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Lucian lingered by the table and watched me attentively. “I didn’t plan on busting in on your date, but your repulsion was stronger than your perfume. Is there anything you need?”

I wiped Henry’s saliva off the back of my hand. “Besides a therapist and a glass of wine?” I pointed behind me. “Were you the one sitting there making all the noises?”

He shrugged. “Your date was entertaining.”

“Have a seat.”

Lucian quietly claimed the spot across the table and folded his arms.

“I almost didn’t recognize you with hair, Mr. Cross. How long has it been?”

“Fifteen and a half weeks,” he answered, quicker than I could calculate in my head.

“Is that so?” I arched my brow. “That’s a rather precise answer.”

He dipped his chin. “That was a rather specific question.”

“Where’s the rest of your pack?”

“Around.”

I soaked him in. Lucian’s understated attire of a button-up and black jeans was a stark contrast to Henry’s showy outfit.

His features were striking: sharp cheekbones, sensual lips, and bone structure that was criminal.

And his luminous golden eyes delivered a smoldering gaze dripping with sexual tension.

I used to think his shaved head made him distinctive, but now he was even more so with his disheveled black hair.

In my experience, Chitahs rarely had dark hair, and those who did were considered defects.

Unfortunately, every Breed had their own definition of defects related to either their natural gifts or physical attributes.

Yet I found nothing wrong with his unique features.

“What urgent business matter did you have to discuss with me?” I asked, uncertain if he had one.

His lips parted, and he hesitated before answering. “You never called me.”

I jerked my head back. “What?”

“Last year I told you what I did for a living, and you were going to add me to your contact list. Don’t you need security?”

“Oh.” He must have assumed I wrote down his number for my own personal use.

“Mr. Cross, when I meet someone with a particular skill set such as yours, I make sure to spread that information around the community. Haven’t you gotten unsolicited calls in the past few months?

I’ve put in a good word for you numerous times, and several individuals thanked me for the referral. ”

He gave a perfunctory nod.

“Well, as it so happens, I might need your expertise after all.” I played with my gold necklace and sighed. “Your timing tonight couldn’t have been better. Dating isn’t what it used to be. Or maybe it is, and I’m the one who’s changed.”

“Why didn’t you ditch that guy when you went to the bathroom?”

I lifted my wineglass. “Dating in a small town is like walking a tightrope over a lion pit. Most people only have to worry about their reputation and gossip. I have bigger concerns.”

He leaned forward, and his dark eyebrows drew together. “Like what?”

“Because I work on the Council, I can’t afford to burn bridges.

People in this town seek my counsel on disputes, crimes, domestic complaints, pack issues, property sales, and so on.

Not just Shifters. I deal with a lot of other Breeds, and if I make enemies because of a bad date and that person later needs my help, they might accuse me of unfair treatment if I can’t resolve their issue.

” I feigned a smile. “So instead of throwing a drink in their face, I politely end the evening.”

He drummed his fingers on the table. “Stay away from booth seating and private tables. A bench seat is nothing but a potential trap. People sit by the wall for privacy, but that means nobody can see a misbehaving jackass.”

“You make a fair point. Next time I’ll choose the table.”

“I hope you don’t mean next time with that prick.” Lucian wrinkled his nose. “He reeks of dirty socks and decomposing biological waste.”

I choked on my wine. “Say that again?”

He averted his gaze before reformulating his answer. “He smells like a dirty fish aquarium.”

That roused a laugh out of me. “You are messy.” I flicked a glance at the beautiful gold watch on his wrist. “We have something in common.”

He studied me closely.

Then I held up my left wrist with my watch. “People say they go out of style, but?—”

“Time never goes out of style.”

I smiled at his sharp intellect. “Exactly. Some things never go out of fashion. A reliable windup watch is a reminder that you should rely on yourself to keep things moving.”

He offered a crooked grin and tapped the watch. “Phone batteries die. If I ever get lost in the mountains or stranded on an island, I’ll be the only one who knows the time.”

“If you’re ever stuck on a tiny island, Mr. Cross, time will be the least of your concerns.”

“I can think of several things I’d need the time for. Tracking flight patterns, tidal flows, wildlife activity…”

I set my glass down. “You’re an interesting character.”

He directed his attention to the wall. “So I’ve been told.”

“Why did you come all this way to a busy club only to hide in a private booth? Or did your friends banish you?”

“Maybe both.” He chuckled darkly and sat back.

I watched him study the buttons on his midnight-blue dress shirt.

It fitted him nicely and brought out his eyes, which sparkled like champagne.

Lucian’s gaze could set panties on fire, and yet he seemed insecure in a way I couldn’t put my finger on.

Despite being the least social in his pack, he was the best dressed whenever they went out.

In fact, even his T-shirts hugged his body like a second skin. It made me wonder if he used a tailor.

Lucian stared at Henry’s wineglass. “Do you normally date pond scum?”

“Sometimes you have to give people the benefit of the doubt. Mr. Hightower is a prominent man in this town.”

Lucian drew in a deep breath. “Humph.”

I canted my head, curious about the layers of unspoken words wrapped up in that singular sound. “What are your thoughts?”

“This is the part where my Packmaster would tell me to keep my mouth shut around a Councilwoman.” He rubbed his hand over his hair. “I get in trouble for speaking my mind.”

“You don’t think he’s my type?”

“That depends on how low your standards are.”

I stifled a laugh.

When he flattened his left hand on the table, his onyx ring clicked against the wood. “A female of your caliber deserves better than a self-absorbed jackass. That’s all I meant.”

Female. Chitahs were a curious Breed with their own unique vocabulary.

Words like male , female , and young replaced man , woman , and child .

They had their own elders and laws as well as customs centered around kindred spirits.

It was also normal for siblings to live together in the same house, which made me wonder what this Chitah was doing in a wolf pack.

“Do you have any siblings?” I asked, curious if maybe he’d had a falling-out with his family.

“Four by blood.”

“Do all their names start with the same letter?”

“Of course,” he said matter-of-factly. “It’s tradition. Males take the first letter of their father’s name, and girls use the first letter of their mother’s.”

“Do they live nearby?”

“Cognito.”

I listened to the soft jazz music and a pocket of laughter from a nearby table. “You must be lonely out here without them.”

He flicked his eyes up. “Are you kidding? I live in a house full of howling wolves. Two of my packmates go at it every night like they’re in a porno.”

I laughed brightly and reached for my wine. “Well, it’s nice to hear someone has a healthy sex life.” When I realized how that sounded, I grabbed the reins on the conversation before we plummeted off a cliff. “Is there any special reason a Chitah joined a wolf pack?”

He ran his hand over his head, something I used to see him do when his hair was shaved. Only now, it rumpled his locks and gave him a sexy bedhead look. “It’s complicated.”

“Isn’t it always? Are you not close to your family? It happens all the time.”

“It’s not that. I needed a change.”

“Living with wolves—that’s quite a change.” After swallowing my wine, I set down the glass. “I thought cats and dogs didn’t get along,” I quipped. “Why a wolf pack?”

“I’m Lakota’s uncle.”

“I wondered about that! You have the same last name, but I assumed it was a coincidence. You don’t look remotely similar.”

Lucian took out his phone and checked it. “That’s because he’s adopted. There weren’t any good genes left for me anyhow,” he added while swiping through his phone.

“I’d care to disagree,” I murmured.

He swung his eyes up. “What?”

“Nothing.”

Lucian’s nose twitched. I could tell he was sampling the air, reading my emotions.

“Important call?” I asked.

“Just checking the security cameras. That’s my job.”

I loved a man who was passionate about his work. It reminded me what a procrastinator I was about setting up security in my own home.

Mercy Breedlove—a petite woman with a sassy attitude and a country accent—popped into view. “Lucian, I’ve been looking high and low for you.”

He put his phone away. “I know.”

When she recognized me, she flashed her pearly whites. “Hi, Miss Thompson! Is Lucian bothering you?”

“On the contrary, he rescued me from a rather sticky situation.”

She put her hands on her narrow hips and gave him a scrutinizing gaze. Mercy’s silver pixie cut, big eyes, and narrow features reminded me of a fairy, and she definitely had the energy of one.

I decided to rescue Lucian. “We were catching up since we haven’t seen each other in what—nine months?

Work keeps me busy. I bet Joy’s new baby has been keeping everyone on their toes.

I thought they would’ve brought her in public by now.

I’ve seen Joy and Atticus on separate occasions, but not the baby. How’s she doing?”

“Oh, Violet’s a doll,” Mercy said with a comical rotation of her eyes. “Between all the diaper changes and midnight feedings, she sure as heckfire knows how to keep us from sleeping. Mind if I sit?” Mercy stole the empty spot next to me and fanned her face.