Chapter 1

I was going to kill my mother.

This was the third "suitable match" she'd arranged this month, and this one was worse than the last two combined. Alpha Garrett sat across from me at the café, droning on about his expectations for a mate like he was reading from some ancient handbook nobody bothered to update.

"An Omega's place is supporting her Alpha," he said, gesturing with his fork. "You'd need to quit that little job of yours at the archives. Focus on pack duties. Home. Family."

I smiled. The kind of smile that made my friend Sage tell me I looked like I was planning murder.

"Of course," I said sweetly. "And what would these 'pack duties' include?"

He leaned back, looking pleased I'd asked. "Well, maintaining our den. Preparing meals. And naturally, bearing strong pups. At least three, I think."

My eye twitched.

"You're young and healthy," he continued. "Perfect for breeding. And you won't need to worry about money—I make eight thousand a month. As long as you're careful with spending. No need for all those cosmetics and fancy clothes women waste money on."

I dug my nails into my palm under the table.

My mother's voice echoed in my head from this morning: "Lyra, you can't keep waiting for some fairy tale. You think fated mates just fall from the sky? That's one in a million! You need to be practical. Get married while you're young, build a stable life."

Right. Practical. This was practical.

"I'm very practical," Garrett was saying now. "We don't need a big ceremony. Save money for important things."

"Important things," I repeated flatly.

"The nursery. You'll want to start trying for pups right away. At your age, we shouldn't waste time."

At my age. I was twenty-five.

"And I hope you understand that as an Omega, you'll need to be agreeable. My last girlfriend was too opinionated." He made air quotes. "A proper mate knows when to let her Alpha lead."

That was it.

I opened my mouth to tell him exactly where he could shove his "proper mate" expectations, when suddenly, words were coming out that I hadn't planned.

"I can't marry you."

He blinked. "What?"

"I'm already marked."

The lie hit the air like a bomb.

Garrett's fork clattered to his plate. "You're... what?"

"Marked," I repeated, my heart suddenly pounding. What was I doing? "I should have told you before."

His face went red. "You let me sit here talking about our future when you're already—" He stood abruptly. "Does your mother know?"

"We're keeping it private for now."

"Is there a problem here?"

The voice came from behind me. Low. Smooth. With just enough edge to make my spine straighten.

I knew that voice.

The café had gone quiet. I turned slowly, and my stomach dropped.

Kael Nightshade stood three feet away, silver eyes locked on mine. The Alpha of the Silverwood pack. My boss. The wolf who terrified council members and made grown Betas stammer.

He was looking at me like he was trying to solve a puzzle.

"Alpha Nightshade," Garrett sputtered. "I didn't realize—this Omega claims she's marked, but—"

Kael's gaze shifted to Garrett, and even I felt the weight of it.

"Claims?" His voice was dangerously soft.

"Well, I assumed—"

"You assumed wrong."

My breath caught.

Kael moved closer, and I caught his scent—pine and earth and something darker. Something that made my wolf perk up with interest.

"Lyra," he said, and my name in his mouth sounded different. "I didn't expect to see you here."

I stared at him, brain refusing to work.

His eyes dropped to my neck, where obviously there was no mark. Something flickered in his expression—amusement? Then he looked back at Garrett.

"I apologize for the confusion. We've been discreet about our relationship. For professional reasons."

The café was dead silent. I could feel eyes on us from every direction.

"You and... her?" Garrett looked between us. "But she's just an Omega. You're—"

"Careful." The word was soft but cutting. "I don't take kindly to people disrespecting my mate."

Mate. He'd said mate.

My heart hammered.

Kael's attention returned to me, something unreadable in his eyes. "Are you finished here?"

I nodded, not trusting my voice.

"Good." He held out his hand, and I took it automatically. His fingers closed around mine, warm and steady. His scent wrapped around me, and my wolf practically purred.

Traitor.

He guided me toward the exit. The crowd parted. I caught glimpses of shocked faces, whispered conversations starting.

Outside, away from the windows, I finally found my voice.

"What the hell was that?"

He stopped, turning to face me. "I could ask you the same thing. Telling an Alpha you're marked when you clearly aren't? That's dangerous, Lyra."

"I know! He was awful, and I couldn't think of another way, and then you were there—" I ran my hands through my hair. "Why did you go along with it?"

Kael studied me, silver eyes unreadable. "You're my employee. One of my pack. If you needed an out badly enough to lie, then he wasn't worth your time."

Relief flooded through me. "So you were just helping?"

"Something like that."

"Thank you. I'll tell my mother it didn't work out, and we can forget—"

"Lyra." His voice stopped me. "Everyone in that café heard me claim you as my mate. By tomorrow, the entire pack will know."

Oh god.

"We can say it was a misunderstanding—"

"We could." He tilted his head. "Or we could use this."

"Use this?"

"I have my own situation. A political alliance I've been avoiding. Elara Moonshadow." He watched my reaction carefully. "Our families want a match. If I'm already mated, they'll back off."

My mouth went dry. "You want to keep lying?"

"Temporarily. Until things settle." His eyes held mine. "You help me, I help you. No more unwanted matches for either of us."

"This is insane."

"Probably." The corner of his mouth quirked. "But you started it."

Fair point.

"How long?" I asked.

"A few weeks. Maybe a month. We make appearances, let people see us together, then quietly end things."

"And we just... go back to normal? You're my boss."

"I'm aware." He stepped closer. "I can keep personal and professional separate. Can you?"

My wolf was sending confusing signals, torn between 'this is stupid' and 'he smells really good.'

"I don't have much choice, do I?"

"You always have a choice, Lyra." His voice was quiet. "If you say no, we tell everyone it was a mistake. I won't force you into anything."