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“I’ll give you a week to get your head together and figure out where you’re going next. That’s how long I’ll be around. After that, you’ll be on your own.”

He’d started digging into his breakfast, but his attention gravitated back toward her quickly. “And you’re planning on going where?” he asked, as though he had a right to know.

“Has it escaped your notice that I’m a Wildlife and Fisheries Agent?”

“Thought I remembered a uniform,” he teased.

“I have territories that I have to patrol. I took a little time off for my brother’s wedding and spending time with family that’s in town, but I have to get back to work. In fact, if they call with anything they need checked out before then, I’ll be headed out early.”

“How much time do you spend away from home usually?”

“A week or two out, then a few days back.”

“Doesn’t seem like you’re here much.”

“I’m not.”

“Because you have to be gone, or because you just don’t want to be here?”

Lines appeared in Hellen’s forehead as her brows bunched up, her irritated reaction to him reading her so well and not really knowing her at all.

He grinned.

“What?” she demanded.

“I like these little lines,” he said, reaching out to brush his thumb across them.

“They’re wrinkles,” she grumbled.

“No, they’re character. They warn people they better back the fuck off if they’re even considering something you don’t like.”

She wasn’t able to stop her quick smirk.

He started eating again, then a couple of minutes later shrugged, as though he’d been having a silent conversation in his head. “If we gotta go check on the wildlife, we’ll go check on the wildlife. It’s a good idea to familiarize myself with your territories, anyway.”

“Why? So you can find me at all times?” she asked defensively.

“Or avoid you, whatever works at the time, you know?” he asked.

Her mouth fell open as she glared at him.

He chuckled, a rich, deep, velvety laughter. “Close that pretty mouth, cher. You might give me other ideas if you keep it open like that. And eat your fruit. It’s good, yeah?”

Hellen picked up her fruit and ate it all before she realized she’d obeyed his suggestion without even being aware of it. She put her empty bowl down and scowled at him.

Lucien grinned, realizing it just at the same time she did.

“What are we going to do today?” he asked.

“We? There is no we. There’s me, and there’s you, at least until you get me out of your system,” she snarked.

He laughed again, the sound melting her insides and making her go all warm and fuzzy inside. “Damn you,” she grumbled.

“Oh, you’re not the first to wish that very thing on my soul. None of the others mattered enough to achieve it, though. You, I’m still not sure of.”

“Give it a few days, you’ll get bored and be on your way, free of all thoughts of damnation.”

“I can only hope.”

She ignored him and ate another bowl of fruit and half her eggs and potatoes, looking especially for the caramelized onions and peppers in the mix.

Lucien paid attention to the things she ate, and the way she drank her coffee and the way her jaw moved when she chewed.

The gentle movements of her throat when she swallowed and the increased headiness of her scent when he laughed.

He also noticed the attentiveness of his beast, which was totally out of character.

When he was walking around doing the human thing, his beast usually wanted no part of it, but with this girl, Hellen, he seemed unwilling to look away and give over total control.

“Okay, I’m full,” Hellen said, pushing away her plate.

“You hardly ate anything!” he said, looking at all the food left on her plate.

“I ate a sausage. I ate two bowls of fruit and I ate some eggs and potatoes.”

“More than half of which is left on your plate.”

“Then you eat it. I’m going to get dressed.”

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to see my parents, and my sister and brother in law, which means I’ll likely be seeing all of our parents’ clan because when anyone is in town, they all gather.”

“This clan isn’t part of your parents’ clan?” Lucien asked.

“Kaid was our Alpha and head of our clan growing up. He’s the reason we’re all family.

But when it became apparent that Brandt was the new generation’s Alpha, he started grooming him to take over one day so he could just hang out and enjoy and not have to be part of the responsibility anymore.

Technically Brandt is our Alpha, my generation, and Kaid is our parents’ generation’s Alpha, but he is actively preparing for the day he doesn’t have to do anything but enjoy.

And just for the record my father was Alpha of a huge Pack in the North before he walked away and years later found the clan here. ”

“Why did he walk away?”

“Betrayal. By his own mate.”

“Damn.”

“Yeah, it was a good thing, though, because he found Kaid and built a life here, which includes the mate he always dreamed of — my mother.”

“And all of y’all are family, the whole clan?” Lucien asked.

“My parents’ generation has some actual family members in it and their spouses and kids, and then there are those who are not related and their spouses and kids, but are still family, you know what I mean? Blood doesn’t mean family, and family doesn’t mean blood,” Hellen said.

“I do.”

“But that’s not all I’ll be visiting with. My sister is married and mated to Riley. He’s an Alpha, too. Their Pride lives in Missouri, but they’re down for my brother’s wedding.”

“So the whole place is rank with Alphas at the moment,” he remarked, almost jovially.

Hellen laughed. “You could say that.”

“Is this brother who just got married younger or older?” Lucien asked.

Hellen grinned. “Neither. We’re twins.”

“You have a twin brother?” Lucien asked.

“I do. And though we’re Wolves, my mother is a Lion.”

“Speaks to that fire you got. And the gold streaked fur around your neck. Magnificent.”

Hellen laughed. “We’ve also got Black Bears, Foxes, humans, and Dragons in the clan; the parents’ clan and ours. Riley has Panthers, Bears, Gorillas, Tigers, and humans.”

“Well this should be interesting to say the least. I’ll go put on a shirt.”

“Oh, no. Unh uhh. You are not coming.”

“Why the hell not? I fed you and everything.”

“With my own food!”

“That’s not the point. I’ll go get dressed.”

Hellen stood up and looked at him seriously. “All kidding aside. You can’t.”

“Why? You’re not allowed to have guests?”

“I am. And I probably would even if I wasn’t allowed to just to show I could. But with so many Alphas around, you haven’t bothered to face one of them and ask for permission to be on their land.”

“And that’s important…”

“It is. Isn’t it where you come from?”

“We’re usually loners at my age. If someone encroaches on our territory, we just kill them.”

She pressed her lips together and shrugged.

“I’m not usually one to play well with others.”

“Then you better be one to learn quickly. Especially if you plan to be here longer than the next hour.”

He shook his head and started eating her leftovers.

“I’m getting dressed. I’ll see you when I get back. Or not.”