Chapter One
Mateo
Stalking werewolves wasn’t Mateo’s usual business. He preferred his hunts to be a bit more… fun. But when they spotted a group of wolves roaming the Brighton mall, business suddenly mixed with pleasure. It wasn’t unusual. After all they only lived a few blocks away, but Ezra had gotten bored and as soon as the wolves had picked up on their presence, it was game on.
Ezra had always been one to play with fire—sometimes quite literally. So instead of buying themselves new clothes as planned, they trailed after the wolves to get under their fur. No, they weren’t following actualwolvesthrough the mall—they were in their human form. Vince wasn’t far away either, but the third part of the trio preferred to linger in the shadows until his presence was absolutely necessary. Mateo was often left to babysit Ezra and make sure he didn’t stir up needless trouble.
“I believe that’s the little alpha princess with them.”
Mateo followed Ezra’s line of sight and sure enough, his eyes landed on the alpha’s only daughter. Her bright grey eyes gave her away, the ones that matched her father’s. It was no secretthat her father often kept her locked away in the Moonlight skyscraper. Seeing her out in the human world was a shock.
“Maybe we should ruffle their furs just a little.” Ezra nearly purred the thought, lips curling into a sinister grin.
But Mateo was barely listening, his eyes fixed on the petite brunette with eyes the colour of the clouds preceding a summer thunderstorm. They were…striking, the most beautiful shade of grey he’d ever seen. As if she could feel his stare, her head turned and their eyes locked. The wolf princess seemed to stare straight into his soul and when her mouth fell open in surprise, Mateo’s breath hitched.
Shit.
His mind spun but before he could grasp what had just happened, she followed her friends into the nearest shop without looking back.
Almost of their own accord, Mateo’s feet carried him toward the same shop. Although he knew what was happening, he needed to be sure. “Stay here,” he barked at Ezra who was trailing behind him.
“Fuck that,” Ezra snarled, mischief and curiosity lacing his tone.
Mateo stepped into the store, Vince appearing by his side.
“Spread out and try not to get caught,” he hissed, scanning the space forher.
She wasn’t on the first floor, so he went up the escalator while Ezra went for the elevator. Vince stayed glued to his side, mind laced with worry. Even as curious as he was, he didn’t utter a word.
The group of wolves hovered by the changing rooms, but she wasn’t with them. He walked in the opposite direction and found her strolling along the clearance section hidden in the back of the store. The second he saw her, his suspicions were confirmed.
He was her mate.
Her hands brushed the fabric in front of her, her eyes lifting to find him. His heart raced as he closed the distance between them and tried his hardest to remember her name.
But then her gaze flicked to Vince beside him. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. “Oh no,” she whispered and spun, only to bump into Ezra’s hard chest.
Ezra had his signature devilish grin on his face, but to Mateo’s surprise it softened into something genuine. “Seems we may have found ourselves in a tricky situation.”
“Oh no,” the woman repeated, attempting to stumble away just to fall into a rack of clothes.
“What will your precious father think of this?” Ezra sneered with a dirty laugh. Mateo felt Ezra’s mind push against theirs, but he laughed out loud again. “Three fucking hunters bonding with his precious princess.”
Mateo simply stared at his mate, thoughts flicking through his mind so rapidly that he struggled to grasp onto a single one. Their mate’s eyes flickered between the three men closing in on her. Her hand shook, eyes wide with panic. “We won’t hurt you,” Mateo softly assured her.
But before they could say anything else, someone called from the other side of the store. “Scarlett?”
Her head whipped to the direction of the sound. Mateo stepped aside, giving her space to leave. Without a word, she slid past him.
“You know to keep close,” someone scolded her—a man. “And what are you doing in the clearings section anyway? You have your father’s credit card! What is wrong with you?”
“I feel bad for wasting pack money, that’s all,” Scarlett retorted, but Mateo didn’t miss the hint of fear in her voice.
Before he could hear the rest of the conversation, a hand wrapped around his throat and Ezra’s pitch-black eyes bore into him. “You let her go.”
He whipped his dagger out of the holster, holding it to Ezra’s carotid. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d had to keep his friend in check by drawing blood—wouldn’t be the last either. “What would you have done, hm?”
“Take her home so we can play a little with our new toy.”
