CARTER LEFT HIS KITCHEN and immediately placed both hands over his face, tilting his head back. What the fuck had come over him? When she’d mentioned leaving, he’d been filled with panic at the idea of her walking out of his home and never seeing her again.

Everything about Piper fascinated him, yet he knew nothing about her. He didn’t even know her surname. He’d had to leave her in the kitchen because he didn’t trust what would come out of his mouth next. When she’d talked about leaving, it was all he could do to stop himself asking her to move in. This was insane. He’d lost his goddamned mind. What kind of person found a girl in the woods and practically moved her in with him?

Who was the person she was running from? Anger rose inside him at seeing the fear in her eyes. If anyone tried to hurt her while he was around, he’d crush them into a pulpy mush. How could anyone hurt someone so beautiful? She looked fragile, but he sensed a strength in her, a determination. He watched the war on her face as he’d offered her the comfort of a warm bed. She’d battled with herself, knowing she should go, while wanting to take that comfort.

He hoped he hadn’t put her in danger by persuading her to stay.

His office was his place of respite in this house. Most would choose their bedroom, but for Carter it was sitting in his big, leather chair, in front of his even larger desk. He fired up his computer and checked his funds for the day. He spent the next few hours moving stocks and shares around, investing in companies that looked promising and pulling out of those that were falling. Though he worked hard, he couldn’t stop his thoughts going to what Piper might be doing. Was she back in the bedroom? His ears strained, trying to pick up on any sign of her, but she was quiet, like a ghost in his home.

Once he’d finished his own work, he needed to turn his attention to pack issues. As alpha, if there were any disputes within the pack, those issues were first brought to James, and if he wasn’t able to sort them out, or if they were something of importance, such as something that threatened the security of the pack, it would come directly to him. Luckily, today it seemed there wasn’t anything too serious—a dispute about money owed from one family to another, and a mating between two of the pack members.

He realized he hadn’t thought about his own issues since finding Piper. Was that why he was so drawn to her? Was it because she distracted him, or was it because of something biological? No, he didn’t want to put his hopes on that. He’d tried before, numerous times, and he was sure there was something wrong with him. He was too proud to go down the medical route, knowing it would make him a laughingstock of the pack if others found out.

A knock came at his door, and it cracked open, Piper’s face peeping around the edge. “Hey, I brought you coffee.”

The smile that had been so quick to reach his lips since he’d found her leaped to his face. “You didn’t need to do that.”

“No problem.”

“Did you make one for yourself?”

She wrinkled her nose. “I’m not drinking coffee right now.”

He raised his eyebrows. “No? How come?”

“Oh, just the caffeine doesn’t agree with me.” Color had tinged her pale cheeks. He took the moment to study her more closely. The clothes he’d found for her hung off her frame, and she had a strange way of hunching forward. He wondered if she had an injury of some kind. Had the person she was running from—her ex, he’d assumed—hurt her so badly?

She started to back out of the room. “I’ll leave you in peace.”

“No, you’re fine. Stay. Please.”

He didn’t understand why he wanted her in his presence, but having her around calmed his soul.

“You’re busy.”

“No, I’m done. Stay, talk to me.”

She gave a small laugh. “About what?”

“You. Where you’ve come from.”

Her lips tightened. “A long way from here.”

“Another shifter pack?”

She nodded. “Yeah, but one that’s a little more old fashioned than this one.”

“Old fashioned?” he prompted.

“Carter ...” She gave him a pleading look, and he could tell she didn’t want to talk about it. Curiosity burned inside him. He desperately wanted to know where this beautiful woman had come from. Did she have family? How far had she traveled? What did she look like in wolf form? He ached to know every single thing about her, and yet she was a closed book. Yes, he’d found her and helped her, but that didn’t give him automatic access to her life. He was genuinely interested in this woman, not only in her body, which, because of how she was dressed, he’d barely caught a glimpse of. Her exquisite face was enough for him for the moment, how her dark blue eyes were filled with sadness and pain. He wanted to know what was behind those eyes. What in her story had made her look such a way?

While he’d been lost in thought, she’d been looking around the walls of his office. She pointed toward the framed photographs on the walls, the portraits of his grandfather and grandmother, of his father and mother, and aunts and uncles. She turned a circle, following the numerous faces immortalized in the photographs.

“Are these all your family?” she asked.

He nodded. “They were, yes.”

“Were? So none of them are alive?”

“No. I’m the last remaining Reed. When I die, the family name will die with me.”

“Not necessarily. You might have a family of your own one day. You’re only, what, thirty, at the most.”

He laughed. “Twenty-eight, but I won’t make you feel bad for thinking I was older.”

“Sorry. But you still have plenty of time to have a family.”

“I think if it was going to happen, it would have happened by now.” The old darkness at his center rose like a cobra and lashed its tail. He pushed it down again, not wanting to give it any more thought.

She gave a small smile, awkward, as though she’d sensed his discomfort. “So Carter is your first name, not your last?”

He was relieved that she’d steered the subject away from having a family. “That’s right. Carter Anthony Philip Reed. My parents obviously didn’t think it was important to have a name that would roll off the tongue.”

Her smile widened, lighting up her face. “I think it’s a good name. Strong.”

“Thanks. I don’t even know your last name.”

She hesitated, and something he couldn’t quite read passed across her features. “Can we just leave it as Piper for the moment?”

“Really? So you know my entire, pretentious name, and I don’t even get to know your surname. Doesn’t seem fair to me.” He was only half teasing.

She glanced away, her face pinking up. “Sorry.”

“Hey, it’s fine.” He was suddenly panicked she’d use his prying as an excuse to leave. He needed to distract her. He glanced around the room to spot his chess set, the board folded into the box containing the pieces. He nodded over to it. “You ever play?”

She glanced over at the box. “Chess?”

“Yes, chess.”

“No. No one ever taught me.”

He got to his feet and crossed the room to the round table where the set was. He gestured to her to take the seat opposite from his, which she did, and then began setting out the pieces. As he placed each one on the board, he talked her through which each piece represented and what they were able to do.

“This is the king. He’s the one you must protect at all costs. This is your queen, and she’s the most powerful player on the board.”

Piper caught on quickly. He helped her at first, pointing out different moves she could make, which at first made him feel as though he was playing against himself. But then she started to make moves of her own, and before long, she proved herself to be a worthy opponent.

The hours whiled away. They finished one game and started another, bringing in snacks from the kitchen to eat while they played. Piper was good company, quietly reserved, knowing her mind while not throwing any dramatics when things didn’t go her way.

She hid a yawn behind her hand, but he spotted it.

“Sorry. You should be resting, and we’ve been playing for hours.”

“I’ve enjoyed myself. It’s been nice not to be lost in my own thoughts for a change. Focusing on something other than my own problems.”

He understood exactly how that felt. “You can always tell me about them,” he prompted.

She smiled. “Nice try.”

“Okay, but I’m here if you ever decide you want a sympathetic ear.”

To his surprise, she leaned across the table and placed a soft kiss to his cheek. The scent of her washed over him, and it was all he could do to stop himself from grabbing her by the arm and yanking her into his lap.

“Thank you, Carter. I don’t know what I did to deserve having you find me yesterday, but I’m happy you did.”

He turned and watched her go, both his heart and his cock aching. He didn’t know either, but in a small amount of time, Piper had definitely made a big impression.