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But I knew better than to offend the cousin of the alpha who I was about to meet. And while Elias got on my nerves, he was largely harmless.

I shrugged off my irked attitude and snatched the rope, scaling the notches like they were nothing. Elias hoisted me up the rest of the way.

Standing beside him made him look less like a jerk and more like his cousin minus his right pupil housing a few white dots. Other than that, the almond- brown locs and smirk reminded me of Troy.

Can I switch mates? I thought. Mostly as a joke. This one is younger, easier on the eyes, probably kinder.

Elias squinted at me and then gestured behind me. When I turned around, I was faced with his mirror—but much taller—with an impressive presence. Silver beads decorated his locs. Brawny muscles stretched his

slate-gray V-neck taut and his black jeans hung low, revealing a patch of his toned stomach.

Black ink decorated his upper left arm. It looked like a wizard from this angle, but with the candlelight flickering and playing tricks, it was hard to say. There was plenty more ink where that came from. It made me

wonder about the rest of his body.

Elias cleared his throat. “This way, madam.”

He motioned to my arm, indicating he was about to loop his own through it, and I growled at him as low as I could muster without being too

rude. “Don’t push your luck, sonny.”

“Feisty,” he joked, though there was a layer of anxiety under there somewhere. He swept his arm wide and smiled radiantly. “Welcome to the treehouse. I’ll be your waiter today. Laurencia will be providing the

atmosphere—” A crash echoed from below. Yep, that was Laurencia, handling the atmosphere. Who put her in charge of that? “—and as soon as she gets up here, we’ll get dinner started.”

I had to hand it to them—this was a decent idea. A treehouse near the ocean would be cool enough without being too muggy. The atmosphere was chill. Two windows decorated with white lace curtains overlooked the rest of the forest. Finely sanded boards made up the studio-esque room, and a table in the center was draped in a crimson cloth. Candles were lit every which way I turned. It was a fire hazard, but nobody seemed worried, so I had to assume they might have been spelled to stay contained or something.

Without anybody touching me or prodding me, I approached the table. I leaned against the back of the chair—my chair, presumably—and focused on Troy, noticing the subtle twitch of his cheek that preceded his smile and the humble way he bowed his head. His eyes closed with the gesture. It was like he was showing me respect.

Well, it wasn’t like that was new or anything. “We might as well get this over with.”

One soft chuckle from him was all it took to weaken my knees.

Thank all the gods lingering here in these woods that I had a chair to catch me and make it look like hesitance rather than a loss of limb control.

Troy lowered himself slowly as if he was reverently preserving his energy. Was that what good alphas did? It wasn’t like I kept up with that kind of stuff. I smoothed my hands over the clothed table, noticing the

softness and richness of the fabric, feeling like I’d suddenly stepped from the forest into a posh restaurant.

Music started up from somewhere in the room. I had to guess the

speakers were hidden in the corners. Orchestra music, soft and benevolent, surrounded me. The notes laced through the air and lulled my muscles into a relaxed state. Scents came next—baked cod with a dash of lemon, spices,

herbs, and a woody blend of tobacco, topped with some of that wretched juniper. I had to thank Laurencia for burning that into my senses.

The tobacco was a nice touch. It made everything feel cozier in here, like I was sitting in a cabin-style restaurant instead of a treehouse. In just a matter of minutes, I was in a totally different mindset with my guard dropped.

And when I looked at Troy, I felt like I had known him for ages.

Which didn’t make a lick of sense, considering I’d seen this man about a hundred times. I’d never felt anything around him. Did my alpha truly think our hearts were speaking to each other?

“I barely know a thing about you,” I blabbed. “Blake says you’re nice. The girls agree. Are you nice?”

Troy remained calm, almost passive to the question. He took a few minutes to reflect. “I think I’m nice. I’ll let you draw your own

conclusions.”

“So, you’re not going to try to dominate me like your boy did to my

Jada?”

“Isaiah?” He practically chortled the name out. “He’s got a hard

head. He’s willful and persistent. He can be a bit, uh…”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “A bit of an asshole?”

“He has his reasons. Though I don’t assume those are excuses.”

My arms shifted but I didn’t drop them yet. I didn’t understand how my guard could have toppled so easily in his presence. “Sure, that’s true

enough.”

“Blake tells me you’re in college.” “I’m getting my vet degree.”

He nodded approvingly. While my heart twitched with excitement

and my slit ached, my brain struggled to figure out why that was arousing at all.

“I’ve been told you were fast-tracked,” he continued. “I admire your commitment.”

“Well, I don’t cheat, and I have one of those photographic memories.”

He broke eye contact. The mere action was alarming, drawing me toward him, almost causing me to leap across the table to grab his attention again as I rested my palms on either side of my plate.

Good golly, I didn’t even see Elias put a plate in front of me. Troy

and I had only been talking for a few minutes. How had I missed something vital about my environment in that time?

“You don’t cheat,” he repeated softly. “That’s good.” “Do you think I cheat?”

He met my gaze. It eased my taut shoulders and inspired a proper seated position.

“No, I don’t get that vibe from you,” he replied. “You seem lovely, Skye. It’s wonderful to meet you.”

“And you.”

I let myself get lost in his eyes. This was weird in so many ways. I didn’t understand why I wanted him to look at me and only me. It wasn’t like we were in public. We were the only two people in the room now, with Elias gone and Laurencia doing something underneath the treehouse that

was likely going to start a fire. These better be spelled candles.

“You haven’t touched your food,” Troy pointed out. His tone implied concern. “Do you prefer something else for protein?”

I chuckled. “I love fish. I just can’t…” I tried to blink, to breathe myself through whatever was happening to me. “I love fish.”

“I’m glad to hear it. Try it.”

Tender warmth drifted through my limbs and propelled me to move.

I lifted my fork, dug into my lemon cod, and practically died over the delicious tanginess. Homemade mashed potatoes called my name next, and then the roasted baby carrots, and then the garden salad, and then the dinner rolls. All of it melted on my tongue. I felt like I was in some kind of wolf

shifter heaven with the best meal, only getting better by the bite.

When I finished my plate, I dabbed my lips with a napkin and noticed how much Troy was smiling.

“What?” I covered my mouth. “Sweet baby goats, did I burp or something? Did I get a bunch of crap on my shirt?” I glanced south and found myself as clean as anyone could be after tumbling through the bushes. I frowned. “I’m so underdressed.”

“I’d rather you show up dressed comfortably as yourself.”

I lowered my hand, feeling a medley of insecurities clotting up my throat. Or was that just a round of crying I hadn’t yet released? “I don’t get it. Aren’t you going to tell me your demands?”

“I won’t make any demands of you, Skye,” he assured me. “You’re my match as dictated by your alpha who is my friend. I trust him with my life.” His eyes burned with affection. “And if he trusts you, then I trust you.”