“What the fuck do you want?”

Even from way up in the bedroom, I could hear my mate’s disgruntled roar. Interest piqued, I climbed off the bed and padded downstairs. It wasn’t often Owen got pissed—unless I was deliberately goading him, which was a lot of fun and one of my favorite pastimes—but when he did get angry and it wasn’t my fault, it was always quite the show and I tried not to miss an episode. FYI—make up sex was great, especially with a hot as hell alpha wolf shifter. My dragon was still fanning herself from the last romp around the block.

Yep, and even when it wasn’t me that was arguing with him, I still got furious sex as a treat afterward. So, I was smiling as I made my way downstairs, like a kid promised a giant sundae. With a cherry on top.

Furious whispers met my ears.

Huh. The cherry disappeared from my imaginary sundae and I made a sound of disgust.

“What’s up, wolf?” I bumped my hip against his, trying to clear his bulk out of the doorway so I could peer past him.

“Lucky?”

My stomach churned at the familiar voice.

The sundae vanished completely as Owen reluctantly shuffled aside when I dug my fingers in his ribs. Overprotective man. “What do you want?” I aimed for bored nonchalance and was pretty sure I pulled it off, giving my adoptive parents a blank stare.

“You’ve got a death wish coming onto pack land,” Owen growled, not going for bored nonchalance.

My father cleared his throat. “Can we come in?”

“Nope.” I delivered the word with the relish it deserved. “I don’t want to see you. I thought I’d made that clear.”

A hand slammed against the door before I managed to close it. “We know who lied to us.” My mother’s words were a last-ditch attempt at trickery, but the urge to hear them out surged through me. Call me inquisitive or stupid, either way, I wanted to hear it.

“And?”

My mother took a deep breath. “Can we please come inside?”

I looked at Owen, who inclined his head to me. My decision then. “As long as you leave when requested.”

Once they’d both nodded, they followed me inside and I tried my best not to look at them, to not notice the way their faces bore fresh signs of grief or the way their clothes didn’t fit so well anymore. I tried, but I could feel them slipping past my defenses already.

Owen’s made me soft.

Then his hand slipped into mine and I felt complete again, the strength to deal with this filling me up and bolstering me.

I wasn’t the same woman they’d spoken to a couple of weeks ago. I’d had time to deal with their reappearance, figure out my shit. I had also been working on my poker face, just in case. Good thing, too.

After we were seated in the living area—no refreshments offered, of course—I waved a hand for them to get on with it.

My mother cleared her throat, her fingers worrying at the bracelet she always wore, twisting it around and around. “We don’t blame you for hating us, Lucky.”

“It’s just Briana now.”

“Right, of course.” She bowed her head, taking a deep breath. “Where to start … Right, uh, well, we took you in as a baby. We couldn’t have children of our own and you were the gift we never dared to hope for.” She paused and when I didn’t speak, she continued, “We knew of your parents, of course, and one of the reasons you were secretly placed with us was for your own safety. Not all of the older dragon females can conceive, a lingering side effect of surviving the sickness, but the younger generation are fit and healthy, which made you a target.”

“All the more reason to protect her,” Owen growled, tensing at my side.

“Which is why we trained Briana to be strong and powerful. How to fight and lead.” Her eyes glimmered with pride as she looked at me. “And you became the woman I knew you could be.”

Despite promising myself that I’d stay silent, I couldn’t help myself from asking, “Then, why?” Pretty broad question, but I wanted to hear everything.

“We knew that if your true lineage was discovered then you would be sought out and courted, so we encouraged you to embrace a life without a man at your side, hoping it would give you the strength to see through the lies that would be thrown your way once you were interested in dating. Dragons can’t always wait for their fated mates because not enough of us survived.”

I gritted my teeth, biting my tongue. But, hell in a hand basket, it was hard.

“What do you mean, lineage?”

I was glad Owen asked, because that one had slipped straight past me.

“The Bloodstone line were the least affected by the sickness. They seemed to possess some kind of natural immunity, though some accused them of being behind the disease.” She chuffed, her jaw tight. “They couldn’t get it through their thick skulls that it was more likely a sign of your clan’s pure blood, and then it was too late. Your clan was gone, murdered. One of the three ruling bloodlines, destroyed.”

Ah, yes, the whole ancient bloodline thing. Sounded more like a curse than a blessing from where I was standing. Okay. Let’s store that little nugget away for more morbid assessment later. “Carry on.” If I wasn’t so pissed, I’d feel a bit like a queen, waving my hand around and issuing orders.

“Do you remember that day when we visited the council chambers?”

I rolled my eyes and my father tutted, unable to help himself, obviously. But it was my house, my rules, and if I wanted to roll my eyes like a teenager, then so be it. “You’ll have to be a little more specific.”

“It was summer and we’d been called in for an emergency session to discuss rumors that the humans had caught images of us on camera.”

Ah, that one. I nodded.

“Talk of building an army took place that day, calling all able dragons in to fight if a war started between shifters and humans.”

Now that I didn’t know.

“It was one of your first official outings as one of our bodyguards and they saw you. The other council members—the other shifters—they asked why your name wasn’t on the list we’d just drawn up. They didn’t care about our women being nearly wiped out or that you were my daughter. We couldn’t tell them who you really were, because then the pressure for you to mate and rebuild your bloodline would have begun. But they said if you were capable of service then you would be called to fight.” She blinked, as if peering into the past. “So, I took you out of service. Forbade you to fight and kept you out of their sight.”

My father carried on when my mother fell silent, “We told them that you had suffered an injury and had decided to settle down and start a family. As long as it appeared that we were telling the truth, you would be safe.”

“But I would have fought!”

My mother leaned forward, as if to pat my hand, but she restrained herself at the last moment. “I know. There was another reason too. Once the council had made their list, it was to be passed out to all the alphas. Even not knowing the truth of who you really are, your full name would have been revealed as a Skyjade, our only daughter, and the claims would have begun. The fighting. The attempts at snatching.”

Owen held up a hand. “Wait, what? Snatching?”

“An old tradition that most don’t observe anymore.” My mother snorted. “If they’ve got any decency left, anyway. They believe that if a dragon has enough wit and strength to snatch an unmated woman out of her own home, then he can claim her.”

Ah, crapola. Right. That little factoid was tucked away right along with the kind of bedtime stories that were used to scare a kid into behaving themselves.

Yeah, she didn’t have to spell it out. My adoptive parents were powerful and wealthy, not to mention the fact that they were both on the shifter council. I’d have been quite the catch.

“We were trying to protect you until you were older and stronger, until you could protect yourself. We thought you might fall in love and chose your own mate. Our faults lie with loving you too much to see you put at risk,” my father said in a gruff voice, smoothing his hands over his pants, back and forth in a nervous gesture.

If they’d just explained things to me… “And then you thought, screw it, I’ll just give her to someone?”

“No! We were told that you had fallen in love, but that you wanted to protect your reputation and refrain from seeing him before your mating night.”

I made a rude noise. How the hell could they even think that was what I would have wanted? “And you didn’t think to speak to me about it?” My sarcasm was just sparkling today.

“You ran before I got the chance to have the birds and the bees talk, Briana.” Lucky for her, I didn’t detect a hint of sarcasm.

“Because I overheard you planning it!”

“I wanted to surprise you with the plans because we thought that’s what you wanted! We were going to do the big reveal that weekend, giving us a couple of weeks to spend together as a family while you prepared for your new life with your mate. Who we foolishly believed you loved.”

My mind was warped, trying to fit everything together and coming up with a crocheted blanket. “Who told you?” I had to know.

“Your Uncle Geddard.” Tears fell from her eyes as she stared at me.

Huh. I hadn’t really known my uncle that well, so why did he want to get rid of me?

My mother was still sobbing, her shoulders shaking as she struggled to get the words out, “I believed my brother without a thought and I’m desperately sorry. I was foolish and it was unforgivable and I’m going to mourn losing my daughter from our lives for the rest of my time here on earth.”

My father nodded, his eyes glistening as he gripped his mate’s hand. “We thought that you’d been snatched. Then when you didn’t resurface, we couldn’t stop ourselves from thinking the worst had happened. Seeing you here, happy with your new mate, living the kind of life that we’d hoped for you is everything we could have dreamed of.”

Wait? They were okay with Owen being my mate? That I hadn’t chosen another dragon, seeing as how I had this super special blood swimming through my veins, I’d kinda thought they might not be on board with the idea. Repopulating the species, and all that jazz.

He continued, oblivious to my inner ramblings, “We just wanted you to know that your uncle confessed and is being punished for his crime against you. He will be banished and his wings clipped.”

Holy shit. That was a harsh punishment. I waited to feel a speck of remorse, but my heart was hardened to the uncle I’d barely known. My parents were badasses, and they certainly didn’t take prisoners when it came to people who hurt their family. Even when it was family.

Taking a moment, I let the new knowledge sink in. How they’d gotten the confession was best left to my overactive imagination, but I was betting it wasn’t pleasant. But… “How did he think he’d get away with it? Surely he must have known that I would have refused.”

“They thought you, a silly girl, would welcome the advances of an influential and rich man. If you’d have said no, he was planning on snatching you with your uncle’s help. Silly men, thinking they’d be able to sneak into my house when I would be expecting them? Not even proper alphas, either, the pair of them. Not a full set of balls between them.” She growled and my father flashed a grin that was more teeth than lips. “Your uncle was paid for his involvement, just in case you were interested in his motivation and the kind of man he really is.” Mother curled her lip in disgust, smoke curling out of her nose. Oh, yes, she was furious. The kind of scary that made other alphas look like wusses. And she’d kicked my uncle—her own brother’s—ass for me.

I rested my chin in my hand as everything I’d thought I’d known to be true, rearranged itself and made a whole new picture. Damn. If I’d only waited a couple more days, we would have spoken and the truth would have come out. They would have helped protect me and I wouldn’t have had to run. None of this would have happened. The bitterness and hurt that had almost broken me had been endured for nothing.

Then Owen’s hand squeezed mine and our eyes met.

And everything made perfect sense.

I had to be broken to find him, so he could put me back together again. So I could understand his broken pieces and fit them with mine.

I had to be the girl who’d run away from home so I could become the woman who loved him with every part of my shattered heart.

A flash of warmth in his eyes and a tilt of his head told me he understood. He would stand by my side no matter what, but it would always be my decision which way I would lead. No words needed.

My heart fluttered in my chest, trying to psychically reach across the gap for him. I gasped. Damn, I love this man.

Pressing a kiss to his lips, I squeezed his hand, then released him.

Then I slowly reached for my parents’ hands. “I’d like you to officially meet my mate and the man I love, Mr. Owen Robson, the alpha of the wolves of Heartsridge.

* * *

I tapped the pen on my desk, gathering everyone’s attention and disbursing the low rumble of voices into silence. Meeting and holding their eyes, I let my lips curl into a mockery of amusement. “I think we can all agree that the plan worked.”

Murmurs of agreement, some faces twisting in obvious worry met his words, but nobody disagreed. 

Good. They might be the fucking kings and queens of their little part of the world, but here—here—I was in charge. And they wanted my help. 

Because they didn’t have the balls to do what needed to be done.

I resisted the urge to rub at the tension mounting behind my eyes, the dull throb a never-ending ache that had become a constant companion lately. Weariness might be trying to suck the marrow from my bones, but I’d be damned if I’d show a hint of weakness. Not when surrounded by predators.

A throat cleared, drawing my attention to the tall, angular woman seated across from me. Jasmine Kent, a stunning tiger shifter with a fierce intelligence that demanded respect from everyone she met, narrowed her eyes at me, challenge sparking in the silvery depths. “What’s our next move, Noah?”

Good thing I counted her as one of my close friends. Letting a genuine smile curve my lips, I leaned back in my chair and adjusted my cuffs. “They came to us, tipped their hand.” A feral edge sharpened my smile as I surveyed the room. “Now it’s time for us to go to them.”

Confusion creased the wolf council member’s brow as he shifted in his chair. “But why would—”

“We drop enough bait, eventually they’ll walk straight into our trap.”

“And lead us directly to their master,” Jasmine finished for me with satisfaction adding a purr to her words. “I like it, Noah.” The look she was giving me also told me she’d be quite happy liking something else too—namely me. But I’d already decided a long time ago that, though the arrangement would have certainly been ... satisfying, it wasn’t worth the headache. 

And Jasmine would be a headache. She wasn’t the kind of woman who’d allow a man to take control. Without a fight anyway. Not that I didn’t enjoy a certain amount of ... sparring for dominance in the bedroom, I wasn’t a sadist and everything about Jasmine hinted that I’d be the one tied up and fucked. Literally.

Luckily I had enough practice schooling my expression, this time with boredom as I tilted my head in agreement. “I want the man at the top.” I wanted his fucking balls on a skewer, but I held that little titbit in, letting the image soothe the beast inside. 

“We all do.” Sylvia growled, smoke escaping from her nostrils. To say that Sylvia had been a little … pissed that I hadn’t sent news about her daughter was putting it mildly, but we’d since straightened things out.

It had basically come down to this: Briana—Lucky—was one of my own, under my protection from the minute she walked through those gates and taken up residence in Heartsridge. Of course, I’d recognized her the moment I’d laid eyes on her—I’d known her parents for years and had seen many a family photo—but I’d also recognized the fact that something had happened to put hurt in her eyes. Once she’d been safely married to Owen, I’d considered contacting her parents, but had finally made the decision to wait it out a bit. Those two had needed some time to come to terms with what they were to each other, without parental interference.

And, as I’d informed Sylvia and Gareth, it wasn’t exactly coincidence that they’d bumped into Briana on the steps of the municipal building. I mean, come on. Seriously? Coincidences were just bad planning.

“You have our full support and backing,” Sylvia added. 

I muffled a snort of amusement. As if that was ever in question. They wanted me to accept their proposal—for me to re-take my place on the council—therefore they couldn’t risk insult. “I need two of your council hunters.” Highly trained, they were the real ghosts of the shifter world. 

“Done.” Theo, the wolf shifter, nodded. “I’ll make the arrangements.”

“Two of our own will go in with them.” I already had two names in my head. “They already know the humans, there shouldn’t be an issue with them making contact and monitoring the situation.”

“Who?” Jasmine looked like she was restraining herself from licking her lips. Barely.

“Grant and Dylan. Two of our best wolf shifter enforcers.” They’d already been briefed and knew exactly what this mission entailed.

“Dante will go with the wolves.” At Sylvia’s statement, I arched an eyebrow. “He deserves to suffer a little for hiding my daughter from us.” She laughed and I almost felt sorry for Dante. Almost. “He thinks because he’s old he’s untouchable. It’s time he remembers his place in our world.”

Biting back my chuckle, I answered, “I’ll let you break the news to him.”

“With pleasure.”

Theo didn’t hold back his laughter, his large frame shaking as he stroked his short beard. “And what will you be doing while your dogs are out tracking?”

“Orchestrating the game of cat and mouse, of course.”

On my order, Anita had deliberately left one of the computers unlocked while rushing out to answer a phone call. Unmanned. Unwatched. The perfect temptation for someone wanting to sneak into our security system. We’d just had to bide our time, wait and see if the bait had been snatched up. Yesterday I’d received the news that had prompted calling the shifter council back to Heartsridge. The bait had been taken and the trace had been successful, our suspicions confirmed.

We had a dirty cop on our hands.

Not that they would actually have access to anything useful. Anita and Jake had isolated the access and were feeding it bullshit information, just enough to keep the spy unaware of what was really happening.

We were coming for them.

As the meeting broke up and everyone began to leave, I stayed seated, lifting my untouched drink and taking a long swallow, already going over the next steps in my mind. Plotting the course and examining all the pieces in play. I didn’t have a full view of the playing field yet, but that was just a small annoyance, something that would be rectified soon enough.

A knock on the door drew me from my thoughts. “Enter,” I called, throwing back the rest of my drink and setting the glass down with a soft clunk. I watched as the woman who occupied nearly all of my waking thoughts—and all of my dreams—poked her head around the door.

Ah, yes. I was playing more than one game of cat and mouse.

Pushing up out of my chair, I smiled inwardly as her eyes traced the lines of my body without conscious thought. I felt myself harden beneath her gaze, and when her gaze leapt up to meet mine, I barely stopped myself from closing the distance between us and claiming my prize. “Miss Lockett, what a pleasant surprise. What can I do for you?”

“Carter—”

“Noah,” I corrected her with a growl. “We’ve had this discussion. In private, you call me Noah.”

She swallowed hard, but a spark of fire lit her eyes. “I don’t think that’s appropriate.”

Damn. She was just all kinds of perfect for me. I smirked, keeping it just this side of decent. No need to scare her off when she’d only just arrived. “If you really feel that way, then in private you can call me Sir.”

* * *