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W hen Bear’s black SUV arrived at the gate, Lucian got out to check on the security cameras. Hamish, their asshole neighbor, was always sabotaging their land and equipment without setting foot on their territory. Just last week, he threw a rock and broke a camera lens.

It required a special order, but Lucian found a guy who specialized in vandal-proof cameras. After replacing all the cameras around the property, he only caught Hamish tossing a rock once before giving up.

Lucian didn’t need to check on his equipment tonight—he just wanted a minute alone. Socializing was hard work. He would either sit quietly and listen or go off by himself, especially when the group wanted to have fun.

Lucian’s version of fun involved strategic games and honest conversations.

He didn’t connect to people on the same intellectual level.

Their words didn’t always match their emotional scent, and it confused him.

It wasn’t difficult to be himself around his brothers—they accepted him unconditionally.

With his new pack, he had to be careful not to inadvertently instigate fights.

After stripping off his dress shirt, he draped it over the gate and then scaled a tall oak.

The tree stood like a sentinel, its twisted branches inviting him to ascend even higher.

Climbing came naturally to most Chitahs, and Lucian discovered how peaceful the country could be from atop the trees.

At night he would scale the tallest one and ruminate.

From his vantage point, the territory rolled out before him like a blanket. Chitahs possessed impeccable night vision, the same as most nocturnal animals. It didn’t compare to a Vampire’s, but it gave them an advantage over most Breeds.

Lucian perched on a branch while the night breeze cooled his skin.

The country appealed to him in every way—isolated, quiet, and not infiltrated by unpleasant smells…

aside from the occasional skunk. The city could be unbearable at times for a Chitah.

Crowded rooms carried more than the scent of cologne and body lotions—they were also a mixed bag of emotional scents.

The urban environment compounded that with exhaust fumes, pollution, garbage, sewers, and restaurants.

At least here he could step out of any club and take a cleansing breath.

With one foot on the bough and the other leg dangling, he held on to a branch above him while reflecting on tonight’s encounter with Councilwoman Eden.

She masked her personal scent beneath a cloud of perfume and soaps, and being a Chitah, he liked to know what people smelled like.

It wasn’t until her visit to marry Atticus and Joy that he leaned in close enough and caught it.

Everyone’s personal scent varied like a fingerprint, and many resembled nothing else on earth.

Vampires were the only ones who didn’t have a personal scent.

Lucian knew everyone’s in the pack, and he’d already owned them.

Owning a scent was imprinting it to memory.

Chitahs only did it with family, but now his pack was his family.

He drew in a breath, remembering the subtle undercurrent of fennel.

The earthy spice carried an aroma similar to licorice, but Eden’s unique fragrance wasn’t overpowering.

The mysterious floral notes mixed in made her scent as potent as an aphrodisiac.

Lucian peeled a piece of bark from the tree, frustrated that he couldn’t indulge more in her intoxicating fragrance.

People wasted money on perfumes and colognes that masked their pheromones, which were the primary ingredient in sexual chemistry. While human scientists knew little about pheromones and their impact, Chitahs were experts in the matter.

His stomach knotted at the thought of Eden showing up tomorrow.

He needed to stay away from her at all costs to avoid insulting her unintentionally.

Why did everything have to be such a damn challenge?

Understanding people didn’t come easy to him, but speaking his mind did.

People called him insensitive and callous, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Sometimes his emotions were crippling.

Not that anyone in the pack would have noticed, which was exactly why he liked it here. With Shifters, he could finally have some emotional privacy.

He swung his leg while thinking about earlier. What dumb luck he’d wound up sitting right behind the Councilwoman. Despite the barrier between them, he had recognized her voice immediately. And when he realized it wasn’t a business meeting, he couldn’t help but lean back and eavesdrop on her date.

The male talked endlessly about himself, and Lucian barely suppressed laughter each time the guy brought up his model-train set.

It was the most entertainment he’d had in years.

When the conversation switched to his sexual preferences, Lucian almost left out of disgust. He didn’t want to hear that bullshit.

But he stayed because powerful emotional scents were wafting over from their table, piquing his curiosity.

When he picked up Eden’s shock and revulsion, that was enough.

He shot out of his seat faster than a rocket.

Lucian squeezed the branch above him and thought about the way Hightower had gotten right up in his face.

Man, what he wouldn’t give to go back in time and throw the first punch.

Instead of acting impulsively in front of a Councilwoman, which would’ve landed him in hot water with his alpha, Lucian had instead fabricated a scenario that would give her an exit if she wanted to prematurely end her date.

He gazed up at the half-moon and reflected on their conversation, dissecting it to figure out if he had said anything inappropriate. Everything he did reflected on his Packmaster, and if he did something to make Tak look bad, his days in the pack might be short.

Lucian couldn’t recall anything negative about his conversation with the Councilwoman. In fact, just the opposite. She had laughed several times, and nothing about her scent was dishonest.

He wondered what it might be like to talk freely with Eden. Though she was courteous and curated her words, she was also straightforward, and he liked that about her.

He also liked the way she’d smiled at him before he left.

Eden had a radiant smile and captivating eyes—fiery orange, like one of Hope’s gemstones. When he had first met her, he’d wondered if she might be a Chitah. But time revealed she wasn’t.

“Hey, Uncle. Are you hiding up there again?” Lakota called out from below.

“I’m not hiding.”

“My bad. Sitting alone at the top of a tree is a perfectly normal thing to do in the middle of the night.”

Lucian glared down at his nephew, whose Native features had always garnered attention in the northeastern city where they once lived.

Though Lakota was a man now with years of bounty hunter experience, Lucian still remembered him as the little boy who used to stack couch cushions so he could steal cookies from the cookie jar.

The kid who would scamper down the hallway in their private building, his long hair flying behind him as he dove into the elevator to hide from family, too young to realize he couldn’t play hide-and-seek with Chitahs and expect to win.

Lucian scaled down the tree and dropped to his feet.

“What’s on your mind?” Lakota asked.

Lucian leaned against the tree, the bark digging against his back as he crossed his arms. “What makes you think anything’s on my mind?”

“Oh, nothing.” Lakota held a branch above him and swung on it. “I was remembering how back home, you used to sit on the roof whenever something was bugging you.”

“You were always a nosy little shit.”

“Observant little shit.” Lakota flashed him a grin. “A bounty hunter in the making. I don’t think I would have taken that career path if it hadn’t been for my uncles, the best trackers a kid could learn from.”

“And what did you learn from me?”

“How to be a smart-ass. That’s my best trait of all.”

Lucian tried not to look deflated, especially after all those years tutoring him.

Lakota let go of the branch and dusted off his hands.

“You taught me to think for myself and question everything, which is what I did in your class every chance I had. You taught me self-reliance and how to pay attention. That’s why I’m out here right now, Uncle.

I’m paying attention.” Lakota tapped his temple for emphasis.

“You were acting funny on the ride home. Is it about the baby shower tomorrow? Look, you don’t have to be there during the whole thing, but it’s a pack function and not exactly optional.

You knew what you were signing up for when you joined a pack. ”

“That’s not it.”

“Then why do you look like someone ran over your dog?”

Lucian branched away. “I ate something that disagreed with me.”

“Is that how you want to tell it?” Lakota fell into step beside him.

“If you can’t talk to any of these jokers, you can talk to me.

We’re family, and anything you say to me stays between us.

I’m also the second-in-command, and it’s my job to check in on everyone and see if there’s something going on. ”

After putting his shirt back on, Lucian left it unbuttoned and enjoyed the cool breeze as they ambled up the paved drive leading to their house.

“The Gathering’s coming up soon,” Lakota tossed out like a curveball. “One in Austin and one in Dallas. The other big cities in Texas are on a different rotation. Maybe you should check it out. If you don’t want to go alone, I’ll tag along.”

Lucian smirked. “They wouldn’t let you through the door. Chitahs only.”

“I’m mated, so I’m hardly a threat to the dating pool.”

“They don’t want you learning about our secret rituals.”

Lakota frowned. “What rituals?”