Prologue
“Olivia…”
Olivia nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard that firm, commanding voice drawl out her name. She wasn’t surprised he could scent her. After all, the entire reason she’d approached him was becauseshe’dscentedhim. But she was hiding around the corner of the house. He couldn’t possibly see her, and how did he know her name?
“You might as well show yourself, Little rebel.” Was he laughing?
She inched around the corner, keeping herself flat against the siding, and faced her intended mate for the first time. Pushing up her thick glasses, she made out his features as best she could.Damn eyesight.
He was several yards away, standing guard outside the home of one of her classmates, Suzette. She knew why. She’d overheard her parents speaking about the two Alpha Protectors who were providing protection for Suzette because she had a stalker.
Olivia couldn’t breathe. She also couldn’t believe she was standing here. It was forbidden for Fated mates to confront eachother before their mating ceremony, and that wasn’t for another year. Olivia was nineteen.
“Does anyone know you’re here, Olivia?”
She slowly shook her head. “No. How do you know my name?”
“I know everything about you, Little rebel.” Hewaschuckling.
“That’s not fair.” She chewed on her lower lip. The only reason she knew anything about her mate was because curiosity had caused her to sneak out here and snoop around.
He laughed. “Lots of things in life are not quite fair, Little rebel.”
“Why do you call me that?”
“Because it suits you. You knew better than to come out here, didn’t you?”
She couldn’t get any flatter against the side of the house. “Yes, Sir.”
“Then that makes you a rebel.” Another chuckle.
She was freaking out and more nervous than she’d ever been in her life, but his laughter calmed her. He wasn’t mad. “I… I was curious.”
“You heard two Alpha Protectors would be lurking around protecting Suzette, and you wondered if one of them might be your mate.”
She nodded. He understood. “I didn’t realize it would be so obvious.” It was, though. As soon as she’d gotten close to the house, she’d scented him and hadn’t been able to stop herself from continuing to approach. His scent was intoxicating. It drew her like a magnet.
She wished she could see him better. Fate had chosen differently for her, though. She’d been born with a degenerative eye disease, and her vision had continued to grow worse throughout her life. Even with the thick glasses, she could onlymake out his extreme height—almost seven feet—and his dark hair.
The sun was going down. Dusk was never her friend. It only amplified her visual problems.
Instinct caused her to take a step forward.
“Stay there, Little rebel,” he ordered. “We’re breaking all kinds of rules already. Let’s not add to them.”
She sighed and leaned back against the house. “Do you really knoweverything about me?”
“Yes, Olivia.”
She pushed her glasses up again, straining to see him. This wasn’t fair. He could see her fine. She was at a disadvantage. She wondered if he could feel the same magnetic pull toward her that she felt toward him. She hoped so. Her mother had always insisted that the mark on her wrist indicated she was Fated to be claimed by one of the Alpha Protectors and that he would think she was perfect no matter what anyone else thought.
Olivia was shy and quiet. She assumed that was partly because of her vision. Her glasses were unattractive. As a wolf shifter, all of her other senses were heightened, but she suspected that because of her poor vision, she had an even more pronounced sense of hearing. She’d heard the whispers behind her back for years. Snickers because she was different.
Different was an understatement. She had a tendency to run into things. She held books close to her face. She didn’t participate in outdoor activities because she’d likely end up with a concussion.
The truth was she’d always wondered if her mother had simply said those things to her to make her feel better. She’d always worried that her mate would find her lacking or unattractive.
“I need you to listen to me, Olivia,” he said in a kind voice. “You need to go home before it gets dark. I know it’s only afew houses away, but it’s not safe out here. Whoever is stalking Suzette could decide to stalk you next.”
