything wrong. Nothing except try to claim his mate. Michael was the one that had gotten in the way. Michael was the one that had interfered. He should be the one in this cell but of course he wasn’t. Because Michael was Pack Alpha.

Rafe’s head hurt too bad to even think about how that was his own doing. How he was the one that should have been Pack Alpha. Should have been making the decisions. Should have spent the past few years creating a life and a family with his mate instead of roaming the country alone with no place to call home.

His mate. Zoey. The fog that had been clouding his skull cleared at the thought of her. Zoey. His Zoey.

He could smell her. It was faint but there. The sweet scent of vanilla and cinnamon. His woman’s scent. He’d know it anywhere. He sniffed his clothes and smiled softly. He was covered in her scent but that wasn’t where it was coming from. That was mixed with his already, just the way he wanted it.

The scent his nose had picked up on was something else. Something that made his blood hot and his fists curl. Zoey’s scent mixed with someone else’s. Mixed with Michael’s.

He swallowed a growl and lunged at the bars. He needed out of here. Now. A cell couldn’t hold him, not when he was determined to get to his mate.

Only as soon as his hands closed on the bars he hissed in pain and jerked back as if he’d been burned. No, not as if. He stared down at the welts on his palms and growled again. Silver. The bars of the cell were reinforced with silver. The one metal that could harm a wolf. He cursed his brother all over again. Of course Michael would think of installing silver into the bars of the cells at the local jail. He’d always been smart and a pain in the ass.

Rafe swiped his hands on his shirt and retreated to the bunk. He couldn’t escape. Couldn’t get out. Not on his own.

He tried to focus on his other senses. He could smell Zoey. She was somewhere nearby. So was Michael and someone else. The Sheriff maybe? He couldn’t be sure. His ears pricked and he could pick up bits and pieces of the conversation they were having upstairs.

A smile nudged at his mouth as he listened in. Zoey. His sweet, fiery mate was yelling. Not just yelling but yelling at Michael. She was yelling at the Alpha of the pack. For him. But his smile faded as he listened to his brother yelling right back at her.

A growl hung in his throat. Michael had no right. None. He didn’t get to yell at Zoey. He didn’t get to keep them apart. But stronger than the anger was the worry he felt building inside of him. His mate was challenging the Pack Alpha and Rafe wasn’t there to protect her because he’d handled everything all wrong and gotten himself locked up.

He needed out of this cell. Now. Silver or no silver. His mate needed him.

He knew that Michael had feelings for Zoey. His brother wouldn’t harm her. Not on purpose. But at some point, he would have to stand up to her. Because he was Pack Alpha. He would have to show his strength and shut her down. And Rafe couldn’t, and wouldn’t, let his brother punish her for defending him.

Instead of trying to pry the bars open again, he went to the small window. The bars there were probably laced with silver too so he didn’t bother. He focused on the concrete blocks instead. With a whole lot of energy, he might be able to punch his way through but that tranquilizer had weakened him. It would take too long and he didn’t know how much time he had left before someone came to check on him or…

The sound of footsteps behind him had him spinning back towards the front of the cell. He was prepared for the worst. For another tranquilizer from that bastard Sherriff or for his brother. He hadn’t been prepared to see her on the other side though and relief squeezed his heart.

“Zoey.” He rushed towards him and only caught himself a moment before he touched the bars.

“Shh, they’ll hear us.” She hushed as she moved towards him quickly now. “I snuck away but we don’t have long until they realize I’m not in the bathroom.”

All of his aches and pains disappeared with her nearness. The only thought in his head was how to get closer to her. He needed to touch her, feel her, taste her.

She looked beautiful. She would always look beautiful to him. Because she was his.

But he couldn’t help the snarl that tore from his throat when he caught a whiff of his brother’s scent coming from her. He scowled She was still wearing that tiny, slip of a red dress that made his wolf salivate but she had a thin hunter-green jacket with the gold emblem of the Sherriff’s station on the sleeve pulled over it, as if she’d gotten cold. The jacket. It was Michael’s. And he wanted to gut his brother for giving it to her to wear when he must have known how it would rile Rafe.

“What’s wrong?” She whispered as she curled her fingers over the bars of the cage he was trapped in. “You don’t look happy to see me.”

“That jacket.” He spit through gritted teeth. “Take it off. Now.”

Her brows furrowed and she looked at the jacket, “What? Wh…”

“Now. Zoey. Take it off or I swear I’m going to rip it off you.” He watched her eyes flare with recognition and heat, “It smells like my brother and you should only, ever, smell like me. Take. It. Off.”

She bit her lip and her cheeks flushed the prettiest shade of pink. She shrugged her shoulders and the jacket slid to the floor. He groaned when she followed the order and his blood boiled hot for another reason. She’d followed his command, taken off the offending article of clothing, and on top of that now he could see so much more of her pale, porcelain skin.

His. She was his. And the heat was going to his head being this close to her.

“Come here.” He ordered.

Still biting her lip, she edged against the bars, “Rafe…”

“Say it again.” He whispered, pressing as close to her as he could without burning his skin.

“Rafe…” She stifled a moan when he traced her fingers with his own, a shudder running through them both, “Rafe, this is crazy. I… oh God, it’s like lightning in my veins.”

“I know.” He lifted her hand, pulling it closer so he could scent her right at the pulse in her wrist.

He knew what she meant. This entire situation was crazy. The two of them. The heat. The problem that Michael posed as Pack Alpha, trying to keep them apart. But craziest of all was how intense the heat was, the need to have her, to possess her. He craved her more than the air in his lungs.

“You’re mine.” He dragged his teeth across her pale wrist, “You’re mine, Zoey.”

“Yours.” She moaned almost incoherently. “I’m yours.”

“Not yet you’re not. But you will be.” He licked her and the taste made his wolf howl, “Need you.”

“Yes.”

Ignoring the bite of pain, he reached through the bars and wound a hand in her hair. He tilted her face up and pressed his lips to hers. The silver burned his cheek where he couldn’t avoid the bars of his cell but it didn’t matter. Nothing did. Not when he finally, finally had the taste of his mate on his lips.

Sweet, so sweet. Her taste seeped inside of him and started a riot in his bloodstream. Her lips were soft and sweet and when they met his, it felt like a piece of the puzzle he’d always been missing slid into place.

How had he lived without this? All this time? All these years? And his mate had been right here, waiting for him.

Rafe groaned and licked at her lips. Zoey made a small sound that made his wolf purr as she opened to him. Her tongue met his, warm, wet velvet. He sucked and she whimpered again. He pressed closer, needing more, so much more, but the burn of the silver cut at him and he winced away.

Zoey was gasping for breath when he released her and it took everything inside him not to reach for her again. Her cheeks were rosy and her lips were red. Her green eyes were glassy. But she blinked and they cleared as swiftly as the color left her cheeks.

“Oh my God! Rafe!” She reached through the bars and gently stroked his burned cheek, “What happened? That wasn’t there earlier.”

He winced as he felt his cheek already beginning to heal, “It’s the bars. They’re laced with silver. They weaken my wolf and burn me if I touch them.”

“Oh my God! Rafe!” She hissed with a roll of her eyes, “Why didn’t you say something?”

“It wouldn’t have mattered. I needed to touch you. Taste you. And I can’t get out of here.”

“Seriously? You underestimate me just like your brother does.” She huffed and bent to retrieve the jacket from the floor, rifling in the pockets, “It has to stop. I can’t deal with the both of you being alpha, chauvinist assholes.”

“Zoey…” He started but he snapped his mouth shut when she stood back up and jangled a keyring at him. “Oh.”

“Yeah. Oh.” She smirked, “I stole the keys before I snuck down here. I could’ve let you out earlier if you’d told me that the bars hurt you. It’s called communication. If we’re going to be mates…”

“We are mates.” He growled.

“Then you’re going to have to tell me how all of this works. Not a wolf, remember? Just a human.”

He grinned as he watched her work through the set, searching for the right key. His mate was incredible. He’d already known she was beautiful. She was also smart and feisty and absolutely perfect for him. Fate had gotten it right no matter what his brother thought.

“Not for long.”

“What?” She glanced up at him from beneath thick lashes as she slipped another key into the slot and it clicked.

“You won’t just be human for long.” He slid through the door of the cell as soon as she opened it and pulled her into his arms, nuzzling her neck and taking in as much of her scent as he could, “You’ll be a wolf once I bite you.”

She moaned and tilted her head back, giving him full access to her neck and shivering, “Rafe, please…”

“No.” He forced himself to pull back.

“But…”

“No.” He nipped at her lush lips and then met her glassy gaze again, “Not here. Not now. Not like this. I’ve waited too long for you and you’re not making that decision in the heat of the moment.”

He could take her without biting her. He hoped. He would have to control his wolf and the bastard that lived inside of him was snapping at the chance to sink his teeth into her. But Rafe wouldn’t let him. Not now. Not yet. He didn’t trust his wolf not to hurt her.

More than that, he didn’t trust her to make the decision with the heat bearing down on them. She’d said all of this was crazy. He knew it was. Fast and crazy and out of control, and he couldn’t let his wolf near her. Not like that.

When he bit her, when he marked her and gave her a wolf of her own, made her like him and sealed the bond, it wouldn’t be in the heat of the moment.

He would take her. Claim her with his human half. But he wouldn’t bite her. Not tonight. He could control his wolf. He could keep himself reined in. He could and he would. It had been a long time since he’d been on the same page as his wolf but on this, they would have to agree and he would have to win.

Because she was his world now and he wouldn’t let anything hurt her.

“Rafe…”

“We have to get out of here.” He reminded her when he realized they were still rubbing against each other, scenting one another, marking each other the only way they could, with their scents. “Before they come for me.”

Zoey nodded quickly, “Michael wants to stop this.”

“Michael doesn’t get to decide this.” He growled. “You decide. Do you want this? Me? Do you trust that fate got it right?”

She met his eyes. Those beautiful blue-green and gold-flecked eyes weren’t glassy anymore. They were steady and full of heat and desire. And something else, something that looked like trust.

“Yes.” She answered without hesitation.