by Vivian Arend
“What happened?” Shaun dipped his head to examine him closer, although Evan noticed his friend stayed out of swinging range. “You need me to help with anything?”
Now that it had finally happened, things made so much more sense. There was no use in beating around the bush. He stared at his Beta and straight out said it. “I caught a whiff of my mate.”
Shaun’s eyes widened. “Dude.”
“She was in the kitchen. Then she left.” Evan paced to the room he kept in the pack house, in search of spare clothing. “You got that lip balm?”
His Beta passed it back. Evan lifted the object to his nose and breathed in her scent, happy little hormones dancing along his spine and tying hundreds of yellow ribbons around his spinal column.
“Your mate.” Shaun whistled. “Well, congrats.”
“Yeah, thanks. Welcome to the coming shit storm.”
“Oh man, for sure.” Shaun sat on the edge of the bed as Evan dug in drawers and pulled out a pair of jeans and T-shirt. “She’s not from the Takhini pack, or you’d have found her before. What was she doing in the kitchen, and why did she leave? Does she know you’re her mate? Why did this have to happen while the town is full to the brim with bears and potential trouble?”
All those were minor compared to the one other issue scratching Evan’s nerves like nails on a blackboard. “You’re missing one item.”
Shaun choked off into silence, before clearing his throat. “So. How are you going to tell Caroline?”
Tyler closed the suite door behind him and leaned on the solid surface as he dealt with the intense need his bear had to chase down the delectable Caroline Bradley.
“If you’re planning on abdicating from your position as CEO, I get dibs on your house and swimming pool.”
Justin handed him a clean shirt, and Tyler pulled himself back to vertical to accept it. “Thanks for not giving away the little name thing there. Not often you see that kind of situation. A human who knows all about shifters—her family is half blood.”
“And she always goes around soaking wet?”
Tyler shook his head. “She was floating dazed in the tub when I got here.”
Justin stiffened as he moved for the door. “And you let her go off alone? She needs medical attention.”
Tyler held up a hand. “I said the same thing, but I checked her vitals while she was recovering on our couch. She promised to see someone, but I think she’ll be fine.” He hesitated. “Now that’s an odd response. I expected you would be more concerned with discovering a strange woman in our suite than advocating medical attention for them.”
“You told me to trust your instincts. Obviously from the way you were eyeing the woman you don’t think she’s a danger to anything but your recently dead sex life.”
“Har-har. Did you get the updated schedules for conclave?”
Justin paced to the bar counter and picked up a stack of papers. “The organizing committee is trying to keep it as simple and painless as possible. Two more votes, three at the most. The only trouble I see is if Clan Ainsworth manages to persuade Nakusp to support him. You could have a tight vote count if that happens.”
Tyler nodded, still distracted by thoughts of Caroline. Why had he allowed her to leave the room without insisting she get checked? He could have at least accompanied her to find clean dry clothes.
His lack of consideration and mental clarity he would blame on his bear. Stupid beast had continued to grumble and send him far too vivid images of Caroline’s breasts.
Focus on the task at hand. “Any suggestions on how to sweeten the pot in terms of Clan Nakusp? Ainsworth hates my guts—that won’t change. But if we can swing Nakusp’s vote our way we could kill two birds with one stone.”
Justin leaned on the counter, tapping the schedule against his hand. “Well, there is one thing that could help. It wouldn’t hurt.”
“Sounds as if I’m not going to like your idea.” He finished doing up his buttons and tucked in his shirt. “Wait, before you tell me, get housekeeping on the line and make sure Caroline is okay.”
Justin made a face but followed orders, putting through the call. “You want to talk? I mean, you are the security guard who saved her.”
Tyler was still scrambling for an answer when Justin spoke.
“Hello? Is Caroline Bradley available?” Justin’s expression tightened. “I see. Thank you.”
“What? Is she okay? What’s wrong with her?”
Justin eyed him suspiciously. “She’s gone home for the day. You, on the other hand, have issues.”
Tyler grabbed the paperwork and strolled to one of the oversized easy chairs, collapsing onto it with far more exhaustion than he should have at this point in the day. “I’m not allowed to be concerned about someone?”
He buried his head in the files, ignoring Justin. Because, dammit, his friend was right, something was wrong, and he had a good idea what it was.
Justin folded his long body into the chair opposite him. “I talked to your brother. We’re picking him up for dinner at six.”
“Fine.” Tyler rustled more papers, pretending to be busy. He’d already memorized the damn things, but maybe Justin would pretend to go along with his pretending.
Nope. Justin was going to be the usual pain in the ass. “Back to the Nakusp issue, it could help to have a woman on your arm for the formal events. Not only would Mrs. Nakusp have someone to gossip with, he’s always made it known your marital status is a detriment in his opinion.”
“I’m not pulling a wife out of the woodwork in the next five days, Justin, not to try and impress Clan Nakusp.”
His friend grimaced. “No, you won’t find a wife, but even a date would make a difference. I was going to suggest you see who this special someone is that your brother is all keen to introduce you to. Having a local woman on your side wouldn’t be a bad idea.”
“You really think Frank found someone who can deal with the setting, let alone the politics? Frank used to be more impressed with the type who can guzzle a six-pack and then belch the alphabet.”
Justin grinned. “Well, you never know.”
“Wait, you said you were going to suggest that. What do you have in mind now?”
Justin rose to his feet and paced to the windows, staring at the hot tub. “You could see if your mysterious Caroline Bradley is available.”
The idea shouldn’t have given Tyler such a thrill. “She’s a human.”
“Who knows shifters. She works at the hotel owned by the controlling wolf pack of Whitehorse. She’s got to have some influence in the area, maybe even recognize some of the important players.”
“You want me to take advantage of her for the connections she might have?” The suggestion wasn’t outrageous; it was only good sense in light of the recent upheavals in the voting situations. Tyler wasn’t sure why the idea made him so damn uncomfortable.
“Not really use her. Just see if she wants to help. I bet she cleans up nice. Buy her a couple of pretty dresses, give her a good time, and not only will it help our cause, but you’ll have provided the thrill of a lifetime. She’d probably never get an invite to a gala like this otherwise.”
Justin’s words sat uneasily on Tyler. He checked his watch. “Then again, she could turn me down flat.”
“Not likely.” Justin waggled his brows. “I saw her reaction to your bare-chested bear-self. She tried to hide it, but she was interested.”
“Still, your first idea is a good one. Contact Frank and see if he can rustle up his someone in time to join us for dinner tonight. Widen the pool a little.”
Tyler excused himself before his friend’s far-too-alert gaze told him more than he was willing to share.
He was looking forward to seeing his brother. Pleased to meet this whoever Frank thought was so interesting. But his actions were all a cover-up for how much he really wanted to ask Caroline to join him for the galas.
The kind of reaction his bear had to the woman made him wonder all over
again if something was fishy. If they’d slipped a love potion into his water on the plane. Or if an aphrodisiac of some kind was being piped into the air.
Now was not the time to have to soothe the beast. Not with votes to be won, not with shifter secrecy to be maintained. Now was the time he needed all his wits about him.
Instead it appeared he was being led by the balls, and his captor? A fair-haired human with a snarky attitude.
The idea she might still be wearing his shirt pleased him far too much.
Chapter Four
Caroline let herself into the apartment she shared with Evan, her fingers shaking with cold. Maybe she should have gone to the Medicentre to get checked, but other than a dull ache at the back of her head, she felt fine.
Embarrassed, but fine.
She draped the shirt she’d been loaned over the back of a chair en route to the shower. She’d drop it off at the dry cleaners as soon as she wasn’t shivering. Steam rose as she cranked the water temperature as high as she could stand, her skin turning bright red under the assault.
Time to regroup. Get her brain back in gear. The next week was vital for the hotel, and the Takhini pack. She needed to be in tip-top form to remain a contributing pack member.
She stepped under the faucet to allow the water to run down her face. Of course, being pack was less important than it had been a month ago. Now that her sister Shelley had found her place in the north, Caroline’s options had broadened.
And while she liked wolves, all shifters for that matter, there were times she wanted to kick their furry butts.
No, this gig at the Moonshine Inn wasn’t permanent. Even the situation today with the delegation had shown that. At some point the hotel would have to learn to get along without her. Maybe it was time to consider the travel option and speed up the process. She didn’t want to leave forever, but her soul screamed for adventure.
Her body temperature finally warmed to something near normal. Caroline shut off the water and grabbed her towel. No time to linger—she had to track down Evan and find out what had happened.
She stepped into the living area at the same moment Evan passed through the front door. Shaun hovered in the hallway behind him, guilt written all over both wolves.
“Guys.”
“I’ll…talk to you later.” Shaun waved goodbye and attempted to disappear.
Her suspicions rose. “Going somewhere, Shaun? Come on in.”
“Oh, well, actually.” Shaun cleared his throat and jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “Gotta get back to my mate. Later.”
He vanished.
Caroline examined Evan closer. He wasn’t wearing the same clothes he’d had on when he left the apartment that morning. “Evan?”
He sniffed the air. She bit her lip to stop from laughing. Wolves—they did it every time, and every time it entertained her.
“Who’s in our apartment?” Evan stared over her shoulder, looking for a hidden person.
“No one.”
“There’s a guy in here…” Evan’s gaze narrowed and he stepped closer, sniffing her.
She shoved his head away, no longer amused. “Stop that. Jeez.”
“Why do I smell bear?”
Whoa. He was good. Caroline reached for the shirt on the chair and held it up. “Long story short, one of the bears staying in the hotel loaned it to me. Your turn, what the hell happened to you while I was talking to you earlier?”
Evan stuttered to a stop. His entire large-and-in-charge attitude softened as he turned his mesmerizing eyes on her. There was a sparkle in the depths she’d never seen before. “She was here.”
Okaaaay. It was going to be one of those conversations. “Evan, please. I’m not up for a wolf-of-mystery passcode-ring-needed explanation. She who?”
Maybe she should have clued in faster, but what with her own unusual morning and all, there was no reason for her to suspect. Not until he caught her fingers, squeezing carefully but with great enthusiasm.
“Caro, my mate was in the hotel this morning.”
Her first thought became her instant response.
“Holy shit, really? Wheeeee!” Caroline tossed her arms around his neck and hugged until he gasped. “Oh my God, Evan, I’m so thrilled for you.”
She let him go, an ear-to-ear grin firmly in position.
He blinked. “You are incredible.”
“Actually, I’m confused.” She stepped away. “Where is she? I mean, usually you guys find your mates—and I understand your loss of attention on the phone now—but I’d have thought you and she would be off on your wolfish honeymoon already.”
His grin faded. “Yeah, well. She was in the hotel. I never really met her.”
“But you sniffed her, right?” Caroline was pretty sure that was how it worked. “You at least know for sure she’s out there.”
“She’s out there, yes.”
Something was still wrong. “Is she…hiding on you? That doesn’t sound typical either.”
Evan dropped onto the couch. “Fuck it.”
Trouble in paradise. This was not good. “Okay, back up and tell me if I’ve got this straight. You have a mate, or at least you smelt proof of her in the hotel this morning. Only you haven’t met her, which is why you’re here, and not off rocking both your worlds.”
“Right.” He leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees. “Help me find her?”
“Of course I will.” What a nightmare this must be for him. “Come on, let’s check the security cameras. I can access the feeds from here.”
She darted to the computer desk and opened the hotel security system. Evan dragged a seat into position beside her, his hand resting lightly on the back of her chair.
“The only place I scented her was in the kitchen. Shaun and I took a second pass through the restaurant, but there’ve been too many bodies in the room in the past hour to catch anything.”
Caroline punched in her password. “If you scented her in the kitchen, she had to get in and out, somehow. Unless she shifted into a mouse or something.”
He choked. “Umm, no. Definitely not. She left through the shipping door.”
“How long ago was this?” Caroline looped back through the feed that focused on the kitchen area. Evan’s wolf reappeared, shifted back into his human and acted…interesting. “Whoa, were you ever pissy. Way to freak out the staff, big guy.”
“I had reason.”
She patted his knee. “You did. Come on, backing up shouldn’t take too long then. I’ll focus on the door and take it up to high speed.” A couple adjustments later the workspace was a blur of motion, uniformed cooks and assistants seeming to leap from position to position. “We’re looking for someone returning through the—”
“There.”
He stabbed his finger at the screen and she paused the motion. A body in a black hoodie was backing through the service exit, definitely not one of the staff, who were all dressed in white. “There’s no one else in the room, so no witnesses.” Caroline checked the time stamp. “Ten to ten. Someone should have been in there, no?”
“I would have thought so. Not sure why… What is she doing? And damn it, do we have another camera angle to check?”
Evan’s mate, if that’s who it was, had kept her back to the camera the entire time she paced past the workstations. She had a notebook out and wrote something down at one point. “I’m sorry, Evan, I can’t change angles because there’s only the single ceiling camera. We didn’t install them to monitor staff that closely, just…”
“Just for moments like this, when someone we don’t know tries to gain access to the hotel. Fuck it, Caroline. We’ve got a potentially volatile situation with a hotel full of bear diplomats, who aren’t known to be forgiving of indiscretions or mistakes. What does this mean in terms of them?”
Caroline spun her chair until she could catch his hands. “Hey. You’re rattled, and I get it, because you’re probably some kind of ticking wolf-time-bomb, but please, get it under control.”
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The usually level-headed, hyper-bossy, always-in-control A-plus Alpha as good as bounced from his chair and into the kitchen, jerking open the fridge and hauling out a juice. She watched his throat move as he tipped the bottle back and drained it.
That’s when the realization hit. They were finished.
She was happy for Evan, but now that he’d found—well, knew his mate existed—it was as good as a done deal in her mind.
Caroline didn’t cheat, and she didn’t fool around with other women’s men. Her and Evan’s love affair, as hot and intense and, holy moly, tons of fun as it had been, was over.
Something of what rolled through her must have shown on her face, because when their eyes met, his expression shifted. He put down the empty bottle and returned to her side, extending his hand.
She allowed him to pull her to her feet and accepted the hug he gave her, only she couldn’t hold back a sigh of regret.
“I’m sorry for hurting you like this.” Evan petted her hair gently. Even his touch had changed, from that of a lover heating her to the boiling point to a big brother offering comfort.
“Oh, Evan.” She wiggled back far enough they were staring at each other so he had to witness her honest smile. “I don’t regret one minute. Not of the time we had together, or that it’s over because you’ve found your missing soul. How could I possibly be upset?”
Confusion lingered in his eyes. “But you sighed as if…”
“I sighed because I’m going to miss the sex, dammit.” She wrinkled her nose. “You might have ruined me for everyone else in the future.”
Evan grinned cockily. “I did warn you about that when we hooked up, you know.”
She laughed. “Yeah, I think you did.”
He squeezed her again. “I don’t regret our time together either, although I am sorry it’s over. You’re a pretty cool human. Very devious.”
