The strong fresh aroma of high-dollar coffee filled the kitchen as Alex Wilson went about brewing a pot. The last few days of having a house full of guests worrying over his best friend and other Pack mates had started taking a toll on him.

When his Alpha had first asked him to house their out-of-town company, Alex had figured it wouldn’t be too bad. Since his sister had recently mated with Max Lawson, the two spent most of their time in the guest house, leaving Alex alone. Even his younger brother was already married and had two boys.

Alex was alone.

Although he wasn’t opposed to the solitary existence, he’d found himself looking forward to socializing with others outside his immediate family.

He should have been more careful in what he wished for.

Not only were complete strangers staying in his spare bedrooms, but they’d also had to add guards to the property after Marcus Webb had been shot.

It was just the night before that the Alpha and others had found the man responsible for the attempted murder. They’d also found out that Emilio, the man accountable, worked for the same organization as Angelica Salvatore. Emilio was being held by the Guardians in one of his rooms, but his Alpha had assured Alex that Emilio posed no threat to his family.

Thinking about Angel reminded Alex why he needed to brew the coffee extra strong.

Ever since Angel had shown up on his doorstep with her brother and his closest friends, Alex hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her. He shouldn’t have been so damn hung up on some woman he didn’t know, who was obviously keeping many secrets.

Alex didn’t like drama and Angel appeared to be full of complications. She was also gorgeous, funny and mysterious. Fuck, he wanted to grab a handful of her black silky hair to yank her head back and plunder her mouth.

Cock more than half hard, Alex needed to calm down quickly before someone walked in.

Finally the beep indicating his morning beverage was ready sounded from the machine. Knowing everyone else would soon be up, he transferred the contents into a stainless-steel carafe before beginning another pot to brew.

As he picked up his favorite mug, the kitchen door swung open with a soft wisp of air. Alex didn’t even need to turn around to know who had joined him.

“Coffee?” he asked, already reaching for another cup.

“Please.”

Angel’s voice sent a shudder through his body. Fighting against the temptation for doing all the things he’d been dreaming about, Alex went about making her drink. “One sugar and a dash of creamer, right?”

“You noticed.”

Damn, damn, damn. He shrugged his shoulders. “I try to pay attention to my guests’ preferences,” he responded.

Her soft laughter came from right behind him. No longer was he only half hard. His erection now pushed against the zipper of his jeans.

Finishing stirring in the condiments, he turned to offer her the cup.

Angel was indeed close. She had Alex trapped against the counter, leaving him no way of moving without brushing against her.

“What are you doing?” he asked with suspicion.

“Accepting my coffee?”

He didn’t miss the sparkle in her eyes. Breathing in deep, he tried his best not to let her know how she affected him. Since he couldn’t get a handle on his emotions he really didn’t feel up to battling wits with her right then. “Excuse me.” He waved for her to back up.

“Anytime we’re in a room alone together you have an excuse to leave. When are we going to talk about what this is between us?” she questioned as she raised a beautiful eyebrow.

“I don’t play games,” he told her. “If you need something just tell me.”

Sighing, she shook her head before reaching down to place her mug back on the counter next to his. “I’m not trying to play games. I’ve been trying to get you to talk to me.”

That sounded like a really bad idea to him. He didn’t even know the woman in front of him yet was more entranced by her presence than he had ever felt about anyone else. It made him uneasy not knowing exactly what Angel was. He relied on his shifter senses so much that it was strange Angel was different from anyone he’d ever met.

“I should probably get breakfast started,” he said, ignoring her words.

“You’re doing it again,” she accused.

“What?” He glanced over her shoulder, praying someone would walk in.

“Look at me, Alex,” she demanded.

He was powerless not to follow that order. She had the prettiest crystal-blue eyes. They should have looked out of place with her long, dark, black hair, but instead the blue just seemed to stand out even more.

“Is there anything you want to ask me?” she questioned, pretty much throwing his words back at him.

He had too many questions on his mind that he wanted to ask but he didn’t know even how to begin. What really held him back though were the questions he wasn’t sure he was ready for.

There was something unusual about her. As a wolf shifter, he knew all about people who were different. Growing up in Canyon, Texas, Alex had been around shifters his entire life.

Angel and her brother Justin had no scent.

For a shifter who used his sense of smell to determine danger, the fact that he couldn’t pick up anything from the Salvatore siblings messed with him.

“Why can’t I scent you?” he asked cautiously.

Angel grinned up at him. At his six-foot height he peered down at the smaller five-foot-seven woman. “I knew that would be one of your first questions.”

Alex nodded, although he wasn’t certain why. She hadn’t asked him anything. When she laid her hand on his chest he jolted in surprise.

“Wouldn’t you rather discuss this attraction between us?”

It didn’t escape Alex’s notice that she hadn’t answered his question. Placing his hand over hers, he gripped her. “Why don’t you answer?”

“Because I don’t want you to freak out. This is the first time you’ve really opened up and you’re not ready.”

“You’re talking in riddles!” he exclaimed. “You say you want to talk, but you only want to dangle tidbits in front of me.” He pushed her hand off before stalking away.

“Alex…” she called his name softly.

He spun around and saw— “Holy shit!”

Backing into the wall, he didn’t know what to do. It wasn’t until he felt the flat surface not giving him room to escape that he realized he was in deep trouble.

Angel’s eyes actually glowed. Not yellow or red or anything like in the movies. Her normally calm blue eyes turned purple. He held up his palms to keep her from advancing.

She ignored them and walked right up against his body. “I told you that you weren’t ready. But don’t reject me.”

“Back off,” he growled. He might have been raised never to fight against a female, but he wasn’t completely powerless. He let his wolf come to the surface in warning. Just enough that his own eyes would start to change and the animal inside could break loose if need be.

“You going to fight me?” she asked, grabbing a hold of his arms.

Fuck! She was strong.

“Go ahead,” she taunted.

He had no other choice. He pushed his entire body against hers. As they banged against the wall, their breaths mixed as they panted with their faces so close together.

Even though fear spiked through him, he was sure to be careful with his strength. He didn’t want to hurt Angel. That was the last thing he wanted, but he was so very much out of his element here.

“Is this what you want? Me pinned so you can ravish me?”

Why did her words have to be exactly the same as what he was feeling? As close as they were, she had to feel his erection, sure, but he got the distinct impression she always knew what he was thinking.

“Stop.” Instead of the order he intended, the word came out as a plea.

“I won’t stop you,” Angel told him while she ran her hands up his arms. “In fact I want you to.”

Alex was going to lose his mind. He didn’t know which way was up or down. Biting his lip, he knew he should let her go. He tried to make himself. Really he did.

Then Angel strained up and covered his mouth with hers. Their lips touched once, then again, after that he was lost.

Opening up to her questing tongue, he let Angel control the kiss. Alex did the one thing he’d been dying to do. He buried his hands in her soft hair, using his body to keep her in place.

Bending at the knees, he pushed his hard cock against her.

She moaned, which he happily swallowed. He closed his eyes to block out everything else in the room.

A sudden barrage of pictures of the two of them popped up in his mind. Images of him and Angel on the kitchen floor, tearing at clothes and biting exposed flesh.

She gasped, jerking back.

The vision had been like a movie playing behind his closed eyes. What in the hell? Angel frowned with her eyes wide. She reached for him again but he shook his head, taking another step back.

“What are you?” he asked desperately. Angel had to be the one responsible for the clear images in his head. He’d never had an experience like his brain being taken over by such erotic and real-life pictures. Not knowing exactly what Angel was could be the only explanation.

“No,” she said, her voice shaking a little. “I can’t tell you.”

“Tell me!” he demanded, gripping her shoulders.

“I…”

Touching her had been a mistake. Now that he had his hands back on her, all he could think about were the pictures of taking her once again. Had he ever felt so turned on before? He couldn’t remember a time he’d been so out of his mind in need. Slowly he skimmed one hand from her shoulder to cup her chin before caressing lower.

He wrapped his hand around her neck without any pressure to harm her. He didn’t squeeze, just held her still while he gazed at her. “Answer me, please.”

The door opened behind them. Alex did not move.

“What the…?” Chase muttered from the entry.

Taking the time to explain to his best friend would have been smart. Instead, he was annoyed at being interrupted. He could scent Chase and Kayla as they entered the kitchen.

“Alex?” Chase said quietly.

“No, I want answers from her and I want them now,” Alex snapped at his best friend.

“We’ll get them, but not this way. Let her go,” Chase replied.

He realized what it must look like. Instead of the intimate embrace they’d been sharing it may have appeared Alex held Angel in a hostile manner.

Chase started forward, but Angel held up a hand. “Don’t worry about it, Chase. If I wanted loose, I could do so myself. I’m quite enjoying this reaction from your friend.”

That had Alex responding. He snarled, releasing Angel and stomping away. Why does she have to be so infuriating?

He stalked to the other side of the kitchen before whirling back on Angel. “You have put my entire family—everyone I care about—in danger. I will not accept that you can’t tell me what is going on. I want to know!” He ended his rant by slamming his hand against the marble countertop.

Angel nodded. Straightening her clothes, she stared at Alex.

The acceptance shocked Alex, but if he were going to get answers he would be happy.

“Please have a seat.” Angel waved her hand at the table.

Never looking away from Angel, he strolled over to one of the chairs and dropped down.

“I’ll get the coffee,” Chase offered.

Nodding, Alex didn’t speak, instead he breathed deeply, hoping to gain back some of his control.

Angel took the seat directly across from him. Having to push away the disappointment of not having her near him confused Alex. He’d only just met Angel and already he felt obsessed with running his hands over her body. What he needed was answers, not being distracted by his hormones.

No one spoke as Chase quietly moved around the kitchen until he placed four mugs on the table. Kayla helped Chase pass around the drinks before sitting back quietly while Angel remained staring at Alex.

“Are you sure you’re ready to hear this, Alex? Once I tell you, there is no turning back,” Angel stated.

“You mean you’ll actually answer our questions this time?” he challenged.

“I’ll tell you anything you want to know. But you don’t get to just walk away when I’m through. You have to listen to all of it.”

“Fine,” Alex said to Angel. “Answer me this… Are you human?”

Angel’s expression didn’t change—she still gazed at Alex with an open look. “No.”

Alex wasn’t even surprised. “Is that why you and your brother have no scent?”

“It is.”

Well at least he was getting some answers. “This organization that you work for…is everything you told us the truth?”

“Yes, the Guardians are a good group. We’ve always thrived in protecting others. That is our sole purpose.”

“If it’s good work that you do, why the secrecy?”

“Unlike the Wolf Council or other shifter leaders, our agency does not discriminate against other paranormal types. Anyone who has the same beliefs is welcome to join.”

“Beliefs?”

Angel’s smile grew. “The idea that no matter what—or who—you are, we are all equal. Everyone, including humans, should have someone looking out for them.”

“What are you?”

Angel shook her head.

“You said you would answer!” Alex raised his voice, determined.

“You’re not ready!” Angel fired back.

“Damn it, tell me,” Alex shouted, jumping to his feet.

“Alex,” Chase called to his friend.

Alex turned on him. Chase could sit at the table with Kayla at his side and have the ability to remain calm. Alex felt like everything was coming apart around him. “No, there is something going on. I know she is doing something to me.” He didn’t have another explanation. The images of them making love on the kitchen floor were still in his head. From the second he’d met her, Alex had been going out of his mind with need. “I have to understand,” Alex said as calm as possible. “What are you doing to me?”

She stood slowly. “I’m sorry,” Angel said as she walked closer to Alex.

“Just…please…” he begged.

“They call my kind Day Walkers,” Angel admitted in a whisper.

“I don’t… What does that mean?” Alex questioned just as softly.

“It’s what mythology would compare to a vampire—although the culture we live in has almost everything wrong about us.”

“V…am…pire?” Alex managed to stutter. “But…” How could that be? Vampires didn’t exist. Surely someone would have spoiled that secret.

“And you, Alex Wilson, are my mate.”

He blinked at her. He hadn’t heard that right, had he? No, he really had to be losing his mind. But maybe… After all, he could shift into a wolf, and before they’d gone public no one had thought that was possible.

“I didn’t expect that. Alex?” Chase spoke.

Alex heard him but it seemed so far away. He couldn’t catch his breath and his hands were shaking. Angel was a vampire? She was truly remarkable.

“Alex?” Chase called again.

He softly laid his palm against Angel’s cheek. He’d just kissed her. Been having dreams about her the last two nights and had never expected something like this. “Amazing,” he murmured.

Angel’s eyes widened but a smile ghosted across her lips. “That’s what I thought the first time I saw you.”

“Let’s give them some privacy,” Chase said.

“Okay,” Kayla agreed.

Alex and Angel didn’t move away from each other as Chase and Kayla left the kitchen.

“What does this mean?” Alex asked quietly, still in awe.

“There’s a lot I have to share with you. I know you don’t understand, but you have to trust me,” she replied.

Trust, it seemed like such an easy thing to ask for. Could he give her that? What about the whole mate thing? “You called me your mate.”

“Isn’t that what the shifters call the persons they claim as their own?”

“Yes,” he agreed.

“That is what you are to me. As soon as I saw you, I got a premonition that you were the person I was meant to be with.”

“Oh,” he responded, since he wasn’t sure what to say.

She looked disappointed as she took a step back. Alex didn’t want to her to move away.

“You don’t feel it? I could have sworn you did.”

Going with instinct, he grabbed her hand before she could get too far. “What?”

“I thought shifters recognized their mates. That’s why you acted so weird around me.”

Unsure how to explain things, Alex drew Angel back toward the table. This time he made sure she was right next to him. “Angel, shifters choose their mates. Yes, I’ve heard of two, maybe three, people who are believed to be fated mates. Only one of those recently. For the most part, it’s the two people who find one another and perform a ritual that connects their spirit.”

“I see,” she said softly.

“We believe that the mate we choose is our match. The person that completes us. I’ve also heard there is an instant attraction and the relationship evolves from there.”

“So you do feel a connection to me?”

He grinned. “Of course. I don’t understand it, and not being able to scent you really messed with me, but I’ve wanted you from the first minute.”

She rose, only to slide into his lap and straddle him. “So what are we going to do about it?” she asked, pressing her chest against his while gliding her hand down his stomach.

Alex sucked in a breath. “I…”

“Sadly, we can’t do anything now,” she told him. “I can hear everyone in the hall and I believe they are about to demand answers.”

Now that she’d pointed it out, Alex could pick up on the voices getting loud outside his kitchen. “We do need to know if there is more of a threat out there to the Pack.”

“I know. I tried to tell you as much as I could but I do have rules I have to follow. Although I can confess more to you than anyone else.”

“Me?” he asked confused. It took a minute of her just staring at him before he understood. She’d claimed them mates. “Oh.”

“What I can’t tell the others I will share with you. You can repeat that information to your Alpha and we can go from there.”

That sounded like a deal to Alex. “Okay.”

Angel stood, however Alex didn’t let her go far. He wrapped his hands around her waist. “Wait.”

“Yes?” She peered down at him.

He didn’t know how to ask for what he wanted. Instead he pushed out of the chair to take her mouth.

There was no hesitation in her response. When they broke apart he grinned. “I had to taste you one more time.”

“There will be a lot more than just one,” she declared, slipping her hand into his while pulling him toward the door.

Alex opened the door when they reached it, amused to see half the house standing there talking.

“Maybe we should all go into the den?” Kayla suggested.

“Good idea. Alpha Shawn is waiting for us,” Justin, Angel’s brother, agreed. “Angel and I will tell you what we can.”

Turning to glance at Angel for confirmation, who nodded at him, he led the way. He guessed they were going to do this now.

Angel hadn’t released the hold on his hand.

A few of his friends cast surprised looks their way but no one asked any questions. Chase smiled brightly at him before throwing him a wink.

Alex would have to talk to his best friend about everything. Chase now knew Angel’s secret and, if it was so important that it not be revealed, Alex would do his best to keep her safe.

Justin sat in one of the large overstuffed chairs and was glaring at their linked hands. Guess I’ll have to deal with her brother too.

His sister was also going to have to be one of the first he spoke with. Cassie nudged her mate, Max, nodding in his direction. Max only shrugged in response, getting a glare from Cassie. They hadn’t been together long but Alex was still a little jealous about the ease in which they’d settled into their relationship.

He could only hope that if things worked out with Angel, he’d be as lucky.

“Angel?” Justin called.

Beside him, she took a deep breath. “Here’s what I can tell you.”