After four hours of handing the humans their asses, I broke away for yet another tete-a-tete with Kel. Facing the man, who was sweating and nursing a sprained wrist—though you wouldn’t be able to tell from looking at him—I shrugged. “Tomorrow we’ll build your squad back up.”

He grunted, leaning against the barn wall. “That’s what this was all about? Making us look like we don’t know shit?”

“You don’t know shit.”

He cursed under his breath, rotating his wrist and biting back a wince. “Maybe not about shifters, but my guys are well trained.”

“They’re not bad.” And they really weren’t. Most of them had good instincts, but it wasn’t enough, a fact that had been drilled home over and over again this afternoon. “My guys were holding back.”

A frown, then, “Bullshit.”

I held his gaze. “Grant, Dylan, why don’t you put on a show for our guests?”

The two men bumped fists. Then they smashed together, the air vibrating, grunts ripping out of them, the sound of bone meeting flesh and growls swelling the tension to the breaking point. I didn’t take my eyes off the Lieutenant, watching his reaction with grim satisfaction as his face paled and his mouth dropped open.

Clasping my bicep, I waved my free hand at the demonstration taking place beside me. “And they haven’t even properly shifted yet.”

Kel’s frown deepened. “Okay. I get it.”

“Good.” Pushing off the wall, I made a cutting motion with my hand, sending a pulse of energy through the alpha bond to the pair who were having a blast trying to tear chunks out of each other. Claws retracted instantly as they jumped apart, but the shoving and pushing and trash talking continued back and forth. Not a single human in the building was left with any color in their cheeks. “Tomorrow we’ll start working together, showing you what we can and can’t do. Figure out how to blend shifters and humans as a team.” Fuck, why the hell had I been chosen for this task again? I wasn’t even one hundred percent sure what the higher ups wanted to achieve with this fucking bootcamp.

As if she could hear the silent cursing going on inside my head, Bree smirked, motioning me over.

Well, I wasn’t going to turn down an invitation like that, was I? Giving the word for the crowd to disperse, I made my way over, allowing myself the luxury of really looking at her. Dressed in tight stretchy pants and a tank top that highlighted every luscious curve, her hair was piled up on top of her head, strands escaping and absorbing the last of the fading light that streamed through the open door. Pursed lips made up of a perfect cupid’s bow aimed in my direction, she cocked a hip, hand resting on it as she tutted at me. I widened my eyes, trying for innocent. “You want me?”

At her droll look, I dropped the act, bracing a hand against a beam behind her head and leaning closer. Damn, she smelled good. I took another deep breath, unable to stop myself.

“Quit sniffing me, wolf.” Her hand slapped out, but there was no heat to it.

“Quit trying to slap me around then.” I wiggled my eyebrows, earning a small chuckle. “Unless you’re going to put some oomph into it, that I could get on board with. I’m all for equal opportunities.”

She slapped me again, this time her fingers lingering a fraction longer before she whipped them away. “And have a woman do all the work for you?”

“I’m flexible.”

“I bet you are.”

I sucked in a breath, this time not for any reason other than to remember how to breathe. “Tease,” I replied on a low murmur.

“Ass.”

I winked. “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”

“Regretfully, your naked ass is already burned into my retinas.”

I lowered my voice to a low growl, “Naughty girl, have you been peeking?”

She flicked her fingers in my direction, but stopped herself from making contact. Shame. “You’ve been walking around naked. A lot. On purpose.”

I smoothed a hand down my t-shirt, satisfaction flooding me when her eyes tracked the motion. “And why would I do that?”

The corner of her mouth twitched. “Because your dick does all the thinking for you?”

Around her? Yeah. Hell, I was a guy and she was my mate. “Hey, it’s a constant battle of epic proportions.”

She burst out laughing, her eyes scrunching up and shoulders bouncing as she let it all out, milking it.

Hmmmm, not quite the reaction I’d been looking for, but I’d take it. “So, you’ve been looking at my—”

“No!” Oh, she might deny it, but her eyes had definitely dropped to my crotch.

And the object of her attention had risen to … well, attention. Shit, I’d been at half-mast for the whole conversation.

Clearing her throat, she crossed her arms, tapping a nail on her bicep. “Listen, I’m not sure what the deal is with this enforcer gig, what my role is…” She trailed off.

I reeled in the horny guy, forcing my alpha hat back on. “At the moment it’s this bootcamp, we’ve got teams in place running the day to day business. Normally, the enforcers oversee everything and help out where needed, make sure everyone in the pack is happy and deal with any disputes.”

“Right.” She nodded, biting her lip.

Damn, I wanted to do that for her.

“And what is the day to day business of the wolves?”

I stared at her, wondering if she was kidding. When she blinked back at me, I realized she wasn’t. “You’ve been working with us for a couple of months now and you don’t know what we do?”

“Security.” Her voice rose in silent question.

“Security for the town,” I confirmed. “Plus, there’s the construction outfit, plus a couple of other small businesses.” We were a big pack and not everyone was cut out for the security side of life.

“Really? Which ones?”

“As you know, Julie has the cafe and Tiny owns the bakery in town.”

“No way, really?”

“It’s his passion,” I replied, trying to hide my smirk. “He makes a mean donut. He did Heather and Nate’s wedding cake.”

She shivered, swiping at imaginary drool and letting out a big sigh. “That was good cake.”

Clamping my hands to my sides to stop them from reaching for her, I hummed my agreement. “Damn good cake.”

“So, basically, my evenings are free this week?”

Red flags erupted inside my head. I could feel the furrows digging into my brow. “Why?” I tried really hard to soften my tone, but it came out a bit sharp.

Her chin jutted out and I knew the time for playful banter had passed. “Are my evenings free?”

“Yes,” I bit out, swallowing the demand to know just where she was planning on going. And doing. Who she was planning on doing.

“Owen, you’re turning a funny shade of red. Maybe you should try some yoga, to help with your blood pressure?”

“Yoga?” I managed to choke out, mind flooding with images of Bree doing just that. Naked. Supple and naked and—

“Ahhh, your color is back to normal. Looks like all the blood has rushed back to its normal little hiding place.” With that, she walked away, waving her fingers over her shoulder. “Don’t follow me tonight, wolf. It would be bad for your … blood pressure.”

“Bree…” I growled, finally relocating my brain and following her.

My feet came to a stop by a pile of clothes. She was already gone, her scent leaving a trail on the wind as she shot up through the sky. Damn, dragons. Always with the sneaky escape route.

I chuckled, the sound rumbling up and spilling out of me. Life with Bree would never be boring, that’s for sure. The realization was kinda growing on me.