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6

KINGSTON

I stared at the door for far too long. That flimsy piece of wood wouldn’t do a damn thing to keep me out. But Wren’s need for safety and security and her need to put space between us would.

My wolf snarled at the thought. He didn’t understand those human needs. He wanted to take her back to our territory and make sure she was safely ensconced within our borders. But he also wanted to claim her.

That was new.

My wolf had wanted women before. His hunting needs were strong when they hit. But he’d never wanted anyone with any sort of permanence. And a claiming was pretty damn permanent. The kind of forever that spanned lifetimes.

My human half wasn’t much better. I’d wanted to lean in and sniff Wren, press my nose to the nape of her neck, pull the scent of wildflowers and rain into my lungs, and never let go .

The need to mark her was so strong, my canines pressed against my gums at the mental image. I knew I had to walk away. If I didn’t, I’d either be knocking down her door or sleeping on the floor outside. Neither was something I wanted to explain.

Humans couldn’t understand shifter urges, which were sometimes motivated by senses beyond the everyday. And our protective streaks were strong and vast.

I forced myself to step away from her door. The distance was almost physically painful—the kind of agony I’d expect from a true mating bond. Only we hadn’t shared that connection. Nothing more than attraction had zinged through my veins when I touched Wren. And I hadn’t seen any glimpses of our future.

I shook my head. Maybe it had simply been too long since I’d taken a woman to bed. I thought about reaching out to a she-wolf friend a few towns over, but the idea had my wolf snarling. He wanted Wren and Wren only, and my human half agreed.

Hell.

Pausing at the top of the stairs, I tapped out a text. I could’ve reached out to the recipient of the message through the mental bonds of our pack link, but we tried not to use that unless absolutely necessary.

Me

Need you to look into someone. Only have her first name. Wren. But she lives above Arcane and works out at Crescent Kingdom.

A flicker of guilt niggled in my gut, but I shoved it down. Locke would never share the information he found. But I needed to know who Wren was. Had to know if she was in danger.

Just the thought had my wolf snarling, demanding we go back to her apartment. I battled him for dominance, but he eased when my phone dinged.

Locke

On it.

Of course, he was. And if there was any sort of electronic trail, Locke would find it.

I jogged down the stairs but pulled up short at sounds coming from the office around the corner. Quietly, I prowled behind the bar and down the hallway before a familiar scent greeted me. My muscles relaxed, and I pushed the door to the office fully open.

Puck looked up from a desk piled high with pure chaos. “What are you doing here?”

“Could ask you the same question.” I arched a brow. “Trying to dig out after an explosion?”

“Oh, piss off. We’re not on mission anymore.” Puck’s light British accent laced his words as he shoved a hand through his blond locks, the tattoos lining his forearms glinting in the light.

I chuckled. “I just don’t know how the hell you find anything in… this .”

Puck pawed through a stack of papers. “I’ve got my own organization system in place.”

“I bet.” I was honestly surprised that he was back at the bar so quickly. Arcane was his pride and joy, but Puck didn’t exactly take things seriously, and we’d only just gotten back from Siberia tonight.

Puck looked up from the chaos, studying me for a moment. “You never answered me. What are you doing here? Checking up on me?”

“No.” Puck might be a wild card, but he could usually be trusted around town. “Woman at the gym took a hard hit. Wanted to make sure she got home okay.”

Puck’s gaze narrowed on me. “Pretty sure her bed isn’t atop my bar.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.”

His green eyes flared in surprise.

“Apparently, she rents the apartment above you.”

“Oh, hell. I remember Dina sending me a text about that. Forgot all about it. Raven or Sparrow? Some bird name.”

“Wren,” I corrected. Just saying her name aloud had my gut tightening and my canines fighting to lengthen.

Puck didn’t miss the struggle. A grin stretched across his face. “You like her.”

I stiffened. “She’s nice. ”

Amusement lacing his features, he sank back into the leather office chair behind his desk. “Nice, huh?”

“I think she might be in trouble.”

That had the amusement on Puck’s face sliding away. “What makes you think that?”

“Scar on her face that must have been inflicted by a blade. She’s jumpy. Too careful.”

Puck’s jaw worked back and forth as he mulled that over. “Supe or human?”

My back teeth gnashed. “She’s human, but her scent... It’s different somehow. She smells like wildflowers and rain, yet it’s wrong.”

His brow furrowed as he tried to put those pieces together. “Want me to pull her lease agreement?”

I scanned his surrounding office. “Think you could actually find it in here?”

Puck flipped me off. “Do you want me to pull it or not?”

Indecision warred inside me, but what was a peek at Wren’s lease when I was already having Locke look into her? “Yes.” The word was out before I could stop it.

Puck sent a far-too-pleased grin my way. “You really like her.”

“Puck,” I growled.

He rubbed his hands together like some sort of Disney villain. “This is going to be so much fun.”