 
# Mates

### a Claws Clause prequel

## Jessica Lynch
Copyright © 2019 by Jessica Lynch

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Cover by Jessica Lynch

### Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Epilogue

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Also by Jessica Lynch

# Prologue

  1. Paranormal unions (also referred to colloquially as _matings, claimings, bloodings, soul mates,_ etc.) will be accorded the same rights as a common law marriage (see state laws for more information).
  2. In order for any union involving a Paranormal (either Paranormal/Paranormal or Paranormal/Human) to be recognized by the city state, it must be formalized with a notarized certificate, also referred to as a "Bonding License". Once the certificate is issued, the Paranormal will be accorded all rights and privileges as outlined in this ordinance.
  3. Also, any individual who, regardless of their "instincts", absconds with another individual, Paranormal or Human, with the aim of forcing a union, will face the same penalty as if there was no perceived tie between them, _ie._ kidnapping, assault, etc.

_— Ordinance 7304_

_Section II_

# 1

Maddox Wolfe liked to live on the wild side—when he thought he could get away with it, that was.

Made sense. As a shifter, and second-in-command to his father's pack, he knew he was born to roam, even if he couldn't go too far; as a man, he was both reckless yet constantly aware of his responsibilities. It was a contradiction, sure, but one he enjoyed. When the day finally came that his Alpha actually retired—because hell would freeze over before anyone forcibly stole control from Terrence Wolfe's claws—Maddox knew that he would have to settle down, take over the pack.

Lead them.

Thank Alpha that wasn't today, though. Or even tomorrow.

He was the firstborn son, a true alpha, and the heir to their pack. Comprised of a motley mix of wolf, bear, and large cat shifters, a strong pack like theirs could only be led by a beast as powerful as his, with a mate who could temper his lusts and help him rule. His mother, Sarah, had always done for Terrence, and their mating was one Maddox looked up to.

He refused to settle for less and, since he was old enough to know what a mate _was_ , Mad had earnestly searched for the one woman who was meant to be his.

He was twenty-six years into his search, though, and despite sniffing around everywhere his roaming travels took him in between his responsibilities, he'd yet to catch a whiff of his one true mate.

So, for now, he ran. As itchy and as restless as he'd been feeling lately, that was all he could do. He wanted to run, and he did so while skirting the line between should and shouldn't, safe and, well, a pretty bad idea.

If his father knew what he was doing, he'd have his hide. If his brother knew, he'd remind Mad that he was the Beta. And if Dodge knew...

Ah. Who was he kidding? That ghost knew everything, and probably thought it was hysterical how, at Maddox's age, he was still a virgin.

Couldn't be helped. And, at any rate, no one could stop him from breaking free whenever he could. He was big enough, strong enough, with a beast that could take down creatures twice its size.

And it would stop at nothing to find its mate.

Finding her, claiming her... it was his main focus. Sure, he worked hard as a construction foreman, and he'd been groomed to take over the pack since he was a pup, but that didn't change who Maddox was on the inside.

Of course, to a shifter, living on the wild side meant something completely different than it did to the humans—which was why Terrence was so frustrated with his oldest son. It meant living more as a man than a wolf, coexisting alongside the humans, acting as if their societies didn't stay separate despite the powers that be insisting that—more than fifty years after paranormals were forced to reveal the truth of their existence—Paras and humans were one big happy family.

Maddox was an oddity among the other shifters in his pack. He had no problem mingling with the other races. One of his oldest friends was a witch, he managed to almost always tolerate Colt's ghost pal, and he did all of the interacting with humans on the pack's behalf that needed to be done. Despite the dominating nature of his wolf, Maddox was at ease among all types, human or Para.

Well, except for Nightwalkers. But no one liked Nightwalkers—not even _other_ Nightwalkers.

His father gave up arguing over Maddox's open attitude years ago. Colton had never been able to figure out his older brother's fascination with the humans—or, as he so often sneered, the _Ants_. Derisive and angry when it came to non-shifters, Colt never thought of the humans as anything other than ants: far too many, admittedly hardworking, even if they were annoying and way, way too easily squished.

Maddox was different. He didn't give a shit who knew it, either. If they were strong enough to challenge him, fine. That was a good thing about being an alpha wolf shifter. There weren't many out there—Para or human—who _could_ challenge him.

Which was precisely why it didn't matter to him where he went to break out into his fur for a while. Laws said that shifters could have free rein of any park—even if most stayed away from the humans—and he was confident that, wherever he roamed, he'd be the biggest, the baddest beast around.

So, instead of running on pack land, or even taking to the hundreds of acres that bordered the Bumptown where his brother built his home, Maddox drove to the border of Woodbridge.

It was a mostly human town, not too far from his home in Wolf's Creek, that had one or two Paras living on the outskirts, trying their best to blend in.

Besides, he had a built-in excuse. If anyone asked why he chose to run in Woodbridge of all places, he could always tell them he was visiting Cilla.

Maddox had known Priscilla Winters for most of his life. Like him, she was a Para who found herself trapped between both worlds. A witch who chose not to live with her coven in Coventry, she rented a small house on a secluded human street and worked for a private buyer, performing spells, chanting incantations, crafting wards, and dabbling in a bit of divination for a client who kept her in as many diamonds as her witchy little heart could ever want.

Because her employer kept her so busy, and working under his father—as second in the pack and lead foreman for their construction company—left Maddox with little free time, he hadn't seen Cilla in ages. Taking this run was as good an excuse as any to see if she was in, maybe grab a bite to eat and catch up with her, see how she had been.

If he remembered correctly, there was this great hole in the wall down the street from Cilla's cul de sac that served two-inch thick steaks. His wolf lifted its muzzle, breathing in deeply, tasting all of the scents in the air. On the late afternoon breeze, he could just catch a hint of meat cooking in the distance. He started to salivate. Even if Cilla was out, he could cap off his run with a delicious meal before heading home.

The wind shifted.

Another scent blew past him. Soft. Sweet. Whatever it was had an undertone of vanilla, but that wasn't all. There was a depth to it that had his wolf snuffling before it sniffed deeply—

His fur stood on end. He dug his claws into the dirt, tearing at the grass as he pawed at it anxiously—

_Snap_.

In a daze, Maddox landed bare-assed naked in a heap on the dirt. He fell onto his belly, a shooting pain coursing through his body when he crushed something long and hard and super sensitive beneath him; it felt like he landed on a steel bar that had only the smallest amount of give to it. The pain was sudden and fierce, enough to tear a howl out of his human throat.

He flopped like a fish, going from belly to back, his chest heaving as he tried to get a grip on what the hell had just happened to him.

Because it shouldn't have.

Ever since he was a young pup, Maddox had no problem controlling his shift, and for a good reason, too—when your mother snarled at you for ruining another pair of pants, you learned how to keep from shifting in place and turning your clothes to tatters real quick.

Then there were the ridiculous rules, laws, and ordinances that dictated when and where and _how_ a shifter could change shapes, like no shifting within twenty-five feet of a government building. To keep from pissing off—or, more accurately, _terrifying—_ the humans, controlling a shift was essential. Plus, it was the mark of an alpha, having complete dominion over every part of his body no matter the shape.

So to snap like a rubber band, going from fur to skin in a heartbeat without giving his body the command? That was one hell of a surprise because _it shouldn't have happened_.

But that wasn't the only surprise. Or, he realized an instant later as his eyes were drawn to his cock, even the _biggest_ one.

In spite of what he was seeing, Maddox still couldn't believe it. The scent was one thing, the sudden shift another. But this—

Propping himself up on his elbows, he looked down at his crotch. And he stared.

Nope. He wasn't imagining it.

For the first time in his life, he had an erection.

That... that wasn't supposed to happen, either.

Good thing he knew what to expect when it finally _did_ or he might've thought his cock was suddenly possessed. He was a shifter, sure, but he was also a man who wanted to make sure he could please his future mate. He'd been intimately familiar with porn for years, even if he considered the videos more instructional than anything else, and if he was surprised to discover his hard cock could put any porn star to shame? At least his mate would be pretty damn pleased with him.

He'd always known what he could do with an erection, though it had been impossible to get one until he found his mate. Didn't mean he wasn't curious. Hell, it had been a game for him and his brother when they were just past pup age: who could find their dad's girly mags and snatch one without leaving a scent trail.

Of course, he discovered them every time they tried, more put out that they left traces of their theft behind than the fact that they had gone snooping in his office in the first place. Considering Terrence Wolfe also wanted to prepare his boys for life as an alpha wolf when it came to all things, Maddox long ago decided that his father left those magazines out on purpose just so he and Colt could get a clue.

It was still a bit unbelievable, though. Was this really happening? _Now_?

Maddox kept staring as his cock bobbed and twitched, moisture seeping out from the head. He reached a finger out, the tip of his claw grazing the sensitive crown.

He shivered and, throwing his head back, he groaned. Alpha, that felt fucking _amazing_. So he did it again.

He couldn't help himself. In the back of his mind, he was glad that he'd chosen to run in a secluded, thick part of the woods so that no one else was around. Not only could he explore this newfound pleasure in private, but it would make it so much easier to finish his search at last.

In the forefront of his hazy, lust-filled brain, he struggled to accept what this meant.

Everything had just changed.

Sitting on the ground, brittle grass scratching his ass, he marveled at his lower half in silence, tempted to stroke the length from root to tip, eager to experience his first orgasm.

It would be a shadow of what mating his female would be like, he knew. Still, even that first touch was almost enough to blow his mind with the sensation.

Maddox placed his hand against the dirt, thrusting into the air as he tried to get the sudden rush under control.

His cock was hard, almost painfully so, the normally tan skin gone ruddy as the blood rushed south. He'd tripled in size, his girth easily doubled. It pointed skyward, the head weeping gently as it begged for it's mate. No doubt that this was an erection.

Which meant one thing and one thing only.

The truth beat at his brain.

_Mate._

_His_ mate. She was there. Somewhere close.

He had to get to her.

_Now_.

Maddox took another breath, deeper than the one that had his wolf spiraling out of control. It had to be true, and it would definitely explain why he snapped out of his shift the way that he had. His wolf would've picked up the scent on the breeze first, then stepped back to force the man to come forward to experience it himself.

And there it was. Soft, subtle, a whisper on the wind but already ingrained so deeply inside of him that Maddox knew he'd run to the edge of the earth to hunt that scent down.

The scent, and the woman it undoubtedly belonged to.

His woman. His one true mate.

Somewhere, not too far from where he sat playing with his cock in the dirt, the only woman meant for him was waiting for him to find her.

So that's what he was going to do.

With that tantalizing scent deep in his lungs, Maddox's wolf wanted to break out again, roll around in it, wrap itself up in it.

But the man was firmly in charge now that the shock was quickly passing. And while he struggled with the second head that was suddenly rearing up, making itself very, very known, he still had a brain in the one on top of his shoulders.

He knew exactly what he had to do.

It wasn't just the power of her scent that told him who this mystery woman was to him, either. With his cock ready and willing for the first time ever, he had the biggest clue. Because no matter how the media, the rumors, the internet portrayed predator shifters as feral men who couldn't keep their beasts leashed, there was absolutely no truth to the whispers that a male shifter mated any woman his beast took a liking to.

Not only was that prejudiced against shifters, who believed a mate was a sacred thing, a partner who deserved to be desired, loved, and protected, but it was physically _impossible_.

To a shifter, a mate was as much about the heart as it was about reproduction for the simple fact that only bonded mates could produce pups, and the body knew it.

Female shifters had it a little bit easier. They could mate as much as they wanted to, with whoever they wanted; their bodies didn't begin to ovulate until they were bonded so there was no chance of having a pup with any other male. Male shifters, though? They were as limp as a wet noodle until they first scented their mate. After that, they were shooting blanks until their mate was formally claimed, bite and seed and all.

He took another deep breath, altering his trajectory just enough when the wind shifted again. Nothing could stop him or stand in his way.

Maddox's mate was close enough for her scent to carry to him on the wind. No matter what, he had to find her.

And not just because his cock was all but begging him to, either.

Discovering your fated mate without any magical assistance was already near impossible; only a few witches had that ability, and getting one to use it without first going bankrupt was even more rare. Chancing upon his woman like this? To Maddox, it put the _fate_ in fated mate.

First, though, he had needed clothes. Tracking his mate while wearing skin or fur probably wouldn't be the best idea. He was a shifter, but hell if he wasn't civilized.

Before he let his wolf out to run, he made sure to tuck his shirt, his jeans, his boots neatly in the cab of his truck. And even if he hadn't? He always had a back-up outfit stowed in a duffel bag in the back.

It might have been years since he lost control of his shift like that, but the first time you got caught somewhere without a spare change of clothes was the _last_ time you got caught somewhere without a spare change of clothes.

With the all familiar snap, Maddox had given his form over to his wolf. For two reasons: because it would look really weird to run through the Woodbridge woods naked with a monster hard-on he could barely resist petting, plus his wolf would be way faster when it came to dashing over the park's terrain.

He made it back to his truck in no time. Changing shapes within a split second, his shifter senses assuring him that no one else was around, he retrieved the duffel from his truck and hurriedly shimmied on the fresh clothes.

When meeting a mate for the first time, he figured, he might as well make the best impression as he could.

Unfortunately for Maddox, that plan lasted only as long as it took him to track down the source of that amazing scent.

He wasn't thinking. Instincts were riding him hard, the man knowing that there was a woman out there waiting for him, the wolf keening for its mate. He was straining against the leash that kept a shifter from turning completely feral, and his brain had gone on vacation with that first glorious pulse of pleasure.

It was his only excuse. Because what he did when he could sense the owner of that scent on the other side of the bushes in his path was just _dumb_.

Like a bull stampeding forward, he burst through the bushes. He didn't slow down. He didn't pause, then leisurely find a way around the greenery that separated him from his mate. No, Maddox forced his way through it as if they weren't even there.

Branches tore at his skin. His body responded by growing fur along his arms, protecting him from the scratches, the brambles, the wood. He could feel his fangs lengthening, his eyes glowing a vibrant golden color as his head swiveled, searching for the woman who owned that delectable scent.

And there she was.

A blanket was spread out beneath her. She had a pink plastic water bottle beside her, a book clamped loosely in her hand. Before he showed up, she had obviously been leaning back, enjoying her book as she read alone in the early afternoon sunlight.

No one else was there.

Just him.

Just her.

He stared. Shocked and caught unaware, she stared back.

Alpha, she was _gorgeous_.

Maddox zeroed in on her, gobbling her up with his hungry gaze. Her long legs were stretched out in front of her, her toes pointed. She was a slender woman, probably a few years younger than he was, with dark, wavy hair cascading down her shoulders. He picked up on a smattering of freckles lying across the slope of her nose, a pair of tiny studs in her ears winking in the light.

No ring on her finger, he realized next to an overwhelming relief. No male scent clinging to her skin, either.

Good. One look and he was already smitten. He would've taken out any threat, any competition, and he'd do it with a smile.

His mate. No doubt about it. The punch of attraction, the sweet yet rich scent coming from her... she was _his_.

And, he was almost positive, she was a human.

Her eyes—green, the loveliest shade of forest green—went wide. Her mouth dropped just enough, forming the most adorable little "o". Slowly, as if she didn't want to spook him, she pulled her legs into her as if she was preparing to get up and dash away.

He sure as hell hoped not. Nothing would excite his wolf more than a run and a chase. And when he took down this prey, he'd only be satisfied by the warmth of her body instead of the rush of spilt blood.

At just the thought of that temptation, Maddox's heart thumped wildly, all of _his_ blood continuing to pump south. He felt his cock pulse, bulging against the confines of his jeans.

She was there. She was real.

She was his.

He took a hulking step forward. Another.

She screamed.

He froze.

His entire body locked down, the beginning of a growl caught in his throat. His instinct was to protect his mate, shield her, keep her safe. But that flash of fear on her face a split second before she let loose a shriek that nearly deafened him? He never wanted to see her afraid.

Because, if something was causing her worry, it could only be—

Gritting his teeth, tilting his head back, Maddox pulled her scent in toward him, snuffling as it changed in an instant.

And then he whimpered.

He fucking _whimpered_.

His protective instincts immediately went into overdrive. She was afraid of _him_ , wasn't she?

And why wouldn't she be? He was the out of control moron engaged in a partial shift who crashed through the trees, then stood there, staring at her. Of course she was afraid!

And there was nothing else he could do but protect her _from_ him.

With a nod and a silent promise to this woman that he would return for her later when she wasn't so scared, he turned and started to jog away. Ten steps into his run, when he was far enough that her fear didn't scald him, he felt his muscles tighten and his whole body bow. His clothes burst into tattered shreds as his wolf exploded into its fur, letting out a mournful howl as Maddox forced it to abandon its mate so soon after finding her.

# 2

Maddox didn't go home. Instead, leaving his truck behind, he allowed his wolf out long enough to run the entire way to his younger brother's place.

Colton Wolfe didn't live too far. A half hour's dash through the woods that surrounded the aptly named Woodbridge, Colt made his home in a nearby Bumptown. He lived on the edge of the Zoo, the corner of the Para settlement where the shifters all congregated.

Like Maddox, Colt purposely left his father's immediate territory, heading east to build a home a couple of towns over from the pack's main headquarters. Since Colt had never been the biggest fan of humans, it made sense that he relocated to a Bumptown. Bumptowns—where "things go bump in the night"—might make Maddox itch, the way they were segregated and controlled by the type of Para you were, but Colt was happy.

There wasn't a single human within miles of the secluded community.

Born an alpha wolf without a pack to lead, Colt slid easily into the top predator spot in the Zoo. With Maddox next in line to succeed their father, running the Zoo gave Colt's wolf free rein to rule while also submitting to his father's stronger beast. It was a perfect arrangement for all involved.

But, while he might be the big man in the Bumptown, Colt was still second to Maddox. Due to his place in the pack's hierarchy, he owed Maddox his respect.

Then again, Colt was also Mad's younger brother, so while the pack member sympathized with Maddox and his wolf over what happened in the park, he also let out a burst of laughter as soon as he discovered the extent of the awkwardness surrounding his older brother's situation.

Even if Maddox wanted to hide it, he couldn't. The instant he shifted back to a man, he was still completely naked and the erection had returned with a vengeance as soon as he was in his skin again. Not even the memory of her fear did enough to deflate it.

Colt got an eyeful of his brother and his bobbing cock, laughed again, then went to get him a change of clothes. Colt's best friend, Dodge—the ghost who haunted Colt's home—popped in as soon as Maddox was dressed. Once he'd gotten himself under control, the pair listened as Mad admitted to everything that had happened in the park.

The sudden shift. The even more sudden hard-on. The human mate. How Maddox spooked her enough that he turned tail and ran rather than approach her and risk scaring her even more.

Once he was done talking, Maddox paced the lengths of the house Colt constructed himself, torn between going back to the park and chasing after her or staying put, cooling off, and waiting until he was ready to make a better second impression before going after her again.

Dodge McCoy was a smart ass who, predictably, offered smart ass comments that Maddox pointedly ignored. Colt, on the other, hand felt sorry for his brother. Because of that, and how he was begrudgingly submissive to Maddox's wolf, he tried to offer the best advice he could. And, okay, his younger brother knew even less about mates than Maddox did, but at least Colt tried.

Too bad it didn't last.

A few days later, both Colt's sympathy and his good humor seemed to have run out. And it was all Maddox's fault.

Finding his mate was making the big shifter crazy. Being second in his father's pack left Maddox already teetering on the edge. Knowing she was out there and his own impulsive nature had kept him from wooing her properly? It gave him that final push.

Colt told him to spend that first night on his couch, maybe start fresh in the morning. Nope. Maddox only made it a couple of hours before he wolfed out and decided to head back to the park. Once he got over his shock, he was determined to at least introduce himself to the woman, maybe get her name.

He promised he would stay in his skin, wearing Colt's borrowed clothes; they were nicer than anything he owned and he was grateful for the loaner. When Colt realized that there was no stopping him, he offered Maddox his truck. Curious to see if he could already follow her scent wherever she went, Maddox turned him down. If she was his mate, he should be able to.

And he did.

He followed his nose—and his instincts—to a narrow two-floor house on a cozy residential street not too far from where Cilla lived. Even a block away, he immediately sensed that the dark-haired, green-eyed beauty he saw in the park was inside of there.

That was the good news.

The bad news?

She lived in a house that was so completely warded, Maddox felt the power of the magic crackling against the hairs on his arms when he was on the sidewalk across the street from her place. He'd singe off all of his fur if he tried to force the ward and he'd _still_ be stuck on the outside.

That bothered him. Maddox didn't know enough about her to guess if she used such strong wards because she was afraid of something—he still hadn't gotten the stink of her fear out of his snout—or because she was simply being careful. Didn't matter. It was impossible for him to get any closer to her either way. Unless she coded him into the spell, he couldn't even get near enough to walk up her drive, let alone knock on her front door.

Wards like hers weren't unusual in mixed neighborhoods. Some humans were nervous enough about their Para neighbors that they paid witches to protect their homes. Sure, it was hypocritical, humans willing to pay one paranormal an exorbitant fee in order to keep other paranormals out, but Maddox was used to it. That's just how it had been since the paranormals revealed their existence to the humans almost fifty years ago.

The wards also made him more sure that his mate was as human as they come. Except for the witches, paranormals didn't need to rely on magic to protect them. Humans used bureaucracy and laws and red tape to save themselves—and, when that didn't work, they paid for magic.

He didn't mind if she was. Human, shifter, vampire... whatever. Maddox was so damn happy to have finally found her, she could've been anyone or anything and he wouldn't have cared.

The wards might be a problem, but he forced himself to think on the bright side. Until he could figure out a way to tell her that she was his mate, at least he could rest easy knowing that she was protected. No one could get to her unless she willed it.

Telling himself that he was doing his due diligence as her future mate, Maddox decided to test the extent of the wards. They wrapped around her house, bordering the lines of her property, reaching all of the way to the fence that separated her house from the woods behind it. A thick copse of trees reached outward and he spent that first night patrolling it and marking the territory. Any other predators—paranormal or wild—would scent his wolf and steer clear of his mate's home.

Then he found a spot tucked in a darker part of the woods where the wards couldn't touch him. With his shifter eyes and the perfect sightline, he could still watch the back of her house, hoping for a glimpse of the woman.

She poked her head out once, peeking into the shadows of the woods long after nightfall as if she could sense him watching her out there, before disappearing inside.

That second glimpse was all Maddox needed to affirm his first impression. His cock immediately went rock hard again, his wolf scratching against his chest to get out and run to her.

She was a human _and_ his mate, and he was already lost for her.

That made things a little more difficult. Humans had funny ideas when it came to mate bonds. So many lawmakers were afraid of the magic behind the bonds—something their science couldn't explain—that they came up with Ordinance #7304, otherwise known as the Bond Laws.

Paras like Maddox referred to them as the Claws Clause. And while he always knew he'd have to follow them, since he was a shifter, it would be so much easier if his mate was another Para who thought the laws were as ridiculous as he did.

She wasn't, though. She was a human. And Maddox new that he would have to tread carefully when it came to courting her.

So maybe her equally human neighbors might consider what he was doing stalking. Maddox liked to think of it as protecting her from afar until he could finally claim her. Besides, he felt more at peace, lingering just outside of her wards, than all of the nights he had spent alone in his bed before he met her.

He found his mate. He had hope. All she had to do was give him a chance to prove that no one would love her better, more faithfully, more earnestly than an alpha wolf shifter, and he'd be set.

Only it didn't seem as if that was going to be as easy as he wished it would be. Whether it was her fright or something else entirely, the wards stayed at full power without any sign that she had slipped out through the front door at all. As if she could sense him out there, lurking, watching, waiting, his mate stayed inside—with Maddox just out of reach.

He couldn't stay there around the clock, and not because he had anything he'd rather be doing. After the first few days he spent waiting for just one chance to get to his human female, Colt threatened to take his brother's erratic behavior to their father if Maddox didn't stop.

Maddox didn't like it, but he understood. If he got caught harassing his mate and she refused his attentions, he could bring the law down on the pack and neither one of them wanted that.

At night, when it was harder for anyone to catch him loping through the shadowed woods, Maddox stayed, reinforcing his territory markings while hoping to get closer to his mystery mate. Once or twice—or a hundred times—when his erection got too hard, too hot to ignore, and his wolf howled a lonely song inside his chest, he unzipped his jeans, pulled out his cock, and leisurely stroked it to the edge of his orgasm.

He never let himself finish. Not yet. Not while she was tucked away inside, unaware that he was out there, waiting for her to notice him.

It was a punishment and a tease at the same time. He'd had his mate right there and he fucked it up by letting himself strain against the leash all shifters kept on their wild beasts. It was torture, but if it helped him learn control, it would be worth it when he finally earned his woman.

_If_ he finally got her to come to him.

# 3

It... wasn't going so well.

By the fourth night, when he still hadn't sampled her scent again, Maddox returned to Colt's house, frustrated, dejected, and with three bottles of whiskey tucked in a black plastic bag he carried with him as he slunk inside.

Since the day he first discovered his mate, he had basically moved in with his brother. Colt lived closer to Woodbridge than Maddox did, and he was careful to ignore his father's call while he was hunting her, luring his prey close.

A mate bond was one of the only exceptions when it came to blind obedience to the Alpha. Terrence would understand, Sarah would adore finally having a daughter to spoil after raising two rambunctious male pups, and the alpha couple in their pack could start hounding Colt to go after his mate.

Maddox hoped he claimed his mate soon. Already the separation was beginning to weigh on his nerves, making it impossible for him to do anything except wait until he could try to see her again.

Which, of course, explained the bag of liquor.

Colt wasn't at home that night; at least, he wasn't in the main house, his scent inside a few hours old. Maddox could guess where his brother had gone. Colt had a private shed in his backyard, a workroom where he focused on his hobby: creating hand-crafted wooden furniture that he sold to his father's clients for more money than Maddox made on a single job. Colt also worked as an architect for the construction company, like most of the pack, but the furniture pieces he crafted were absolute works of art.

Ever since Maddox refused to return to his house in Wolf's Creek, Colt had been spending more and more time either at work with the construction crew or hiding out inside of his work shed.

Maddox might have had something to do with that. Maddox, and his tendency to mope with a bottle of human whiskey in one hand, a nostalgia playlist piping out of the phone he held in the other.

As he crooned along to 1980s hair bands later that night, Colt found him sprawled on the living room floor and immediately threatened to find some silver bullets to put Maddox out of his misery. When that didn't stop Maddox, and Dodge chose to join in on his pity party, Colt threatened to find some silver bullets to put _himself_ out of his misery.

Since then, he put his foot down. He refused to let Maddox get his paws on any more whiskey. Considering how Maddox immediately went back to pacing outside of the woman's wards when he sobered up, Colt probably regretted it.

They both knew that the Claws Clause __ worked against Maddox. If the woman invoked the ordinance, it didn't matter that he was certain she was his mate. He'd be separated from her, possibly even locked up depending on how he reacted to the distance.

Getting drunk didn't help. Watching her house, waiting to ambush her, stroking himself until he was ready to burst from sexual frustration... that was no better. So he settled on a compromise before he ended up being tossed inside the Cage.

Maddox took his truck out and traveled down her street twice each day—first thing in the morning, then late at night—hoping for a peek of her while praying that none of her neighbors reported him for constantly passing by.

In between, he tried to return to work, giving up when he spent the whole time obsessing over what his mate was doing, before going back to annoying the shit out of his younger brother.

And, okay. He might have staked out his territory behind her house again when he couldn't quite keep away.

A week after he first scented her, Maddox was sitting on the edge of Colt's couch, his legs spread, his boots tapping against the hardwood floor. He had spent the last half an hour pacing, watching the clock on the wall _tick-tock, tick-tock_ as night slowly crawled closer.

"This fucking sucks," he snapped out. "I just... I can't get comfortable."

Maddox palmed his erection with a heavy hand, trying to tame the bulge. It wasn't working. The limp cock that always lay perfectly against his thigh was making a damn tent out of his boxers, fighting to punch through his most worn, most loose pair of jeans. It was like trying to wrangle a lead pipe into a new position, he was so hard, and nothing he'd done in the last seven days had changed it.

Colt was sitting at the table on the other side of the room. Head bent over a sheet of paper, he didn't even look up from his sketch. "Stop playing with that damn thing."

"I can't help it. I've rubbed it raw since last Saturday and it still won't go down."

Dodge floated near Colt, his hands crossed over his see-through vest. As a ghost, he was more transparent than not; Maddox could make out the blinds behind Dodge, everything about him—from his old-fashioned duds to his faded derby hat—in varying shades of grey.

The only pop of color on the century-old ghost was the electric blue shade of his eyes. They were wide and mischievous as he jerked his chin over at Maddox.

"You're lucky," he said, his thick New York accent forever noticeable. "I haven't gotten wood in more than a hundred years."

For Maddox, it was twenty-six. And that was long enough.

Every Para had its quirk. Most of the community pitied the shifters for theirs. And while Maddox might have been more frustrated through those hormone-filled teenage years than a human kid, he got through them because he knew the prize at the end was worth decades of waiting.

He was going to have a mate. One woman who fate chose just for him.

As soon as she left her house, that was.

"I'd swap places with you if I could," muttered Maddox grumpily.

It wasn't quite true. That was the sexual frustration talking.

Dodge knew it, too.

"It's an easy fix, Mad. Look... just go out, find some lucky gal to give you a handy. Relieve some stress, then give your real woman a chance to talk to you without that thing ready to poke out her eye. You'll be fine."

Maddox bared his fangs. "Not funny, Dodge."

"What do you mean? I'm serious." He drifted closer, a smirk on his hazy face. "What about Priscilla?"

"Cilla? What about Cilla?"

Dodge shrugged. "Ask her for a hand."

Maddox stared over at him. It was getting harder and harder to focus on the ghost. Did he always used to be so see-through? Maddox didn't think so. Then again, Maddox was having a hard time concentrating on even the smallest of things these days.

But Cilla? Really?

"Why the hell would I do that?" he asked.

"I don't know. Maybe because she's been in love with you since she was a witchling?"

That was one thing Maddox couldn't stand about ghosts. Dodge had been dead more than ninety years, but he'd seen a lot in the time since. Worse, he had a memory like a steel trap. He didn't forget anything. Certain things that happened to Maddox and Colt back when they were kids, Dodge recalled them with vivid clarity. Time just didn't have the same meaning to him since he died.

So, even though it had been close to a decade since a teenaged Cilla confessed that she had feelings for Maddox, he knew that Dodge remembered that awkward time as if it were yesterday.

Because it _was_ awkward, Maddox tried not to think about it. He'd been flattered and, admittedly, a little surprised when she told him that and, okay, maybe they went on a couple of dates together, but it never led to anything. It couldn't. It was obvious from the beginning that Cilla wasn't his mate. No amount of magic or wishing on her part could change that.

She accepted it and eventually got past his careful rejection, jumping from boyfriend to boyfriend until she put any relationships on the back burner in favor of advancing her career. Maddox, meanwhile, continued his search for his mate, figuring there were no hard feelings between them.

"She got over her crush when we were kids. We're just friends."

Dodge winked. "Why don't you try friends with benefits?"

"You're from the early twentieth century. What do you know about friends with benefits?"

"I _died_ in the early twentieth century. I haunted all throughout the rest of it. I ghosted through the sixties, Mad Dog. Flower power and Woodstock. What don't I know about friends with benefits?"

"Yeah, well, like I said. Not. Funny."

"Hey. I wasn't trying to be. I've seen the way Cilla still looks at you when she comes around. Now that you're able to get it up at last, no way she won't say yes."

Maddox was about to tell Dodge to stop it with the damn teasing when he realized something: the sly ghost was actually being serious for once. Dodge really thought Maddox should work his frustration out with Priscilla—with a woman _who wasn't his mate_.

Hell, no.

Not only did just the _idea_ of betraying his mate finally cause his erection to go down a little, but his claws unsheathed without him even giving them the conscious order to.

Yeah. His wolf was against it, too.

Maddox growled.

That finally got Colt's attention. Jerking his head up, he threw a warning look at Dodge, then said, "Don't listen to him, Mad. Even when he was alive, he wasn't a shifter. You know that. He means well. Dodge just doesn't understand what it was he said."

The ghost laughed cheekily. "That may be true, but I can guarantee you that I absolutely do _not_ mean well."

No. Probably not—on both counts, too. Colt was right when he figured Dodge didn't truly understand that a shifter would rather die than betray his mate. And, Maddox admitted with a huff, Dodge most definitely didn't mean well.

He wasn't being spiteful or vindictive, though. It was who—and what—Dodge was. He was a ghost, and he got his kicks messing with the living because that was basically all he could do. Ever since he started haunting Colt more than a decade ago, his favorite pastime was interfering with the Wolfe brothers' lives.

He was the one who dared the boys to steal Terrence Wolfe's infamous girly magazines, and the one who regaled them with stories about the life he lived at the turn of the twentieth century, a young rapscallion of a pickpocket with a lover in every borough of New York City.

Dodge was as horny a bastard today as he was when he was alive; now that he was dead, he was as limp as Maddox had been up until that fateful afternoon. Meanwhile, Colt had never shown any interest in having a mate of his own and, now that Maddox had stopped growling at Dodge, he had turned his attention back to his work.

Neither one of them was any help.

Maddox rolled his eyes, shoving roughly at his aching cock again.

There was only one way to get relief. And since that was impossible when he didn't even know his mate's _name_ , he was going to have to get used to the ache sooner or later.

At least standing guard over her property gave him some semblance of peace. It might be lonely, but it was better than putting up with Dodge McCoy.

He got to his feet. "I'm out of here."

"You shouldn't go back to her house," warned Colt. "You just left."

Maddox didn't say anything. If he did, it would inevitably be a lie.

His brother knew it, too. With a sigh, Colt said, "Fine. But do me a favor? When she finally leaves, don't go snatching her off the street so you can steal her away to your place." He paused, and a bit of Dodge slipped out when his brother added, "The Ants consider that kidnapping. It's against their laws, in case you didn't know."

Maddox scowled. "Yeah. Thanks for that."

# 4

Over the course of the next few days, he watched her even closer.

Now that his father had finally been informed that Maddox he was courting his mate, Terrence relieved him of his pack duties until Maddox's bond with her started to form.

A good thing, too. Maddox was already way too distracted to be any help around the worksites. Colt, on the other paw, absolutely jumped at the chance to take on more jobs since it kept him out of the house while Maddox continued to mope around inside of it.

He realized after that first week that he needed to shake up his new routine. Watching her overnight made him feel better, but the wards kept him from getting too close; he had no chance to learn anything about the woman except that she went to bed early and never had guests. Leaving when the sun came up might have kept her from knowing he watched over her, but it left him just as alone as before.

Driving past her house early in the morning and late at night kept him from being discovered by her neighbors. At the same time, it kept him from spying _her_.

So, that Monday morning, he got into his truck and slowly drove down her street again, parking his truck about two houses over so that he had her front door in his rearview mirror. He told himself he was patrolling his mate's territory, keeping her safe the only way he could, but even his wolf called his bluff.

Both parts of him were in agreement, though. This woman was his mate and, now that he knew where to find her, nothing was going to stop him from at least making sure she was protected. It was, after all, his duty as her mate.

If only she would see it that way...

To his surprise, he finally managed another glimpse of her. About ten minutes after he parked, he watched as she finally left her house.

As he waited for her to drive past him before he started his engine, it dawned on him that he was out later than the other times he lingered during the day.

Thank fucking Alpha. He had a lead at last.

When he slipped into traffic a few cars behind her, following her to the busy downtown area in Woodbridge and observing her pulling into a parking deck, he finally figured out what she was doing. There was an office building that towered over its neighbors. The woman headed straight for it.

She was going to work.

So now Maddox knew where she lived and where she worked.

Progress.

The next few days, her routine was exactly the same. He did a lot of waiting, scoping out the building, getting a feel for her daily activities. If he'd been a human, his actions would've been viewed as creepy and weird; as a shifter, it was considered totally normal. Whenever a curious human got too close, he let them get a glimpse of his wolf and they scurried. The few Paras that strolled through the downtown recognized that he was on the hunt and gave him a wide berth.

Because he was desperate not to spook his mate, he stayed out of her sight. He knew he wouldn't be able to do that for much longer, especially since his wolf was chomping at the bit to get closer to her, and he finally came to a decision.

When he approached her again, he'd be careful to hide the fact that he was a shifter. Maddox wasn't a moron. He knew there was no way she would've forgotten about the crazy-eyed, lust-filled shifter that scared the hell out of her while she was relaxing in the park. His plan? To make sure she never figured out that that was _him_.

For the first time in his life, Maddox would conceal his pride at being a shifter. To win him a human mate, he would _act_ like a human.

His primal instinct warned him against pretending to be anything else but what he was. A shifter—an alpha wolf—would never be able to hide everything that made him that way. He'd be protective and possessive and more devoted than most humans could hope to be. It was a good thing he wouldn't have to pretend for long. It would be impossible to keep up the act.

His mate wasn't the only one he had to convince. His wolf hated the idea, but it hated the reminder of how Maddox had made her scream even more. That, and the spike of fear in her scent when she first saw him.

It was the only thing that got through to his beast. He was a shifter, a born alpha, and his animal side was stronger than most. He could control it, even with her being the biggest temptation of his life, but it took his wolf's devotion to its future mate to allow the man to make all of the decisions.

Because, he admitted, sometimes his instincts could definitely be trouble.

Grabbing her, running off with her, learning everything about her before they became true mates... in that first rush of recognizing just what that woman was to him, Maddox couldn't deny that stealing her away wasn't an overwhelming instinct that first afternoon in the park.

Until their eyes had locked.

He didn't know if she recognized who he was. Had no clue if she knew that she was looking at her forever when she saw him. On the other hand, from the way she paled and screamed, he figured he might have given away more of his intentions than she was prepared for.

Or maybe she was just afraid that he was a Para. A shifter. Didn't matter either way. The only thing that did?

Her scream, and how quickly her scent had changed.

It turned bitter. Acrid, almost, like the stink of burning paper.

She was afraid.

Of _him_.

So he turned tail, realizing that his life had changed even more than he thought. Serving as second in his father's pack all his life, Maddox was used to being the biggest and baddest of big, bad wolves. This woman wasn't only the mate who'd be at his side. She would eventually bear his pups, too, while helping him guide the pack as the Alpha female, whether she was human or not. This woman was all of the things he wanted, but never reached for because it was useless to dream while she was just a promise of what could be.

And now he found her.

This woman... this nameless stranger had the power to make him retreat, already far stronger than his wolf would ever be.

She was the woman who had tamed his beast with only her scent.

He smiled.

She was his mate.

Or, she would be.

Colt's exasperated sigh and no nonsense reminder that Ants frowned on Para's abducting their mates kept running through his head. His brother wasn't wrong, damn it, and he knew better than to give into his wolf's urges. If he threw the woman over his shoulder and ran off with her, he would only scare her more.

He had to be sneaky. He had to be smart.

He had to convince his wolf to give the man a chance to woo his human mate and make her see that there was no better partner in life than an alpha wolf shifter.

She was a human. She worked with humans, interacted with humans, lived near humans.

He didn't know how she would react to his being a shifter. It was bad enough that a big, brawny, muscular man with tanned skin, golden eyes, and danger coming off of him in waves had spooked her by tracking her in the park.

He knew what he saw when he looked in the mirror. Shaggy dark hair, a permanent five o'clock shadow along his square jaw, big golden eyes, and a scowl that could curdle milk when he was in a mood.

No wonder she was terrified.

Maddox didn't want to scare her again. Introducing her to his wolf? That might be a little too much for her.

His mate was obviously skittish. She was probably nervous, too.

And, well, she technically didn't quite _know_ she was his mate just yet.

Take things slow. Take it easy.

He was playing for keeps. The stakes? They'd never been higher for him.

But Maddox was a wily hunter. He brought his first deer down when he was a pup of barely two years old. Though his mate was infinitely more important, and much smarter than an average deer, he knew how to stalk his prey unaware.

And he proved it by not getting caught watching her once.

The first few weeks after he followed her home, then to work, Maddox continued to keep an eye on her from afar, learning everything he could about her.

Her name, he discovered at long last, was Evangeline Lewis.

Evangeline was twenty-three years old, thankfully single, and an only child to a couple who were obviously pro-human. Maddox initially feared that his mate would be, too, but he observed the easy way she mixed with humans and Paras both whenever he followed her throughout the downtown.

So she wasn't afraid of all shifters, he decided. Just him.

It made him more determined than ever to go ahead with his plan to pretend to be a human. An Ant. If only because it would guarantee that he eventually got on her parents' good side, Maddox tamped down his wolf, took a deep breath, and finally grew a pair in order to walk up to her for only the second time.

It took every bit of nerve he had to pretend to bump easily into his mate on her way out of her local coffee shop almost four weeks from the day he first scented her.

He wasn't sure what he was hoping for when he sneakily went about engaging her in conversation over the coffee drink in her hand. Some sign of recognition would've been nice, though his wolf padded anxiously inside of him, worried that the fear scent would fill the air if she became afraid of him again.

Maddox had spent days planning this, eager to make this meet seem as casual and coincidental as possible. Asking her about a coffee order was one of the most human things he could think to do.

So that's what he did.

"Excuse me--"

"It's okay."

"My mistake. I should've been watching—oh, wow." He made a deliberate sniffing motion. Her delicious scent, clean and soft and sweet, wrapped around him. His poor cock got impossibly harder as he allowed himself to revel in it for a brief moment before he forged forward with his plan. "Wow, sorry to bother you, but whatever you're holding smells delicious. Would you mind telling me what it is?"

She hesitated, clearly uncomfortable, but good manners won out in the end. Instead of dashing for the door, she stopped, moving aside to let another group of patrons enter the bustling shop. "Oh, uh, yeah. It's an iced cinnamon macchiato, pump of vanilla syrup, almond milk instead of skim."

"Almond, huh? Does it make it taste better?"

"I think so. Maybe it's in my head, but it seems a bit nuttier to me. It's good."

"And kind of complicated. Cinnamon mocha—"

She laughed. "No. Macchiato. It's like espresso with milk."

He knew that. "Pump of what?"

"Vanilla syrup. It makes it a little sweeter."

Nothing was as sweet as the vanilla inherent in her scent.

"Thanks. You know, I think I'd actually like to try that, but I'm not so sure I'll ever remember to say all that." He paused, swallowing an excited yip courtesy of his wolf. This was super important. He couldn't screw this up, not after how long he waited to do this just right. "Hey, this might seem like a lot to ask, especially since I almost knocked you over on my way in here, but do you think you could come over to the counter real quick, help me order my drink? I know I'll mess it all up."

Maddox knew he'd go to hell for manipulating his mate, but it was worth it. All's fair in love and war and fated mates. Every bonded shifter knew that.

It was difficult to give her the puppy dog eyes when he was wearing mirrored sunglasses. The shades had been a given, a necessary prop for his ruse since any Ant would recognize he was a shifter by the way his eyes changed when his beast was coming to the forefront. So he had to wear them, though the way he stuck his lip out just enough to form a pout gave him a similar advantage.

His mate had a soft heart; he knew that from all of the watching he had done. And he might be a right bastard for using that to his advantage, but Maddox was going to take any help that he could get.

He'd apologize when she was his. Until then, anything was game.

She smiled, and if it was less than enthusiastic, he didn't care. 'Yeah. Sure. I don't have to be back at the office for another twenty minutes."

She worked within walking distance of the coffee shop she habitually visited on her afternoon break. In the last few weeks, she never deviated from her schedule. She was at work by nine, took a lunch break at one, was back in the office by two, and set out for home by six. Evangeline worked five days a week, off on the weekends, and spent most of her free time by herself.

As soon as she let him, Maddox was going to change that.

Careful not to grab her and tuck her close, he followed her to the line. He was grateful for the seven people ahead of him because, by the time it was her turn to order the drink, he had her name—"Oh, it's Evangeline"—and had offered his in return.

It was a start.

His plan was to begin slowly, make contact, maybe meet Evangeline at the coffee shop in a day or two and pretend it was another coincidental meeting. He could tell her he loved the fancy drink order, offer to buy her one.

Baby steps, Colt told him one night when he was ready to fight the wards to get to his mate.

Take it easy. Make her comfortable.

Make her his.

One fucking step at a time.

Getting coffee... isn't that what humans did on dates?

It seemed like a baby step to him. Today, get her attention when it came to nearly bumping into her as he burst through the front door. Tomorrow, maybe he could tell her the drink was good and ask for a second recommendation.

Whatever it took.

Only it seemed as if someone was looking out for him.

Instead of asking for Maddox's payment, the female barista automatically put in Evangeline's; as a frequent customer, it seemed as if the coffee shop had hers stored.

That wasn't part of the plan. Coming up with a reason to talk to her, that was what this was about, not scamming her out of six dollars.

While waiting for his drink to be made, he pulled his phone out. "Let me repay you. I'll send it straight to your account."

Evangeline waved her hand. "Don't worry about it. My treat."

It struck him then. Be sneaky. Be smart.

Be ruthless.

His eyes brightened behind his shades. If she could've seen their glowing depths, he had no doubt Evangeline would've dropped her coffee and dashed straight for the door. "Then let me repay the favor instead. You come here often?"

"Now and then."

She was hesitant. He didn't blame her. That would change eventually, but for now... "I'll be here tomorrow. Same time, okay? If I see you, I'll get your coffee, then we'll be square."

It wasn't about paying her back, not really; once Evangeline was his mate for real, Maddox would give her everything he had without her even asking for it. But he thought he had a good handle on this woman by now. She wouldn't want him to be bothered by being in her debt.

"My lunch break starts at one," she said with a shrug. She was smiling, though, and that smile? It nearly brought Maddox to his knees. "I can be here by ten after."

"I'll be waiting."

# 5

They met for coffee the next day, just like they agreed. It was a Friday, and staying away from Evangeline—well, staying out of her _sight,_ was more like it—during the weekend that followed was hell on Maddox.

He beat her to the coffee shop on Monday. Fuck baby steps, he decided when his aching cock kept him up all Sunday night. He needed to see her, talk to her, scent her. And when Evangeline's forest green eyes lit up when she found him sitting at the same table they used on Friday, his heart nearly stopped.

They met every day that week for coffee. On Friday, Maddox invited her out to dinner on Saturday night. Evangeline accepted.

By Sunday, they were dating.

He took it slow because he knew he had to. She was still skittish, and even when she eventually referred to herself as his girlfriend, Maddox knew that she had no clue that she was so much more than that. Apart from stolen kisses that led to some pretty heavy petting, they never went any further—and Maddox was just happy to be allowed to hold her close.

Mating, he realized, could wait until she actually knew she _was_ his mate. Besides, his cock might be impatient, and his wolf desperate to claim, but Maddox had grown to learn a lot about his Evangeline. Pushing her before she was ready would be the quickest way to sever their fledgling bond.

His wolf understood. Except for the few times he let loose in the forest, running off the edge of his impatience and his unending sexual hunger for her, his wolf allowed itself to stay tightly under Maddox's control. Like the man, it understood what they could lose if Evangeline chose to walk away from them both.

Once he held his shift in check, every part of him committed to playing a part, Maddox gave up on the sunglasses when they were indoors, letting Evangeline see the affection he felt for her in the depths of his golden gaze. Outside, he'd never be able to hide the way they shifted in the direct light, but he figured he was safe inside.

And he was. Evangeline told him his eyes were gorgeous the first time she saw them. That was all. If she recognized them as a shifter's eyes, she never said, and Maddox patted himself on the back for continuing to fool her.

Until one evening.

It was their two month anniversary, counting from the day Evangeline "accidentally" bought his coffee. They had been exclusive from that day—Maddox made sure of it on both of their ends—until their coupledom was just an accepted fact of life.

He knew he was being pushier than he should've been, his human act failing at times, and maybe his possessive nature needed to be checked once or twice where Evangeline was involved, but she was happy and, in turn, that made him ecstatic.

They were walking along a busy row of shops in Wolf's Creek, the Para-human town where Maddox had his home. To Colton's relief, once Maddox and Evangeline got together, they spent their time between Maddox's rustic home and Evangeline's cozy place. Within the first few weeks of making it official, she had him coded to her wards. Desperate to add another layer of protection for his mate, Maddox hired Cilla to set up a set of wards on his house.

Everything was going smoothly. He took her out to eat, choosing a strictly human place so that he didn't risk running into a packmate, just in case. Even though Colt thought his brother was being ridiculous, he passed along Maddox's message that—until Evangeline was fully bonded and claimed—he didn't want any of his packmates interfering with his courtship.

He'd challenge any idiot that got in his way. The threat of that alone kept the other shifters out of his hair while allowing him to continue passing as a human in front of his oblivious mate.

Terrence backed his son's choice, too, throwing the Alpha's weight behind Maddox. According to Colt, it was because their mother told him to—Sarah really wanted her boys to settle down with their mates—and that was totally fine by Maddox.

Whatever it took. So long as he had his mate at the end of it all, it would be worth whatever it took.

After their dinner, it was still early. The summer sun hung high in the sky, shining down on them as they strolled down a less busy side street.

Evangeline seemed to notice the gleam at the same time as Maddox did.

"It's really bright out here." She lifted her hand, shielding her gaze. "Do you have an extra pair of sunglasses I can borrow, honey?"

Maddox froze. "Um. No. Just mine."

"Can I use them?"

He could deny her nothing. But outside... it would be almost impossible to hide the way the sun reflected off his golden eyes, making them appear more amber than anything.

It was a hallmark of a shifter, just like how purple eyes were a tell-tale sign of someone being a witch. Unlike a witch, though, he couldn't hide them with magic. If she looked close enough, she would definitely be able to tell.

Even so, there was still no other choice for him.

Maddox removed the sunglasses. He held them out to her.

She didn't take them.

Instead, she let out a soft breath. Her stare was locked on his face, searching for something. He knew in an instant that she had found it.

A triumphant whisper as Evangeline murmured, "I _knew_ it."

Maddox closed his eyes. Sighed. "What gave me away?" When Evangeline chuckled softly, almost in amazement, he opened one eye, peeking over at her. "What?"

"Oh, Mad, honey. You can't be serious."

He absolutely was. "I acted human whenever I was around you, sometimes even when I went home, even if I saw a packmate in the area. I wore sunglasses at night and had my neighbors wondering if I had somehow turned into a Nightwalker. My brother thinks I lost my mind. My Alpha is humoring me. I was so careful... _how_ did you know?"

"I'll give you points for trying, but it was kinda easy. I mean, you tracked me down at my apartment, showing up before I even told you where I lived. Then you didn't even realize how much of a stalker that would've made you if I hadn't already guessed that you were a shifter. You're kinda hairy sometimes, babe. And then there's the way you sniff me whenever I move next to you—"

So maybe he hadn't pulled off pretending to be a human as well as he thought he had. Still, he had to try to salvage this any way he could. She seemed like she was cool with it, but he hadn't planned on her discovering his deception until she already loved him too much to leave.

"I do not," he retorted without much heat. Because, well, he probably did. Who could blame him? She smelled so damn good!

She nodded. "Except you totally do. Hey, don't worry about it, it's fine. Honest. Sure, the first couple of times, I began to freak out that I forgot to put deodorant on or something, but you always smiled when your nostrils stopped flaring so I figured I was good enough—"

Maddox went predator-still.

Good enough? _That_ wasn't good enough. She knew he was a shifter? Then he would finally let himself _be_ a shifter.

And a shifter male would never, ever let his mate think she was anything less than perfect.

"Your scent is intoxicating," he said, half growl, and half purr. "I've never breathed in anything better in my life. I guess I couldn't help it. I'm addicted to you, Evangeline."

She grinned shyly. "I... I liked it, once I got used to it. You made it easy, too. I heard so many stories about what happens when a Para decides to go after a human. It always made it seem like we never got the choice, but then you came and you tried so hard to... I don't know. Give me a choice, I guess. Make it seem like we're on an even foot."

He let his gaze flare golden. Good thing she was admitting that she knew. No way he could hide it now. "We're not, though."

Uh-oh. Letting the wolf peek through might not have been the best idea. Either that, or there was something in the way he snapped so suddenly because Evangeline immediately took a step away.

Maddox wanted to grab her. He held himself back, careful to stay in control. If she got scared, it would fucking kill him _and_ his wolf. "I'm sorry about that, but it's true."

She shook her head, long dark hair cascading down her back. "What's true?"

"You're so much better than me," Maddox said honestly. "Not because you're human and I'm a shifter. Nothing ridiculous like that. But because you're _you,_ you're Evangeline, and I couldn't have gotten any luckier than to get to know you. We're in this together, you and me. And, okay, maybe I didn't do the best job pretending to be a human. I just hated the fear scent—"

"Fear scent?"

Whoops. Not what he meant to say. "Forget it."

A tiny wrinkle formed in Evangeline's brow. "Are you talking about that day in the park? Because, except for how you caught me off guard, I don't think I've ever been afraid of you."

"Wait—you knew?" Maddox spent weeks pretending to be human because he was afraid his true identity would send her bolting and, all along... "You knew that was me?"

"I guessed," Evangeline admitted. "You seemed so familiar the first time we met after that, but it took me a minute to put two and two together. You gotta admit, you're a memorable guy, Maddox. I thought it might've been you."

"So you knew I was a shifter all along?"

"Not until your eyes just prove it. I mean, I guessed, but I didn't know for sure. Now I do."

Maddox was waiting for the other shoe to drop. When it didn't, he prodded her. "And?"

"And what?"

His heart thumped frantically against his ribcage. It took every ounce of strength he had to keep his voice calm as he said, "Does it change anything? You know, between us?"

"Is it supposed to?"

"I don't know."

"Be serious, Mad. You being a shifter doesn't change a thing for me. Look, I had a witch for a friend when I was growing up. I work with a Dayborn vamp. Kyle's got the cubicle next to mine. So my boyfriend is a shifter--"

"A wolf," he found himself supplying.

"—a wolf shifter," Evangeline amended. "That doesn't change how I feel about you."

The relief slamming into Maddox nearly had him dropping to his knees. It didn't matter. She didn't care. He spent all that time pretending to be something he wasn't and all for nothing, because Evangeline accepted him for what he was.

At that thought, Maddox gulped. Good feeling? Gone.

Just because Evangeline didn't care that he was a Para, that didn't mean anything when his paranormal status wasn't the only thing he'd been keeping from her.

And it had everything to do with how casually she called him her boyfriend.

Boyfriend. Not mate.

Because she didn't know.

"You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say thing. But, well, there's something else you gotta know, now that you know the truth."

Her bright green eyes dimmed suddenly. The humor fled, leaving only wariness in its wake, almost as if she'd been expecting him to say something like that.

"And what's that?" she asked.

"What's what?"

"The truth. What's the truth?" She bit her bottom lip. "There's a reason you hid being a shifter, isn't there?"

Of course there was. When she seemed so pleased to call him out on it, he thought she understood.

Then she said boyfriend like that, as if that was all Maddox was...

"Yes. There was."

Evangeline gulped. "You don't already have a mate or anything, do you?"

Wait a second—

"Of course." When she flinched, understanding slammed into him like a brick upside the head. She didn't know, because he never told him, and still she thought—"It's you, baby. Shit, Evangeline, it's you. You're my mate."

Her bottom lip dropped just enough to illustrate her surprise. She swallowed roughly, her green eyes going dark with some sort of emotion. "Me? Are you sure?"

Was she kidding?

"Of course I am. You're not just my girlfriend. You're so much more than that. My mate. My partner. My life. And I'm a fucking idiot for not telling you before now."

"Really? You're not just saying that?"

Evangeline suspected he was a shifter. How did it never occur to her that the reason he was so careful to hide it was because he was afraid to let her discover she was his fated mate before he had her as insanely in love with him as he was with her?

So desperate not to screw this up, he made the biggest mistake he could. Instead of letting her come to terms with the truth of their reality, he kept it hidden, convinced he was doing the right thing for her.

At the same time, as he pursued her without telling her the truth, his mate must have imagined that she was nothing but a good time.

What the hell was wrong with him?

Maddox longed to dip his head, kiss her worries away, especially since it was all of his fault. He moved toward her, pain shooting through him when she stepped back again.

"Wait. I... I never thought—"

His voice went gruff. "Are you mad? Disappointed?"

"That you lied to me?"

She had a point. "Not that. You have every right to be pissed that I lied to you. It was fucking stupid and, I promise, I'm already regretting it. Are you mad that you're my mate?"

"I—no. I'm not. I had actually hoped... but then you never gave me any sign that it was so serious."

She had no idea how serious it was.

"Serious? A mate is forever. You can't get more serious than that. Promise."

The words just slipped out. One he growled them, Maddox braced himself for her response, each second feeling like an eternity as his gorgeous Evangeline looked up at him, stunned.

Now probably wasn't the best time to elaborate on what it really meant to be a shifter's mate—but too bad. He was standing on the precipice of something important. He could feel it all the way to his bones.

This moment would make or break his and Evangeline's bond. He knew it. And he was still willing to do whatever he had to in order to make it indestructible.

Because his mate was kind, she was loving, but she was holding onto a piece of her heart. It had only been two months, so he wasn't actually surprised or anything that she hadn't given him hers, but he was still hopeful. One day—and, hell, he really hoped it was _soon_ —he'd earn it, and then he would know that she would be his forever.

And now he realized that the reason she was so hesitant to fall prey to his wiles and his charms was because she never expected their relationship to actually last.

Because he was the fucking idiot who kept the truth from her way longer than he should have.

Maddox vowed then and there that he wouldn't give up until Evangeline understood that he meant it wholeheartedly when he said she was his mate—the one woman meant for him, and the only woman he would ever want.

Until then, he could only work to erase the tiny furrows in her brow. A kiss might make her feel better for a heartbeat, but she needed more from him than that.

She needed reassurance. She needed her mind at ease. And Maddox, though he'd never been the best with words, struggled to make her understand that—for him—this already _was_ forever.

"I can't force a bond," he said when she still hadn't said a word. "When I claim you—and I hope to Alpha you let me claim you for me and my wolf's sake—but when I claim you, it'll be because the bond goes both ways. You have to want me, too. You have to feel the tie between us just like I do. As a Para, it's easier for me to recognize it. But, before long, when you decide this is what's right for you, you'll know it. I promise you that. Until then, I'll be here. I'll be waiting. No more lies. You knew I'm a shifter? Then you know everything about me. And I'm not going anywhere, my sweet Evangeline. I love you."

They were the words he had longed to say since the first moment he drew her scent into his lungs. Fate said that this woman was meant to be his, the one he spent his life with, raised his pups with, and damn if fate didn't have amazing taste. Because he liked Evangeline as much as he loved her, and he'd wait a lifetime for her to accept him as her mate.

She had the choice now that she knew what he was offering her.

But what would she do?

Maddox held his breath. His wolf got up and padded anxiously around inside of him

Evangeline still didn't say a thing. At least, not right away.

Instead, she reached out, placing her palm against his chest; her touch immediately calmed his wolf, putting the beast back to sleep. Flesh to flesh, it was as if she was trying to get to his heart. It started to thump wildly, as if trying to beat its way out of his chest so that he could hand it to her already.

Not as if she didn't already hold it in the palms of her hands.

"Thank you, Maddox. You... I believe you. And it doesn't matter to me that you're a Para. I've known for months now. The truth about you and your... your wolf won't changed a thing about what we have between us. "

"What about being my mate?"

She smiled, one part hopeful, one part wistful. "That changes everything."

"In a good way?"

"In a very good way."

He raised his hand, laying it gently over hers, savoring the feel of her soft skin against his coarse palm as he allowed her to feel the _thump-thump-thump_ of his heartbeat.

It wasn't an _I love you_ in return, but it was good enough for Maddox.

For now.

# 6

Three months later, and Maddox was beginning to think he'd burst if he didn't get inside of his mate and _soon_.

He knew how important it was not to rush Evangeline. She wasn't so skittish these days, and there was no denying the spark of attraction that existed between them, but she seemed hesitant to take their fledgling relationship any further than sharing a few stolen kisses.

Even after she learned the truth about actually being his fated mate.

It was a good thing that Maddox loved those kisses. Her taste was like coming home to him and, for the first few months, he was content with letting her set the pace. Just being able to touch her, hold her, talk to her... it was enough. Until her scent started to deepen, the hint of vanilla developing a rich musk as his acute shifter senses started to pick up on her undeniable arousal.

She wanted him. Maddox could tell that she did. It was obvious—only Evangeline was continuing to hold back. So he waited and he hoped that she'd take pity on him and finally become his mate in all ways.

And it wasn't as if sex was the only thing that mattered to him. Claiming her, making her his forever so that no one could ever take her away from him—that was his goal. Everything he did got him one step closer to his forever.

He would wait because it needed to be Evangeline's decision as much as his, but he was so desperately in love with her that he did everything he could to make her feel the same.

He was making headway. Four months into their relationship, he finally received that elusive "I love you." Six weeks later, she brought him to meet her parents. Mr. and Mrs. Lewis made no secret that they wanted a nice human husband for their daughter, but Evangeline went home with him that night and that was all that mattered. He was used to humans treating him like a mangy mutt because he was a shifter. So long as Evangeline didn't care, the rest of the world could go scratch themselves.

She went home with him more often than not lately. His house was more comfortable than hers, she told him, and that worked for him since it soothed his wolf to have her scent lingering even when she was gone.

Before long, he planned on asking her to move in with him; careful as ever, he didn't want to push her or scare her off. As time passed, his possessive instincts would only grow stronger and he would have a much harder time in letting her out of his sight without the claiming. Moving in together seemed like a logical next step in their mating dance.

An actual mating—the physical act of sex without the claiming bite—would bring some satisfaction, too. He wanted to cement his bond with her, he wanted to claim her, but he'd happily give up his position in the pack for one chance to know what it was like to be with his woman.

Six months into their relationship, he decided he had to bring it up to her. If Evangeline needed more time, he respected that and he would wait. She was worth waiting for all of the time in the world if that's what she wanted from him. He just... he just wanted to know _what_ she wanted.

They were together. Whenever he called her his mate, she smiled indulgently. He hadn't scented any fear coming from her since the first time he saw her in the park. She slept in his bed, letting him hold her near, and allowed him to feed her, pet her, and protect her.

She absolutely was his mate.

Evangeline still called him her boyfriend, mainly because she argued that _mate_ sounded weird coming from her since she was a human, and Maddox decided that what she called him wasn't the hill to die on; he just needed the _my_ part in front of it. So long as she didn't deny that they were a bonded pair, that was fine by him.

And, he assured his wolf, once she finally consented to mate with him, she would be his mate in truth.

Only, after six months of growing closer, learning everything about his human, falling deeper for her every day... after six months of fantasizing what it would be like when she opened her heart to him, then opened her body for him... after six months of the worst case of blue balls in history, Evangeline still showed no signs of taking their relationship to the next level.

So, one evening after dinner, when they were sitting on the couch together, watching television, Maddox decided it was time to make his move. The next time she turned into him, cuddling close before she stole a kiss along the edge of his jaw, Maddox grabbed her hand. Instead of holding it chastely, though, he circled her palm with his rough thumb, took a deep breath, then placed her fingers along the edge of his very obvious, very noticeable erection.

Evangeline jerked her hand back, her eyes wide and staring. She didn't say a single word, just gaped up at him.

And Maddox realized he might have made a huge fucking mistake.

With an apologetic grimace, his eyes gone gold with regret for upsetting his mate, he picked up her hand and tucked it into her lap again.

Hesitantly, as if she could hardly believe she was doing it, Evangeline put it back.

He exhaled softly, going stiff—well, stiff _er_ —under her soft touch. He groaned. He couldn't help it.

She gave his length a single, tantalizing, erotic stroke.

"I've never done this before," she blurted out. "Any of this."

Maddox was stunned. He never would have guessed that she was as unpracticed as he was. Evangeline was a human, and she'd confessed he wasn't her first boyfriend. As jealous and possessive as he could be, he refused to let her elaborate. Who or what Evangeline did before they met was her past and he was totally good with leaving it behind them.

She was gorgeous. She didn't have a weird biological quirk that kept her from exploring her sexuality. If Maddox hadn't been a shifter, he would've been humping everything in sight from the time he turned fifteen. It never occurred to him that Evangeline hadn't.

He just thought she was getting to know him, making him wait until she was sure before she went all in on being his mate.

But if she was also a virgin—

He realized a moment too late that he'd been silent longer than he should have been.

Evangeline's fingers curled up against his cock, drawing away from his jeans before pulling back. She settled her hand in her lap again.

Maddox missed her touch immediately.

"I know," she said, a bit of deprecative laugh in her tone. "My friends used to make fun of me for it all the time. And it wasn't that I was waiting for any big reason or anything, it's just... I don't know. It never felt right."

Maddox hated that she felt like she needed to move away from him, or explain anything at all to him. He belonged to her, now and forever. She could touch him however and whenever she wanted to.

He only hoped she didn't mind when he did the same to her.

Quick as a flash, he took her tiny, tiny hand in his massive paw, pulling her closer, pressing their entwined hands against his heart. His silence had her babbling—and, fuck, he loved the way she had no filter, spilling her secrets to him as if he was worthy of them—but he never wanted her to be uncertain.

Not of him.

Not of where they stood, either.

She was his mate. And he loved her more than anything in this world.

"No offense, babe, but your friends are fucking idiots."

Evangeline laughed again, some real humor in the sound this time.

"Seriously. I never asked because it wasn't my business, and it wouldn't have changed a thing about how I feel about you, but you don't know what it does to me to hear that you won't have anyone to compare me to. You know that I'm a male shifter. Do you know what that means?"

A strange look flashed across her face. "Yeah. That you had no choice. You can't have sex until you meet your mate."

"That's right. But that's only biology. It just means that you're the one woman who could give me pups, help me build a family. It didn't mean I had to fall in love with you." That she was his fated mate gave him a hand when it came to that, he couldn't deny it, but there were a few rare cases where even fate wasn't strong enough. "Do you know why I think about you naked 24/7?"

She huffed. "Because you're a guy?"

"Well, yeah, but also because you're the most gorgeous woman I've ever met. More than that, I like you. I could want you and that was it. Fine. Whatever. But I like you. Shit, I love you. Screw what my cock says. It's not the smartest part of me. You're my mate, not because I want to fuck you... and I do, just making that clear, I totally do... but because I can't imagine having any other woman sitting next to me, even if all we do is watch cheesy sitcoms together."

It was Evangeline's turn to stay silent. She nibbled on her bottom lip—Maddox bit back a heated groan—before she said softly, "Because your instincts say so, right?"

Hell, no. "Because you're Angie, and you're _mine_."

"No one's ever called me Angie before," she whispered.

He... he didn't know that. She mentioned once that some of her friends called her Eva when they wanted to shorten her name but that she didn't really like it all that much. Calling her _Angie_ , it just slipped out.

"Do you mind?"

"I've always wanted to be an _Angie._ My mom hated it and it wasn't worth the argument." His mate looked up at him through the fringe of her dark eyelashes, her forest green eyes vibrant and stunning. "Angie Lewis. It's got such a nice ring to it."

Angie Wolfe sounded even better.

Evangeline grinned and that sealed it. Maddox vowed then and there that he would never use any other name when he was talking to her. And why not? It made sense that he'd have this to share with her.

He wanted to be her first in everything. The man who called her Angie, the man who became her lover, the man who became her mate forever and for always.

Maddox tapped his chest with their joined hands. "You're not a Para, Angie, so you weren't waiting to find your mate. But you were. I know you were. That's why it never felt right for you. You were waiting for _me_. So, whenever you're ready, I'll be waiting for you. Then we'll mate, and I'll claim you, and then we'll be bonded mates that no one will separate. I'm playing for keeps, babe, but you figured that out as soon as you caught onto me being a wolf and I told you that you were my mate. I'm just like my beast. Nothing will ever take you away from me. Only you have the power to do that."

And that was true. Maddox was an alpha wolf shifter, with all of the power and the strength that came with it. When it came to his future, though, when it came to his forever... Evangeline held it in the palms of her delicate hands.

"I like the idea of being with you, too," she said to his never-ending relief. "I'm not saying no. I'm not even saying later on. It's just... what would that mean? Bonded mates... how is that different from what we have now?"

"We have a bond. It's strong as hell already, but as soon as I bite you—as soon as I claim you—it will be damn near unbreakable."

Evangeline paled. "Bite me? Did you just say _bite_ me?"

"I know you're mine. And I'm yours. But the claiming bite? Think of it as a kiss from my wolf, its way of showing the rest of the world that we're in this together, you and me."

She turned her head. "There's not going back after that, is there?"

His wolf yelped inside of him. For her to even ask that... "No. But I'm hoping by now that you wouldn't ever want to go anywhere else."

"And you have to bite me to make it final."

He gritted his teeth, barely managing to get the single word out: "Yes."

Evangeline stayed quiet. She was silent so long that Maddox's head started to spin. He needed to think of something to say, some way to convince her. It wasn't about mating, not anymore. He could stay celibate for as long as he needed to if only she would stay—

"Okay. Okay, I can do that. But I want to be married first before you bite me. Maybe it's old-fashioned—"

Relief was sudden and quick. Maddox was almost giddy with it... and that was his ultimate mistake.

"Married? That's ridiculous," he snorted. "What's a piece of paper got to do with us being together forever? The claiming bite is more than enough. You don't understand. You'll learn."

Sudden fury flashed in Evangeline's eyes. "Will I?"

Uh oh. Maddox knew that tone. Evangeline didn't get angry often, but when she did? Her temper was quick, her tone biting.

He should've kept his damn mouth shut.

He didn't.

"Well, yeah. It's okay. I'll show you."

Her eyebrows winged up. "Really? Are you sure you even want a stupid human as your mate? I don't have an animal inside of me, Maddox. It might prove harder to train me."

Maddox knew that he went too far in that moment, but he didn't exactly regret it. He meant what he said. It still wasn't even about the sex, either. It was about the _claiming_.

Their bond was already there, growing stronger and stronger every day. All his bite would do would be to prove that she was his to everyone else. All Paras would respect his marking. Even Ants knew better than to get between a bonded shifter and their mate.

It was the whole damn reason behind the Claws Clause, after all.

Still, she was obviously angry. He had to try to make her see things his way.

"That's not what I meant—"

"Oh, really? Could've fooled me. Just because I don't want you to _bite_ me the first time we make love, I suddenly don't understand?"

"It doesn't hurt," he argued. He'd make sure of it. He'd give her so much pleasure, she wouldn't even feel it when his fangs slid into her flesh.

"Yeah?" she shot back. "How do you know?"

Were they really having this argument? Hadn't she already agreed?

What was going on?

His beast was snarling deep in his chest. It didn't understand why Evangeline was refusing him.

And then she snapped, "And what's the matter with getting married like a human? You've told me it didn't matter that I'm not a Para. Is it wrong that I'd like to have a marriage license? Isn't that what your precious bonding license is? A piece of paper?"

Maddox went absolutely still at the mention of the bonding license.

"Hang on. What are you talking about?"

He knew what a bonding license was. That wasn't what he meant when he asked her that. Every Para knew every single letter of the damn Claws Clause. A claiming bite was all he needed to prove she was his mate—to another Para.

To the government, though? He needed a bonding license.

But how did _she_ know that?

Pale pink spots appeared high on her cheeks. He knew every inch of her face, could read every expression. She was angry and she was horny and, to his surprise, she was embarrassed.

"I looked into it, Mad. You've been so careful to shield me from what you are. I wanted to know what to look forward to in the future."

"I didn't want to frighten you."

"No, you wanted to protect me, right? Coddle me, just like my parents. I'm an adult. I have a damn degree. I might not have the most experience in the world about a lot of things, but I saw the writing on the wall a long time ago. You're a Para, Maddox. A wolf shifter. Even if I wanted to get away, I could never escape you."

As his wolf whined at just the thought of losing Evangeline, Maddox felt his fangs start to lengthen, his claws itching to emerge. "Don't even tease about that."

His voice was rough and raspy, his vocal chords constricting as he fought the shift.

"I'm not teasing. I'm being honest. This... what we have... it's never going to work if you can't respect what I want."

"I give you everything—"

"Everything _you_ think I should have. Protection is one thing. Following me home every night, thinking I don't notice that you've been watching me whenever I'm not close by... I didn't say anything because this is new to me, too. And you have instincts. I'm not asking you to deny them. It's never really mattered to me that you're a Para and I'm a boring old human. All I'm asking, right now, is that we do one thing my way. I'll let you bite me the second we're legally married."

Was that all? She wanted to get some paper signed and have another human tell them they were mates? Fine. He could do that. It wouldn't change anything in his mind—they were mates the first time he caught her scent—but if it made her happy, he'd do it.

"Fine. Then let's go now."

"What? Go where?"

"Get married. That's what you want, right?"

She lifted her hand, pinching the bridge of her nose while shuttering her eyes. "Please, oh, please tell me that was not your way of proposing to me."

Why not? "It makes sense to me. We get hitched like you want, get all the papers in order, then I can claim you. Shit, if we hurry, maybe we can hit the courthouse before they close. We can even go out for ice cream after."

Evangeline gritted her teeth. That surprised him. He would've thought the mention of ice cream would've sealed the deal for him.

"No, Maddox. I will not marry you tonight. Don't be ridiculous."

"I don't get it. You just said—"

"I love you, Mad. I really do. But... I'm not ready to be married yet. I mean, I want to take this one step further. You want to move in together? Fine. Start sleeping together? I think I'm ready to handle that. But the rest of it? You're the one who keeps saying it's forever, right? Then what's the harm in waiting to... to—"

"Let me bite you? Let me make you mine in all ways?"

Evangeline let out a soft breath. "Yes. Exactly. I'm so glad you understand. From everything I learned, it seems as if sometimes shifters... don't."

Maddox went still. Then, for the first time since she invited him close, he got up and willfully took a step away from her.

It was easy to tell himself he would wait for her forever, fooling himself that just knowing she was near was enough.

Until Evangeline refused to consider accepting his bite when they mated.

Until she said _shifters_ like that.

He promised he would wait forever. She wasn't being unreasonable. The rational man part of his brain knew that.

Tell that to his rejected wolf.

# 7

"Maddox." Colt sighed, shaking his head. "This has got to fucking stop. Seriously."

The big, brawny shifter was lying flat on his back in the middle of Colton's living room. At least three empty bottles of Jameson Irish were sprawled around him.

Somewhere, filtering in from another room in the house, music played. Maddox remembered borrowing Colt's phone and turning it on, creating an _I can't believe I screwed up this bad_ playlist, and promptly losing it. Kitchen? Probably. Though a wolf shifter never needed a reason to eat, guilt and stress caused him to snack even when he wasn't actually hungry. He'd gone through half of the prepped meals his brother kept stored in the fridge, then drowned his sorrows in the whiskey he snuck in until he dropped.

A high-pitched croon. Maddox focused on that instead of the hulking shape of his obviously ticked off brother standing over him.

" _Love lives, love dies..._ "

Ah. Def Leppard. Right now, this song was the soundtrack to his soul.

Maddox started to sing along.

" _Love begs, love pleads..._ "

Colt nudged him in the shoulder with the tip of his work boot. "We're not starting that shit again. Come on. Get up."

"Go away," he ordered.

There was a hint of a slur to his words. When Colt cursed under his breath before doing just what Maddox said, Mad wasn't sure how to feel about that. As the stronger alpha wolf, sometimes his brother had no choice but to obey. Unless they were in a real fight—and that hadn't happened since they were hormonal teens—Maddox tried not to pull rank on Colt.

When Colt returned a few seconds later, Maddox realized he hadn't managed to do so this time, either. Colt didn't leave because Maddox told him to. No, he slipped out of the room so that he could retrieve his missing phone and turn the music off.

He tossed the silent phone onto the coffee table, then returned to his post standing near Maddox's shoulder.

Colt was frowning, his arms crossed over his chest as he scowled down at Maddox.

"Sloppy," he said in disgust. "I thought this was over with when Evangeline finally agreed to be your mate."

Yeah, Maddox thought ruefully, so did he.

And maybe he was sloppy. With his metabolism, three bottles of human alcohol was enough to put him firmly into tipsy territory. He had let it affect him deeper than it normally should, embracing the sensation of being almost completely annihilated if only because it gave him something else to focus on that wasn't the cowardly way he ran out on Evangeline.

He ran out on his _mate_.

What kind of asshole shifter did that?

His thoughts turned dark as he remembered her reaction to his proposal.

One whose mate didn't actually want him, that's what.

Maddox growled. At least, it started as a growl. Halfway through, his throat hitched, his eyes watered, and the sound that escaped him was closer to a pained cry from his wolf than anything else.

Sensing this was something more than an alpha wolf letting off steam, Colt immediately crouched down. He kept his eyes lowered, careful not to antagonize his brother's agitated beast, before softly asking, "Okay. Tell me. What happened?"

Maddox didn't want to say it out loud. Speaking it was one step closer to having to accept that Evangeline didn't want him to claim her.

It was her right. Her choice. Even if she was a shifter, instead of a human, she still had to accept him fully for the bond to become unbreakable.

And she hadn't.

He clenched his fists, sudden claws biting into his palms. It was either that or scratch the shit out of Colt's expensive hardwood floor.

"She won't let me bite her," he half-slurred, half-snarled.

No reason to elaborate. In Maddox's world, there was only one she. And, for most shifters, giving their mate a claiming bite was the highlight of their lives.

Too bad his mate didn't want his mark.

The reminder of the way Evangeline refused him just about stabbed Maddox in the chest, it hurt that bad. The alcohol did nothing to dull the ache. He realized that, and felt even worse for trying desperately to drink himself into a numb stupor.

With a frustrated sigh, Maddox struggled to sit up before using his wolf's efficient metabolism to burn off the worst of his buzz.

It was a pity that Colt wasn't born a true beta. When he wanted to be, Maddox's younger brother could be calm and rational, a perfect foil to a raging alpha. Then again, Colt's temper was as explosive as it was because he usually kept the lid on it screwed super damn tight. When it came off, everyone in the vicinity knew it.

Right now, though, Colt worked to help his brother. "Of course she won't. She's a human. She's probably afraid it'll hurt. You've got some fangs on you, Mad."

"I told her it won't. That I'll make sure of it. She still said no." He hiccuped, then fell back on his elbows. His stomach turned, the whiskey working its way through his system. He needed another bottle so that he didn't have to feel the pain crashing into him. Since he didn't have one—and he needed to sober up anyway—he sucked in a breath, bracing himself before he admitted, "She won't marry me, either."

Without warning, Dodge popped in, appearing in the far corner of the room. His derby was cocked, tilted forward to cover one of his electric blue eyes. He saw the bottles, smirked at Maddox still flat on his ass, then turned to Colt. "I thought you got rid of all that stuff the last time he got into it."

"I did," scowled Colt. "He brought some with him again."

"Why does he always come to your house to get drunk?"

Maddox threw his head back, letting his wolf croon a high-keening, morose howl.

"Drunk _and_ whiny," amended Dodge. "At least he's not singing this time."

"I already turned the music off. If Mad wants to play drunk idiot karaoke, he can do it in his own home."

Maddox wondered if he should respond to the insult. Colt was the only pack member—except for their father—who got a free pass when it came to disrespecting him. Considering he was still more than half drunk and Colt wasn't wrong in his description of his behavior, he let it go.

Besides, he needed Colt on his side. This house belonged to him, the land it sat on was Colt's territory. And it wasn't like he could return home.

"Can't go back to my place."

The edge of Colt's jaw went hard. "Why the hell not?"

"Because I left Evangeline at my house last night. Once I cooled off and I realized I was being an ass... I couldn't go back and face her."

Dodge let out a short laugh. He wasn't a shifter, was pure human before he died and became a ghost, but hell if that didn't sound like a bark. "Holy shit. Never thought I'd see the day that the Mad Dog was actually afraid of something. And a human woman, too? Man alive, I never would've guessed it."

Was he afraid? Of course he was. He'd never admit it out loud, but he was absolutely terrified. Not of Evangeline, not exactly. What she represented, though? What it would mean if his human rejected the bond that had already burrowed so deep inside of Maddox that nothing could get rid of it?

"Priscilla," mused Colt.

Maddox stared up at his brother. Maybe he was even drunker than he thought because, for the life of him, he couldn't figure out why that name popped out of Colt's mouth.

What about Cilla? It wasn't as if Maddox had seen or talked to her in, well, forever. Once he started to woo Evangeline, it just didn't seem right.

His gut clenched. Another reason why he needed the bond completely finalized. Until his wolf was sure that no one could come between him and Evangeline, he only felt a mixture of repulsion and disinterest when it came to any other woman—even lifelong friends.

"What about her?"

"She's a witch. I'm sure if you asked, she'd use her magic to dissolve your bond."

He blinked. Did he think nothing could get rid of his bond?

That... that wasn't quite right. There _were_ two fool-proof ways to sever a bond. One: death. But the second way? Hiring a witch to use their powers to perform a lobotomy-like procedure that would just about erase his mate from his mind and his heart. When he didn't remember Evangeline, it wouldn't hurt so bad that she didn't want him as much as he needed her.

Too bad that that could never really be an option.

"Why would anyone do that?"

Dodge faked a cough, then said in a sing-song voice, "Because she's still in love with you."

That wasn't what he meant. Didn't matter. It wasn't like the nosy ghost was helping, either.

"Can't you leave me alone?" Maddox growled.

Colt nodded. "Let me talk to my brother. I'll see you later."

With a tip of his derby and a shit-eating grin, Dodge popped out of existence again.

He didn't go far. He couldn't. Ever since Dodge started haunting Colt when Colt was barely twelve, the ghost was always hovering nearby. He used to explain it was because he had nothing better to do. Maddox spent years looking into it. There wasn't much information about ghosts out there—and most of the phantoms weren't talking—but it was obvious that a haunting was another type of bond.

It could've driven Colt insane. Instead, he became best friends with Dodge who, in almost every way, was his exact opposite. Which, Maddox long ago decided, was exactly why Colt got along with him.

The relationship went both ways. Colt was the only one Dodge liked—or listened to. So he was gone, only because Colt asked, but Maddox had sobered enough to realize that there was a good chance their conversation was still being overheard.

It was what it was.

Colt was watching him closely. "Should I call her for you?"

"Why would you think that's a good idea? You don't even like Cilla."

"You're right. I don't. Never have." And it wasn't anything Cilla did wrong. Colt disliked witches as much as he hated every other non-shifter race. "But I'd be an idiot if I didn't respect her magic. She's good at what she does."

"Well, yeah—"

"Just because fate said you were stuck with a human, doesn't mean you are."

So Colt was going to insist on this. Was he fucking nuts? "Hang on. I'm not stuck with her. If anything, she's stuck with _me_."

The pain of rejection might have hurt like hell, but it was a good ache. It was so much better than the emptiness inside of him before his bond to Evangeline formed. He'd rather be dead than let anyone rip that away from him.

Colt raised an eyebrow. "Then what are you still doing in my house?"

That was a good question. And, as Maddox shook off the last of the booze before jumping nimbly to his feet, he knew the answer to it.

Just like he knew his brother had played him.

Fine. It was fine. Because when Colt finally found his mate— _if_ he ever found his mate—Maddox would be sure to return the favor.

Sometimes that was all a shifter needed: a swift kick in the ass and a good packmate to remind you when you were being a fucking moron.

Which he was.

But that was okay.

He was ready to fight for his mate. He only hoped Evangeline was still willing to let him fight for her.

# 8

She wasn't at home.

Her home, that was. Maddox headed straight for Woodbridge once he shook off the last of the booze. When he arrived, he could sense her weakened wards and knew that Evangeline hadn't been by. If she had, she would've reset them.

His heart was in his throat the entire drive back to his house in Wolf's Creek. He didn't know what he would do if she wasn't there—

He found her on the couch. Sleeping peacefully, wrapped up in a thin blanket as if she'd been tossing and turning before she went still, Evangeline's scent filled his house, soothing his beast.

Maddox allowed a small contented grin to cross his rugged face. He probably needed to shave, he could feel the stubble on his cheeks, his chin, but he'd barely had time for a shower to wash off the worst of his hangover.

He was desperate to get back to her. All along, he worried that he'd fucked up beyond repair, pushing her away so far that he'd never get her back.

And what did he find?

Evangeline had waited for him. Whether or not she did so because she wanted to continue their fight didn't matter. She waited for him.

She was home.

He crouched down by her side. As gently as he could, Maddox laid his hand on her head, stroking her long dark hair. The touch smoothed something ragged inside of him, calming his wolf at the same time as it cooled the heat in his blood.

Colt was right. This woman was his mate, the only one he would ever want, no matter what his body told him. It might've had the advantage of recognizing who she was to him first, but now his heart was the one in charge. It beat solely for Evangeline.

His cock didn't get a say. Pride? What pride? If getting married to this woman was what it took to make her his, then that would be what he did. Maddox would give her the wedding of her dreams and a wedding night she'd never forget. And he would do it because he loved her, he needed her, and if she never slept in his bed again, he'd understand.

Because once he burned off the last of the booze, his brain finally kicked into gear. He'd been thinking with his cock and his gut and even his heart these last six months. It hit him on his frantic drive home that, since the beginning, he'd been pulling the infamous shifter _mine, mine, mine_ shit on his poor mate. And that was just _that_. Evangeline _was_ his mate—

—but that meant that he was her mate, too. It was his responsibility to give her everything she needed, even if what she needed most was her space.

It wasn't only about him. It was about _them_. A mated pair with a bond that was already so close to being utterly unbreakable. He could feel it stretching between them, a tether that was a strong as steel but with enough give that Maddox knew what he had to do.

First, apologize.

Second, back off.

It wasn't about sex. His wayward cock might disagree, but he didn't spend twenty-six years searching for his mate just because he was a horny wolf eager to get laid. He wanted a mate, a partner, someone who would be by his side for life.

Mating was just a bonus.

He remembered that now. And, prepared to be the big wolf, he lowered his hand to Evangeline's shoulder and gave it a gentle shake.

"Angie?"

She came to slowly. He knew she was a deep sleeper so he waited, his hand pressed to the thin fabric of her t-shirt, loving the warmth of her skin as it seeped through. Evangeline stretched, moving from her side to her back, before she finally opened her eyes.

As soon as she recognized him crouched next to her, she smiled. Her eyes lit up.

"Hey." Her voice was scratchy, thick from sleep, but there was no denying how happy—and relieved—she was to see him.

Maddox felt his heart skip a beat. He smiled. "Hey. What are you doing out on the couch?"

"Oh." The light dimmed enough to make Maddox lose his smile. "I was waiting for you to come back home. I guess I fell asleep. Sorry about that."

She never needed to apologize to him. "You could've slept in the bed."

"I wasn't planning on sleeping." Stifling a yawn—or maybe that was just an excuse for Evangeline to turn away, shielding her face with her hand—she slowly pulled herself up to her elbows while still looking anywhere but at him. "I tried calling you. You left your phone behind."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"I would've gone after you, Maddox, but I didn't know where you went. So I waited here. I hope that's okay."

She still wouldn't meet his gaze. The sorrow in her tone hit him like a bat upside his thick skull. He didn't need to see her face to know that his running off had hurt her deeply.

Even worse was how helpless his taking off had made her. Without his phone, she couldn't get in touch with him, and apart from his house and hers, she really didn't know how to track him down. She was a human and didn't have any way to find him: no shifter senses, no magic. She was stuck.

That was his fault. So worried that being a paranormal would have her refusing him, Maddox spent months hiding what he was. Even when she assured him that it didn't bother her, Maddox made a point to keep his pack life separate from the life he hoped to build with Evangeline. He introduced her to his brother, to Dodge, to his parents, but that was it.

He never brought her to Colt's Bumptown. Everything was kept around humans so that Evangeline was comfortable. At least, that's what Maddox told himself. Part of his big epiphany that morning? He finally understood that keeping her separate from his life kept her from becoming _involved_ in his life.

And if he couldn't share his life with her—and vice versa—how could he expect them to build a solid one together?

Another mistake. Another colossal, _what the hell was he thinking?_ mistake.

He only hoped he could make up for it now.

Maddox had faith. Fate had brought her to him. Evangeline Lewis was the one woman who was perfect for him in all ways. Of course she wouldn't care that he was a shifter. So her parents didn't like it. That was fine because, hell, it wasn't like Colt was the biggest fan of non-shifters, either.

He spent so many months trying to be something he wasn't because _he_ was the one who was worried that she wouldn't want him. Looking down at Evangeline, her head turned, her hair shielding her expression like a dark curtain, Maddox realized something.

She could have left. She could have given up when things got rough, she could have run right out the door. She never had. Unlike Maddox, the big, bad wolf who went running when things didn't go his way, Evangeline stayed. She was a human, without a drop of paranormal blood inside of her, and she was braver—stronger—than he was.

She was his mate, and he would never abandon her again.

"This is your home, Angie. That's your bed. If you never let me touch you again, I totally understand, but I don't want you to ever think that you have to ask for permission to stay here. Shit, if I had it my way, you'd stay here all the time. No reason for us to have two houses. And, hell, if you want to live in your place instead, I'll move in a heartbeat. I just want to be with you."

She turned slightly, hope peeking through her guarded expression. "You mean that?"

That same hope that he didn't completely fuck things up with Evangeline filled his chest. Maddox felt like there was a balloon behind his ribs, the sudden pressure making him lunge forward so that he could take Evangeline's hand in his. "I wasn't kidding when I said we should go get married."

She sighed. "Maddox, I—"

He gently squeezed her hand, always aware of his shifter strength. "I'm sorry, Ang. Hear me out. I know I was an ass. I guess, in the excitement of finally finding you, I forgot that being mates goes both ways. You're mine, but I'm yours, and that means we're in this together. It's not just about my needs—"

Evangeline didn't break his hold on her as she shifted her body, climbing out of the couch and tucking her legs next to Maddox's. They were long, lean, and bare; despite not wanting to fall asleep, Evangeline was wearing one of his shirts as a sleep shirt.

And nothing else except for her panties.

"It never has been," she said firmly, drawing his attention away from the vision of her sexy legs. "Are you nuts? Ever since our first coffee date, you've done everything to make me happy. And, yeah, some of it might have been creepy at first, but you're a shifter, babe, and I just had to learn what that means. This is all new to me. I'm gonna mess it up, but we'll figure it out as we go."

"It's new to me, too," growled Maddox. His cock was all but pulsing as he caught a whiff of Evangeline's arousal perfuming the air. The tiny scrap of fabric that covered her pussy did nothing to hide the mouthwatering scent. His whole body tensed, aching for even the smallest of tastes. He locked himself down, holding onto his control. This was important. Super important. "I'm gonna fuck it up sometimes, like not knowing the best time to propose. It wasn't just a ploy to get you to agree to sleep with me, I swear."

"Really?" A small curve to her lips, a single quirk of her eyebrow. "Because, well, it almost worked."

"Wait— _what_?"

She shrugged, her green eyes shining brightly in open invitation. And love. Holy hell, there was so much love in her gaze.

"Mating is forever," she said simply. "I'm a human and I know that. It's why I really want to get married first... that way it's forever in the eyes of a shifter _and_ a human. 'Til death do you part, right? That's... that's important to me, Maddox, but if you don't mind me fumbling like the virgin I am..."

Evangeline slipped her hands out of his hold, boldly reaching out and laying her fingers against the bulge in his jeans as her words trailed to a close.

He jerked as if she had branded him. And, in a way, she had. She held his heart in her hands as easily as her fingers traced the length of his rock-hard cock.

"I don't have to bite you," he breathed out. "Not until we're married."

"That's all I asked for," Evangeline murmured, her voice gone even huskier.

She let go of the bulge in his jeans, reaching for the hem of her borrowed sleep shirt. His wolf nearly let out a howl of loss the instant she pulled away from him, but Maddox choked it back as she lifted the shirt over her head.

Instead, he let out a long groan when Evangeline bared her tits to him.

It was the first time she let him see her topless. With reflexes that nearly rivaled a shifter's, she grabbed his hand, placing the callused palm against the mound of her breast. She leaned into him, tilting her chin back, inviting his kiss.

She was a tall girl, topping nearly six feet in heels, and her height had never been more sexy to him. He barely had to dip his head to meet her lips and he didn't waste any time in doing so.

"I'm your mate," she whispered. "So mate me, Maddox."

Swallowing another growl, Maddox closed his mouth over hers, kissing her for a few heated seconds before she reached down again and boldly unbuttoned his jeans. Her fingers reached for the zipper, the teeth grinding against the tread as she slowly pulled it down.

Once she could, she slipped her hand beneath the band of his boxers, placing her fingers on his already weeping cock. She squeezed as he grunted, bucking in her hand as the soft side of her fingers sent a jolt of pleasure throughout his entire body.

He was just about to explode when she darted to pull her hand back, darting forward again to close her blunt human teeth on his bottom lip.

The air blossomed with the smell of her musk.

He knew what his virginal temptress was doing, too. She was giving him permission to get off his leash.

Alpha, was he ready to let go.

Almost mindless with lust, he lunged for her, scooping her up in his arms. He was still careful—he would always be careful with his delicate mate—but nothing was going to stop him from taking her now that she'd consented.

He ran right for the room, trying not to bust a nut then and there as Evangeline tucked her face into his neck, sucking gently on his throat.

No bite. Not today.

Not from him.

That was fine. She could nibble all she wanted. He had something more important to focus on. His erection was throbbing, pre-cum leaking through his bunched boxers as he tried to control himself. Coming before he even got his first taste wasn't acceptable. Shit, he needed to make this good for her so that she wanted to do it again and again and again.

When he claimed her—and he _would_ claim her—he would make it special. He would make it last.

No bareback, either, he remembered suddenly. He felt the loss of her touch against his raging hot cock all the way to his tight sac, but he knew that the next time she caressed him, he'd be wrapped up.

He had to. No way in hell was he going to claim her with his seed or his bite until she was ready. If she trusted him enough to welcome him into her body, he would respect that gift with everything he had.

And he'd do it while wearing a condom.

His father had warned him about what to expect during a claiming in what was probably the most awkward conversation they'd ever had. If he came inside his mate, it would be almost impossible to keep from biting her. The claiming needed his seed and his bite at the same time to be finalized. Condoms were absolutely necessary unless he wanted to steal that choice from Evangeline.

Which he most definitely did _not_.

So, he would listen to his Alpha. He would do what his mate wanted. When they were married, he could fully claim her, and then it would be his turn to take what he desired from the only woman he would ever truly love.

For now, as he laid his mate out on their bed, already wondering how he'd pull the condom on when his claws had unsheathed on their own in his obvious excitement, he had only one goal in mind: he just didn't want to embarrass himself _too_ much.

Luckily for Maddox, he didn't.

# Epilogue

They say practice makes perfect.

Maddox and Evangeline's first time was, for both of them, pure perfection. There was a ton of fumbling, and it was obvious that neither had any real clue what they were doing, but their initial experience had a sense of charm and wonder to it that stayed with both of them in the months that followed.

For once, they both were able to rely on their individual instincts, listening to their bodies, doing what felt right. What felt good. And, okay, maybe Maddox might've embarrassed himself a little by being too excited, and he did go off as soon as he got a glimpse of Evangeline in all her naked glory, but his generosity as a lover—and his enthusiasm—made it one of the best nights of Evangeline's life which was all he could have ever asked for.

It was perfect, it was messy, it was real. And, now that the two of them had gotten the hang of mating, nothing stopped them from practicing.

A lot.

Every chance they got, actually.

A week after they consummated their relationship, Evangeline officially moved in. She put her house up for sale, earning enough in the quick turnaround to completely refurnish Maddox's former bachelor pad. It was theirs now; Maddox loved the idea of Evangeline putting her touch on it. It was a family home, the place they would eventually raise their pups together... as soon as she allowed him to claim her for real.

Until then, they went through enough condoms that Maddox mentioned he was thinking about buying stock in Trojans. Teasingly, Evangeline suggested they switch to Durex since they were designed to help increase stamina.

Maddox responded by nipping her lip and, as she laughed, carrying his mate off to their bedroom in order to prove that a switch wouldn't be necessary.

On the eve of their one year anniversary, Maddox finally got the nerve to propose again—with a lot of forethought and planning this time around.

Evangeline, of course, said yes.

It didn't matter that her parents tried to interfere when they realized how serious it was, that they didn't want her settling down with a shifter forever. She loved him, she wanted to be his mate _and_ his wife, and if that made her happy, Maddox was willing to go along with the whole marriage thing.

They got married at the courthouse in Wolf's Creek early one Monday morning. The simple ceremony was her idea. Most shifters didn't bother with a true wedding ceremony since a claiming was a bond that was virtually unbreakable; shifters didn't do divorce. Evangeline pretended as if she wasn't hurt when her parents refused to bless their union, and she invited Colton to be the only witness to the wedding as a way of accepting that, while she wasn't quite a paranormal, she now belonged to a pack.

Maddox tried to get her to change her mind. Just because he proposed, it didn't mean that they had to get married right away—even if he was super fucking eager to—and he wanted to give her the big, white wedding that many little girls dreamed of.

Not his Evangeline, though. She agreed to a celebratory dinner the following weekend with his pack and her parents—if they showed up—plus a few of her co-workers. That was it.

That first weekend? It was theirs.

As soon as they were pronounced legally wed, with a marriage license to prove it, Evangeline wanted to be alone with her new husband. He translated that to: _it's about damn time to claim his mate_.

There was an isolated cabin that belonged to the pack, perched along a hidden track along the mountains. His father gave it to Maddox and Evangeline as a mating day present. They planned on spending five days there together, making their union final in all ways.

Well, not _all_ ways. While the marriage license was all they needed to prove their union was official in the eyes of the humans, their bond wouldn't be recognized in the paranormal division until they stopped by a local Bumptown and arranged for a bonding license.

That was okay. As soon as they finished their honeymoon, that was the first thing on Maddox's to-do list.

After Evangeline, of course.

Maddox was driving his truck. The back was loaded with enough food and clothes to keep them comfortable for their entire honeymoon.

That was crucial. As soon as he got Evangeline inside of that bedroom, he didn't plan on leaving it until she proudly wore his bite and they were both too spent to even _want_ to move.

Evangeline sat next to him, absolutely beaming. She wore a simple golden band on her left hand. He reached out, running his pointer finger along the ring. He had planned on buying her something big and noticeable, another way to say that "this woman is mine". Evangeline vetoed it, choosing a more simple one instead—plus a matching one that he wore on his hand.

She wanted him to be claimed, too. And he loved it. In her own way, his precious mate could be as possessive as he was.

He couldn't help himself. He lifted her hand, pressing a kiss to the top of it, before intertwining his fingers with hers. "You're absolutely gorgeous, Mrs. Wolfe. Have I told you that today?"

"Yes, but I thank you again, Mr. Wolfe. And you're one sexy beast. How ever did I get so damn lucky?"

Maddox's heart swelled. _She_ was lucky? Yeah, right. He was the luckiest bastard on the entire planet and he knew it.

"I love you, my mate."

"I love you more."

It wasn't possible. But because she was Evangeline, because she was his mate, because she was _his_ , Maddox didn't fight her. He let her have that win.

He'd do anything, give her anything, sacrifice everything for this woman.

And, in no time at all, he'd be forced to prove it.

# Start the series today!

Did you enjoy this glimpse of Maddox and Evangeline's romance? Curious to know what that ominous final sentence refers to? _Mates_ is only the beginning of their story, and there's a lot more to come in _Hungry like a Wolf_ , the first full-length novel in the _Claws Clause_ series!

Click to the next page for a sneak peek at the first book.

# Hungry Like a Wolf

### Sneak peek at the first book

Colt only submitted before two males—his older brother and their father—and his own wolf was whining inside of his head in confusion. Rather than meet his gaze and assert his authority as Alpha, Maddox kept his head down which meant that Colt's wolf was torn between either lying on its belly in submission or snapping its teeth in challenge.

After all of these years, it was getting harder and harder to heed the hierarchy in their pack. Colt might only visit Maddox monthly because his brother asked that of him. He had to admit that he agreed for purely selfish reasons.

The rational part of Colt's brain—the man part—knew that Maddox was still suffering from the pain of losing his mate. But it wasn't just that. As Colt stayed back, waiting for Maddox to acknowledge him, his eyes narrowed on the thick collar locked around his brother's throat.

The _silver_ collar.

He hated that damn thing. And he knew there was no way he could get it off of Maddox, even if he somehow got past the glass. He'd burn his hands raw anyway because it was _right_.

The blazing light from above flashed against the gleaming metal, mocking him.

Fucking silver. And the humans called _his_ kind monsters.

So what if the inside of the collar was treated to keep from burning a shifter's skin? It never worked. The outside was pure silver, potent and terrible enough to not only keep Maddox trapped in his human skin, but to weaken him significantly. No wonder Colt's beast wanted to take Maddox's role in the pack. The silver was messing with him almost as much as it was draining Maddox.

Too soon. This visit was too soon. Colt's shoulders jerked and hunched, his body primed to shift. It was a hard fight to push back. The tendons on his arms stretched and his feet arched off of the ground seconds before he slammed his full weight back on the tile. He huffed and grunted, relaxing only when he felt his human form settle back into place.

That's when Maddox finally decided to look up.

_Hell_.

No matter how many times Colt saw him like this, it always took him by surprise.

Maddox was a big man, standing a couple of inches taller than his younger brother and Colt was no slouch. But the pounds fell away from him the first year in the Cage and he never managed to gain many back. He looked older than his thirty years, his skin paler than its normal golden hue, his hollow face creased with worry and despair. His once vibrant eyes were dull, as were his blunt human teeth.

His face was expressionless, as if at first he didn't recognize his visitor, then he couldn't be bothered when he did.

"Oh. It's you again." Maddox's brow furrowed. "Hang on. It hasn't been a month yet, has it?"

Colt kept his hands curled into his fists at his side as he shook his head. His damn near miraculous discovery couldn't have come at a better time. Maddox might not have chosen to be put down after the accident. The result would end up being the same since the Cage sure as hell was killing his brother.

Maddox huffed. "Didn't think so."

His voice was hoarse and listless. That wasn't new. It was all part of the sad, sorry routine. Maddox went through the motions during Colt's monthly visits, knowing that as soon as he did, Colt would leave him alone to his misery.

Since he lost his mate, that was all he had left—or wanted.

Not for the first time, Colt was fucking grateful he hadn't found the one woman meant for him. If this was what he had to look forward to if he ever lost her, he'd much rather never find her in the first place.

"The pack all right?" Maddox asked. Just like he always asked. At least he still cared that much.

"Pack's fine."

"Dad okay?"

He didn't bother wasting any words to ask after their mother. Both brothers understood that, so long as their father was still kicking, Sarah Wolfe was safe and sound. The day something happened to her, they'd be digging two graves.

"Old bastard's still hanging in there," Colt said with a hint of a wistful smile.

Their father was the most ornery old bastard he knew, but his wolf was undefeated. He wasn't kidding when he said Terrence Wolfe was hanging in there. Colt believed his father lived on spite and the desire to kick ass until his oldest son was back with the pack. Once that happened, Terrence could finally step down to retire someplace remote and wooded with his mate.

Every wolf shifter in the state knew that Maddox was supposed to be the pack's next Alpha... only he couldn't do that while he was stuck in the Cage. Enterprising shifters had tried to challenge Terrence and failed. Their father decided three years ago that he would lead the pack until he died or Maddox got out. Up until that morning, Colt didn't see either of those things happening any time soon.

But now—

That wiped the smile off of Colt's face. "Listen to me, Maddox. I... look. There's no easy way to say this so I'm gonna just spit it it out. Okay?"

When he got a listless shrug for an answer, Colt realized that that was the best he was going to get. He took a second to brace himself. On a shudder, he said, "I've come about Evangeline."

Maddox stiffened, strung as tight as tension wire. It was a knee-jerk reaction whenever someone dared to say her name out loud. Colt knew that well.

At least he had his brother's attention now.

"What about her?"

The entire ride back to the Cage, Colt tried to figure out the best way to tell his brother what he had accidentally discovered. But he'd never been all that good with words, and he hated wasting time beating around the bush, so, in true Colton Wolfe fashion, he was honest, brash, and to the point.

"Your mate isn't dead."

And there it was. A sudden spark in his amber eyes that said, no matter how deeply buried it was, the old Maddox was still in there somewhere.

Instinct hit Colt like a sledgehammer. He immediately lowered his gaze, watching the way Maddox's hands flexed and cracked. He subtly tilted his head to the right and offered his throat. Colt was an alpha wolf, damn it, and even he recognized the danger rolling off of his brother.

"Say that again," whispered Maddox.

"She's not dead." Colt purposely made his own voice as gentle as possible. Rousing Maddox's beast, probably not the smartest plan. Sure, the collar kept him from shifting, and the Para-proof glass kept them separated.

Tell that to his whining wolf.

His brother's answer was halfway between a snort and a snarl. Flecks of spit dotted the glass when he snapped out, "Bullshit."

"I saw her myself this morning, then rushed here to make sure you knew first thing. And, let me tell you, she's got too much color to be a ghost. She's got a pulse. A scent. She's fucking alive."

A warning grumble started deep in Maddox's chest. "Stop lying to me."

Colt's wolf demanded he obey the Alpha's command. He was, though—he just needed to convince Maddox of that fact.

"You know I would never lie to you."

"No. What I _know_ is that my Angie is dead. Gone. Trying to convince me otherwise is an insult to her memory and to me. Now get the fuck out of here before I make you. And if you know what's good for you, don't come back."

Colt bristled. Okay. Sure. He knew this wouldn't be easy. It still stung that Maddox thought him capable of lying about _this_.

Trying hard to hold onto his temper, he stayed where he was. Until Maddox got it through his thick head—or Bennett returned to drag him out—Colt wasn't going anywhere.

"It's true," he insisted. "First I scented her, then I saw her—"

Maddox's growl raised in pitch.

"It's the damn truth!"

His brother snapped his pathetic human teeth. "Don't make me tell you again."

Colt sank down onto the stool opposite of his brother. Though he was careful not to make any eye contact that could be taken as a challenge, he wanted Maddox to see his earnestness. "Listen to me. I wouldn't have come all the way back here and fucked with you like this if I wasn't a hundred percent positive it was her."

"She—"

"I can't explain it, I don't know what the hell is going on, but Evangeline is abso-fucking-lutely alive. You know I'm telling the truth. It's your mate, Maddox. You can trust me on this."

Colt poured as much sincerity into his words as he could. He didn't need to have a mate to understand that there were just some things you didn't screw around with.

The growl subsided at last. Colt dropped his gaze, waiting for Maddox to process the bombshell that just got dropped on him. When enough time had passed and his brother was still eerily silent, Colt peered up through the thick fringe of his eyelashes, watching him through the glass. Maddox had to believe him. He _had_ to.

It took a couple of tense minutes full of heavy breathing and wild eyes for Maddox to finally digest what Colt had said. In the end he must have realized that Colt was probably the only one he _could_ trust right now.

Maddox shook his head, the quiet broken up by a keening whine that escaped from the broken man on the other side of the glass. Colt understood, his own wolf anxious to answer his Alpha's mournful call.

Because if Colt wasn't lying... he could see the struggle play out on Maddox's weathered face.

"No... she... then that means—"

Colt exhaled roughly. "That your mate is out there. And she is. I swear it."

He didn't expect it to sink in right away. Colt might be a heartless bastard when it came to the idea of mates, but the bond he shared with Maddox was just as sacred. He could feel his brother's pain, and the blossoming hope that maybe the impossible had happened.

Three years was a long time to mourn and grieve; it wasn't easy to turn that off like a switch just because Colt had told him that Evangeline was miraculously still alive. But when he did understand, Colt expected Maddox to be anxious and happy and desperate to get back to his mate.

What he got instead was unbridled fury.

# Available Now

### Hungry like a Wolf

_In a world where paranormals live side by side with humans, everybody knows about Ordinance 7304: the Bond Laws. Or, as the Paras snidely whisper to each other, the_ Claws Clause _—a long and detailed set of laws that bonded couples must obey if they want their union to be recognized._

_Because it wasn't already damn near impossible to find a fated mate in the first place. Now the government just has to get involved..._

### I remember—

Three years ago, Maddox Wolfe lost his mate. Since there's nothing more dangerous than a bonded shifter on his own, Ordinance 7304 gives him three choices: voluntary incarceration until he's no longer deemed a threat; a lobotomy-like procedure performed by government-employed witches that would dissolve his bond; or, most final, a state-sanctioned execution so that he could be with his mate again. And, while death held a certain appeal in the hazy days following the tragedy, Maddox had his family and his pack to live for. So, refusing to give up his memories of his sweet Evangeline, he chose to spend the rest of his days in the Cage.

### I forget—

There's a hole in Evangeline Lewis's memory. The doctors tell her that it's normal, that she'll recover fully in time. After all, it's only been three years since the accident that nearly killed her. They never thought she'd wake up; a nagging, annoying sensation that something's wrong is the least of her worries. Especially since she has so much going on: a new apartment, a new job, her mother's well-meaning attempts at match-making... but tell _that_ to her wayward psyche.

By day, she can't shake the feeling that something's missing. And, by night, she can't escape the dreams of a shadow man with glowing golden eyes...

It's entirely by chance when Maddox's brother follows that familiar scent to the beautiful brunette with the haunted smile. But he knows immediately what he's found: Maddox's mate, alive if not altogether well.

Once he learns the truth, Maddox will stop at nothing to get her back, even if it he has to follow every twisted, convoluted letter of the ridiculous _Claws Clause_ to do it.

# Available Now

### a Claws Clause holiday short

**Christmas is a time for togetherness. Of mistletoe, memories, and _mating_.**

* * *

At least, it _should_ be.

With Priscilla still on the loose and the Nightwalker threat growing closer, Maddox uses their first as bonded mates to whisk Evangeline away from Wolf's Creek and back to that secluded cabin on pack land.

He thought the hardest part would be getting her there. Except, with the holiday growing closer and closer, it seems as if his mate is drifting further away—and it's driving Maddox and his wolf absolutely crazy.

Still suffering with regret for the three years they lost, Maddox decides this Christmas he'll make it up to her with a secret gift that will bring the two of them together again.

Evangeline, on the other hand, really doesn't like secrets. There have been too many recently, and while her family, friends, and, most importantly, her beloved husband and mate all had their own reasons to protect her with their silence, the pain is still raw.

Christmas in the cabin seemed like the perfect idea—until Maddox started to act strange. Long walks at night without her, disappearing during the afternoon, barely finding the time to touch her.

Right after he claimed her, he couldn't keep his paws off of her. Now? Nothing.

And she can't help but wonder if this one last secret will break her—or change her world forever...

_Released December 19, 2019_

# Pre-Order Now

### Season of the Witch

### I won't—

Colton Wolfe has never liked witches.

There's something about their magic. With a snap of a finger, a witch can cancel out his brute strength, razor-sharp claws, and inch-long fangs. It just isn't natural. The Para-proof wards constructed by witches always made his fur itch, and it has bothered him for years how they betrayed all paranormals by selling their services to the highest bidders.

Then a witch nearly killed him and his dislike turned into full-blown hate.

His brother thinks his anger is unhealthy. Following his brush with near-death, Colt refuses to even talk to any packmates. Dodge, his best friend and a ghost, can't even get through to him. Colt keeps himself confined to his workshop, shutting every one out. His wolf is just about rabid and he keeps his beast locked up tight.

His wolf wants its mate. Colt won't admit it, but he does, too.

Only Shea is a witch.

And Colt hates all witches—

Doesn't he?

### I can't—

Shea Moonshadow is a healer first, a witch second. Considering her magic has a way of backfiring on her whenever she tries the simplest of spells, she sticks with what she knows will work. Her herbs and her poultices have never failed her before.

Now if she could only say the same about her brother.

Hudson is a Donor, a blood junkie who gives blood to vampires in exchange for a high only a dangerous Nightwalker can give. When he gets in over his head, he does what he's always done: runs to Shea for help.

She can't say no. She's never been able to say no.

Not to Hudson.

Not to anyone.

And that's how she finds herself pledged to a blood-bonding with an obsessed vampire.

When a dangerous group of Paras move in on Colt's territory, going after humans and paranormals alike, the Grayson Police Department recruit him to take on the vicious Nightwalkers. If it's bad enough that Colt gets saddled with an old enemy, it's even worse when he discovers that his almost-mate is in it up to her adorable purple eyes.

He might've put off claiming his mate. But no way in hell is Colt—or his wolf—going to let some Nightwalker scum take Shea away from him.

* **_Season of the Witch_** is the second full-length novel in the _Claws Clause_ series. It's the story of a grumpy wolf shifter hero and the sassy witch who has cast a spell over him. With danger, intrigue, and heart, watch as Colton submits to the one woman meant for him.

Available February 14, 2020

* * *

Pre-Order Now!

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And, as always, you can e-mail me at:

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# About the Author

Jessica lives in New Jersey with her family, including enough pets to cement her status as the neighborhood's future Cat Lady. She spends her days working in retail, and her nights lost in whatever world the current novel she is reading or working on is set in. After writing for fun for more than a decade, she has finally decided to take some of the stories out of her head and put them out there for others who might also enjoy them!

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# Also by Jessica Lynch

**Welcome to Hamlet**

Obsession*

Devotion*

Don't Trust Me

Ophelia

Let Nothing You Dismay

I'll Never Stop

Wherever You Go

Here Comes the Bride

Gloria

Tesoro

* * *

**Mirrorside**

Tame the Spark*

Stalk the Moon

Hunt the Stars

The Witch in the Woods

Hide from the Heart

Chase the Beauty

* * *

**The Claws Clause**

Mates*

Hungry Like a Wolf

Of Mistletoe and Mating

No Way

Season of the Witch

Sunglasses at Night

Ghost of Jealousy

* * *

**Touched by the Fae**

Favor*

Asylum

Shadow

Touch

* * *

* prequel story
