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Jake Baker swirled his glass of amber whiskey. "You still haven't ventured out to the city, huh?"

"No, too busy for that," Mark said. "These woods are dangerous. Sometimes I think my presence here is all that keeps them from devouring Marhan whole."

"I have no idea what you're talking about. Ever since you hired me, I haven't seen a single anomaly on all your fancy security cameras. Not a single hint of magic out of place, no creepy crawlers in the night, nada."

"They don't come so close to the house. They don't come south at all, actually. But in the north ..." Mark shook his head. "You would understand if you saw it, but it's better for you to stay here."

"After all these months, you're still a mystery to me, Mark."

He grinned. "I'm keen to keep it that way. Now, tell me about this new wife of yours. Ever since you married, I can tell you've been dying to talk more about her, but you've kept your mouth shut."

"You would know more about her if you came to the wedding," Jake countered.

Mark felt bad about missing his friend's wedding, but he couldn't leave his mansion and the secrets within unprotected. Even with his state-of-the-art security system, both through magical and technological means, that could all fall apart without the intervention of a reliable person.

"You're not bitter, are you?" Mark said.

"No." At last, Jake sipped his drink. "I know what you're doing here is important to you. But you've spent a decade in these woods and haven't once gone to the city? It's about time, don't you think? You would like Zoe. I want you two to meet."

"You're my only security guard, Jake. You're the only one I trust with the job."

"Sure, but it doesn't have to stay that way. I know lots of reliable guys who you could train, too, then you and I could go hit the town. Give you a chance to live a little."

Mark shook his head sadly, but he didn't speak his thoughts out loud: he lost his life a long time ago. Now the only thing that could satiate him was revenge. Maybe after he achieved that, he could consider making a new life for himself. Until then, this was how he had to live: single-focused.

"Don't you want a girl of your own?" Jake said.

The question had Mark downing the rest of his drink instead of answering. The burn of whiskey was nothing compared to the pain in his heart, the secrets he'd kept to himself ever since he built this mansion to hide them—and himself.

"I can't," Mark said.

"Oh yeah? And why not?" Jake smirked. "It's been so long since you last dated that you're scared of screwing it up, aren't you? Nah, you have nothing to worry about."

Mark sighed. "It's not that. Let's not talk about my relationship status."

"An eligible guy like you shouldn't stay alone forever. It's like you're punishing yourself, trapping yourself in a fancy prison."

A spark of rage ignited inside Mark. "And what if I am? Maybe after what I've done, I deserve to stay here alone."

Jake raised an eyebrow. "I'm sensing some progress here. Just for you, Mark, I'll take the role of therapist. Now come on, tell me what's going on with you."

Mark stood so he didn't have to look at Jake. It'd been a long, long time since he talked about his past with anyone—actually, he'd never mentioned what happened to him out loud before. No one but he himself knew the whole truth ... and why it was completely his fault that he landed out here in the woods alone, trapped in his own little hell. Leaving his mind to run around his circles, trapping him in different torturous memories of blood and death.

He poured himself a drink. He downed it in one gulp. And then he poured another.

"Zoe is your mate, so you know what true love feels like," Mark said. "I knew love like that once, too. But a shifter only gets one mate. Once she's gone ... she's gone."

Mark remembered the day like it was yesterday. The day his pack tore itself apart.

"Mark ... I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"It was a long time ago. Maybe it shouldn't hurt as much as it still does ... but I can't help it."

"If she was your mate ... I can't imagine living without Zoe. I don't know how you've survived ten years of that, all on your own." Jake's fiery eyes were filled with sympathy, but that wasn't the right emotion. Jake shouldn't feel bad for Mark ... he should blame him, just like Mark blamed himself.

"It was my fault."

Jake placed his glass on the table beside him. "I don't want to pry, but you've kept all this in for so long. Maybe it's time you talked about it and found a way to move on. You still have your whole life ahead of you. Whatever guilt you're still holding onto ... there's nothing you can do anymore."