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I didn’t know what I’d be doing long-term, but for now, my bear had been wanting to visit my cousin Warren and all the other relatives who worked at his nightclub, Animals, in the Superstition Mountains. When I got back, I’d have to decide whether to reenter the human work situation somehow or accept the beta post our den alpha had been pushing on me.

Chapter Two

Tyler

I never wanted to be mated to Joseph, the skulk alpha’s son. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a choice I had a say in. It was one made for me before I even knew the letters of the alphabet, by both of our fathers. In their minds, it would solidify the strength of the skulk, show the other packs that we were a force to be reckoned with in the construction industry.

While the alpha’s family owned one of the largest construction companies in the state, my alpha father had mated outside our skulk. With that mating came a connection to one of the most sought-after architecture firms in the country. My omega father’s family were historically architects—my great-grandfather, my grandfather, my father, and my brother, all of them talented in the field. Their designs were requested across the globe.

But having the skulk connected to the firm wasn’t enough for the alpha. Nope. He needed his family to have the connection directly. In his mind, combining forces was great, but having the companies bound by family? Even better.

Only the things didn’t go according to plan. I struggled with math in school and got rejected from every single architectural program and rightfully so. Heck, I came home from college without a degree. Still they held firm that this mating was essential.

If my brother had been an omega, he’d have been the ideal choice, and they’d have dropped me when I first showed signs of not being able draw a straight line with a ruler. But he wasn’t and as much as they, wanted our families joined, they wanted an heir more.

Joseph wasn’t horrible, but I didn’t love him. He wasn’t even what I’d consider a friend. I wouldn’t say he exactly liked me, either. But there were worse people to be saddled with.

He wasn’t violent, he had a job, and was never overtly mean to me. It was the equivalent of the bar being in the basement, but what could I do? Be miserable about it? That wouldn’t change anything. This was my responsibility, and, within a month, I was going to follow through. I didn’t really have a choice.

I took my home-baked muffins off the cooling rack and put them in a little bakery box I picked up at a party store one day while just wandering around, trying to have something to do. My father had been in one of his bazillion meetings and had dragged me with him. His plan was to help me find the perfect suit for the wedding after he was finished. And we might’ve if he didn’t add three more meetings to his afternoon.

The whole wedding instead of a mating was weird for me. Although, I understood why weren’t going to follow the traditional ways of our skulk. Having a full-on wedding, something they could put pictures up for the humans to see, was important.

We left the city with no suit, but the bakery boxes had been the perfect find. They gave me something to do while waiting for my wedding. A job would “only get in the way of preparations” and “were beneath an omega of my status,” anyway, which was code for, “we don’t want you to back out last minute.”

Baking for my future mate it was.

I was 100 percent into the fake-it-till-you-make-it part of this arrangement. Maybe, if I pretended hard enough that I was happy and that this was what I wanted, then it would eventually become those things.

My fiancé, Joseph, was on-site at a huge project about an hour from us. The construction company was building an elegant hotel, and it was coming along nicely. The owners hadcompanies from all over the country bidding for the job, and it was considered a huge-ass deal we got it. At first I thought it was all about the money, but then I saw the plans. The hotel was designed to be a masterpiece.

I was happy staying at the Holiday Inn with free breakfast. A ten thousand dollar-a-night suite just didn’t make sense to me. But I could see myself wanting to go into the lobby to soak it all in or to attend an event there. It was going to be spectacular.

After leaving a note for my fathers, I got in the car and popped on an audiobook. I listened to the tale of a dragon who ventured into space as I wove through traffic on my mission, my mission to make Joseph smile. I wasn’t under the impression that he liked me or wanted this any more than I did. Of course he didn’t. Who could? But he too understood duty and was sucking it up. At least that was something we had in common.

And if my muffins could make it easier for him, all the better.

Parking was easy, despite all the fencing. Bakery box in hand, I went straight to the office building they had plopped on-site. I planned to go in, leave them, and go home. It wasn’t really the best use of my time, but it would show I was doing my part without interfering with his job and was a thousand times better than being stuck home.

It was lunch-ish time, and part of me wondered if we might enjoy them together. We hadn’t done any dating, so to speak. We had attended family meals together, but that was about it. Most of what I knew about him came from our parents.

I was one step up the entranceway when I heard a moan. Then a gasp. Then “Joseph,” on someone’s lips that weren’t mine. None of it sounded like work.

My heart rate kicked up, my hands holding the box too tightly. This could not be happening. I was just mishearingthings. My imagination was getting in the way. That’s all it could be.

Only, when I walked in, it was exactly how I suspected it would be.

My future mate stood there, pants down at his ankles, thrusting into an omega. His hand was on was on the omega’s neck, pushing him down on the desk, and the omega made it very clear with his words that he wanted this.

“Fuck you, Joseph!” I dropped the box and ran out. There was no explaining a way out of this. He already had his dick in someone else. What was the point in sticking around.

“I hope you choke on the muffins!” It was hardly my finest moment, shouting as I drove straight home, breaking far more traffic laws than I could ever afford to pay fines on.

I found my father waiting at the front door and from the look of his face, he’d already been told what had happened. I could see that he blamed me.

“The mating is off.” I wasn’t playing games. I was done. We could work through pretty much anything, but I refused to be a side piece in my own mating.

“Ridiculous. The wedding is next month. The invitations have been sent. It has been decided.”