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M y eyes widened at the plot twist unfolding in the book I was reading on my phone. “Unbelievable! He’s her father ? Oh, now he’s really gotta go.”

The bathroom door squeaked open and surprised me.

“Oh, good evening, Councilwoman Thompson.” The brunette lingered by the long sink like a startled deer. “I didn’t expect to run into you.”

I went through the Rolodex in my head to recollect her name, but my thoughts were still swirling over the latest chapter in my fantasy book.

“You probably don’t remember me. I’m Cynthia,” she quickly added. “You came to our house for a mating ceremony.”

Ah, now I remember. She lives with that pack of coyotes who celebrated two young people last August. Boy, they had a delicious spread. I should get the recipe for their roast chicken.

“How are you, Cynthia?” I tucked the phone in my purse and sauntered up to the mirror. “Any mating ceremony in your future?”

She snorted. “Not by the looks of tonight’s date.”

I touched her arm. “Girl, same.”

After taking out my shimmery lip gloss, I leaned over the sink to apply it. Even though bold colors suited my brown complexion, I didn’t want to go overboard with my makeup on a first date. The nude lip gloss was one of my favorites.

“Is that why you’re in here?” she asked. “I had to get away for a minute.”

“I’ve been in here for the past ten minutes, hoping he fell into an alternate dimension.”

“A what?”

I closed the tube. “That’s my way of saying we don’t have anything in common. On to the next.”

“Can you give me any tips?”

My brow furrowed. “What kind of tips?”

“On getting a nice guy to ask me out. You’re so… sophisticated. And I love your hair.” She adjusted her tight green dress while staring at my leather pencil skirt and fitted black top. The girl had more cleavage coming out of her dress than beneath it.

My hair wasn’t styled in any special way.

The loose curls were combed back on one side and closer to my face on the other.

But I could empathize with her situation.

“Think of dating like a job interview; you have to sell yourself to find the best candidates. Everyone around here knows your pack, but maybe they don’t know you’re in that pack. ”

“We’re a band,” she uttered meekly.

“Of course. I’m sorry. Everywhere you go, it’s a different term for coyotes.

” It seemed prudent to offer her advice.

While I wasn’t mated, I certainly had no trouble with men asking me out.

“Here’s what you do: Write down your best qualities, talents, and anything else that’s uniquely you.

Look at your list every morning when you wake up and recognize that Cynthia has a lot to offer.

Make sure other people know about those qualities.

Do you think men only ask me out because of my looks?

They know about my job, how hard I work, my integrity—that’s what you want to focus on.

If people only know you by looks, they don’t really know you at all.

And whatever you do, don’t settle for less because you think that’s all you deserve.

Be yourself and own every inch of who you are. ”

Cynthia fluffed her wavy hair and smiled bashfully. “I always assumed you were mated. No offense.”

“None taken. I can barely make time to whip up dinner, let alone fool with dating.” I adjusted my purse strap and heaved a melodic sigh. “But here we are.” I flashed a smile before dragging my butt to the door. “Good luck!”

“You too.”

Dragonfly Bar & Grill was better known as Dragonfly’s, and I rarely had a chance to come here for pleasure.

Always business meetings. The aroma of sizzling steaks, baked bread, and pasta wafted through the air of the gold room.

The club exuded old-world charm with rich wood, sumptuous gold lighting, candles, and elegant crystal glassware.

Instead of sitting out in the open, my date had chosen a private booth nestled beyond a divider wall. The arched window openings and hanging plants on the stucco partition added charm.

I navigated through the crowded dining area in my heels, tempted to flee up the stairs and call it a night. However, that wasn’t the reputation I aimed for as a Councilwoman. I had agreed to this date, and that meant honoring my word even if I wanted to plunge a fork in his eye.

I passed a large table of local wolves who were celebrating a recent mating ceremony. A few smiled and tipped their hats when they recognized me. People always assumed I was conducting business, which offered me privacy while out on a date.

I’d give anything for an interruption. An old friend, an emergency, a meteor. I’m not picky, I mused, gazing up at the chandelier as I walked beneath it. Maybe it’ll fall on my head. Knowing this clown, he’d ask me to step outside and heal myself so we can order dessert.

Henry Hightower smiled up at me as I sat in front of him.

His thatch of dark blond hair was styled in a Caesar cut—short and layered on top with a fringe, the sides tapered—but the waves were too overgrown to pull it off.

None of that bothered me. He was a fair-looking man, but his ostentatious diamond earrings were off-putting.

Mr. Hightower dripped with money, from his flashy car to his expensive suit.

As I touched my own diamond earrings, which were modest but lovely, it felt like he was trying to outshine me more than impress me.

He was brash, and sometimes he growled out his words.

Henry originated from Scotland, but it was clear he had painstakingly worked on reducing his accent. It slipped through in conversation, enough that no one could ever mistake him for an American if they listened to him long enough.

The fake ferns and ivy behind us created a privacy curtain, which I had instantly regretted when he attempted to hold my hand earlier while telling me about what his exes liked to do in bed.

That was when I fled to the bathroom.

He groomed his mustache while staring across the table at me. “Wasn’t certain if you were coming back.”

“Neither was I,” a man murmured from behind me.

Henry obviously didn’t hear him. “Have you picked out your dessert?” He thrust the menu at me, almost knocking my glass over.

I quickly saved my white wine and scrambled for a way out of this date. “Truth be told, that steak filled me up more than I thought it would.”

“Maybe food isn’t what you’re craving. Let’s go to the red room and dance.”

The only thing I was craving at the moment was alone time with my sofa and to get out of my heels. “It’s been a long day. I never should have accepted a date on a workday.”

Henry gulped down the rest of his red wine. “If you settled with a mate, you wouldn’t have to work at all.”

If he was trying to challenge me to a debate, my mental knives were already sharpening. “Is that what you’re looking for in a mate? Someone without ambition?”

He gave a throaty chuckle. “You can have ambition and run a house.”

I sipped my wine and pondered why some men were threatened by a mate who valued their career. “That’s true, and both genders do a fine job. But I’ve always enjoyed keeping myself busy and making this world a little better.”

“I can keep you real busy. Look, we’re both adults. Why don’t we skip all this foreplay and go back to my place?”

A growl sounded from behind me, and I glanced over my shoulder but couldn’t see past the plants.

Henry abruptly stood and sat beside me. The bench seat made it impossible to escape.

After putting his right arm around me, he tilted his head to capture my attention.

“You’re the most untouchable woman in this town, Miss Thompson.

Some of the men around here think you’re a prude, but you know what I see?

A beautiful woman who needs a real man,” he said, his voice dripping with arrogance.

“You’ve been wasting your time with the losers around here. ”

My skin crawled. “You’re a Mage. I’m not certain this’ll work out. You have all that power.”

“You mean the power to seduce you?” He chuckled softly. “I know how to fuck my partners without killing them.”

Did he want a trophy?

“I’m the primary wine distributor in Storybook and surrounding counties. I rake in a substantial profit.” He stroked my shoulder. “I’d love to show you my boat sometime.”

Someone drifted up to our table and cleared their throat. I turned my gaze to an intense-looking gentleman with coal-black hair and the most stunning golden eyes.

“Miss Thompson.” The Chitah bowed, but despite the pleasantries, his tight voice suggested he was irritated. “I have an urgent business matter to discuss with you. Can we speak privately?”

Lucian Cross was the only Chitah in Storybook with a shaved head, which was why I didn’t immediately recognize him with a full head of hair. And gorgeous black hair at that.

“Can’t you see she’s busy?” Henry fired back. “Get lost.”

Lucian’s jaw clenched, and he locked eyes with me. His intense gaze raised the hair on my arms.

While his interruption was unexpected, it offered me an exit from this uncomfortable date from hell.

“I’m sorry, Henry. A Councilwoman’s hours are never done.” I scooted to my right to put distance between us just in case he got the bright idea to steal a kiss. “I appreciate the lovely dinner.”

Henry seemed irritated but thankfully didn’t cause a scene. “I’ll call you so we can do this again.”

Oh no we won’t.

“I look forward to speaking again,” I said with a smile as real as the artificial plant behind me.

Without warning, Henry took my hand and kissed it. After a salacious wink, he stood and inched so close to Lucian that I thought a fight was about to erupt.

Lucian tipped his head to the side and made a tight fist as he glared at the Mage. Instead of instigating a brawl, Henry scowled at the Chitah before heading out.

I laughed inwardly because Henry swaggered off as though a soundtrack to his life was playing in the background.