“Any news from Broken Ridge?” Xander demanded as he stepped out of the pickup.

  “The second team arrived half an hour ago, sir.” The larger of the two men, the one with blond, wavy hair, linked his hands behind his back and bowed his head. “No word on the missing women yet.”

  The other male flashed a dazzling smile at Sasha and winked as he offered his hand to help her down from her seat. “If there’s anything else you need,” he said, bringing her fingers to his lips once she was out of the pickup, “it would be my pleasure to see to it personally.”

  Pulling her hand away, she tucked it into her pocket with an awkward grin. “Oh, I…uh…thank you.” He was quite handsome with his long, golden hair and icy blue eyes, and she was flattered by his attention, but she didn’t want him to get the wrong impression. “I’m Sasha Pierson, Xander’s mate.”

  She emphasized the last word and tilted her head to show the mark on her neck. The male just laughed at her.

  “Flint,” Xander called from the other side of the vehicle, his voice sharp. “Fuck off.”

  The one called Flint continued to laugh, but he did take several steps away from Sasha. “You can’t blame me for flirting with a pretty lady.”

  “I can blame you, and I can also kill you in twelve different ways that look like accidents.” Rounding the front of the cab, Xander came to stand by Sasha’s side, pulling her close to him with a threatening growl. “Seriously, I will end you.”

  “Challenge accepted,” the male answered, not even a trace of concern in his tone.

  Once Xander had taken a deep breath, he swept a hand toward the other male. “Sasha, this is Donavan Flint. You can call him Van or Flint or Asshole. He’ll answer to anything.”

  “Nice to meet you.” Sasha smiled warmly, but she didn’t offer her hand again. “Are you a Warden, too?”

  “I am anything you want me to be.” Snickering, Van ducked out of the way when Xander swiped at him. “Okay, okay.” He held his hands up in surrender. “I’ll be nice.”

  Sasha pressed a hand to her mouth to muffle her own laughter. “I like him.”

  Xander grunted and kissed the top of her head. “Don’t encourage him.” Then, he turned to Van again. “What’s the ETA on the rest of my team?”

  Sobering, Van brushed his long hair out of his face and rested his hands on his hips. “They’re transporting the Alpha and the inner circle right now. They should be arriving in an hour, two tops.”

  “I want to be there when they interrogate them.”

  Van dipped his head once. “I told the Council you would.”

  “I mean it, Flint. I want to know the second they enter the grounds.”

  Van clapped Xander on the shoulder, giving him a little push toward the house. “I’ll personally come get you when they arrive. For now, go get some rest.” He flashed Sasha a wolfish grin. “If you can. You look dead on your feet.”

  Then he sauntered away, chuckling under his breath as he headed for a smaller building at the edge of the property.

  Xander snorted. “He’s an idiot, but you get used to him.”

  “Is he a werewolf?”

  “Shifter.”

  “And he’s part of your team?”

  “He used to be. Believe it or not, they actually promoted him to lead his own team.”

  Sasha ducked her head to hide her smile. Xander might act like a big, bad wolf, but she could also hear the admiration in his tone. While she’d only met three Wardens, including Xander, if the rest of them were anything like Keller and Van, living at the Council Estate was going to be like moving into a frat house.

  Tilting her head back, she stared up at the impressive mansion. “Wow.” She fisted one hand in her oversized-sweater and tugged at the hem of her cut-off shorts with the other. “I feel really underdressed.”

  “You look beautiful.” Cradling her face, Xander pulled her up on her tiptoes to slant their mouths together, delving his tongue between her parted lips. “You are extraordinary, Sasha Pierson. Don’t ever think differently.”

  When he looked at her like that, like she was the only thing in the world that mattered, she felt extraordinary. It shouldn’t be happening so fast. She shouldn’t be so enamored with him already, but she couldn’t stop herself. More importantly, she didn’t give a damn if it was too soon. It had been so long since something good had happened to her, and she deserved a little happiness for a change.

  Besides, some ancestral spirit guides had brought them together, and who was she to argue with that?

  “Van was right, you know. You need to sleep.” Yawning, she followed Xander up the wide steps and across the painted white porch. “Do you have to meet with the Council right now?”

  His grin turned downright wicked as he pressed her against the huge, oak door and grinded his trapped erection against her belly. “No, but I don’t intend to sleep, either.”

  The heat of his gaze enveloped her, stoking the fire that had been burning just beneath the surface since they’d met. For a moment, she’d thought he would take her right there on the porch, but after a lingering kiss that left her panting, he lifted her up, cradling her in his arms.

  Sasha imagined the inside of the mansion was probably just as gorgeous and opulent as the outside. Yet, she only caught blurred glimpses of the interior as Xander whisked her down a long corridor, up a winding flight of stairs, and into a spacious, sunlit bedroom. Depositing her in the center of the king-size bed amidst its silken comforter and plush pillows of black and gold, he made quick work of shredding her shorts and sweater with his long, curved talons.

  Jesus, being mated to him was going to cost her a fortune in clothes, but she just couldn’t bring herself to care.

  His amber eyes blazed with intensity, his gaze raking over her nude body as he ripped off his own clothing with the same lack of care. Her heart hammered up into her throat, making it difficult to breathe, but she didn’t fear him. His aggressive display of power only fueled her desire, pushing her lust to a fever pitch.

  Crawling onto the mattress, he gripped her knees, roughly spreading her thighs before settling in between them. “I’ve been waiting to taste you all night, sweetheart.” His canines extended below his upper lip, but his hands were entirely human as he traced a finger down her hairless pussy. “Once I start, I’m not going to stop, not until you’re too weak to move. Do you understand?”

  “Yes,” she breathed, his words creating a firestorm in her lower belly.

  “Do you want me to stop?”

  Sasha shook her head, squirming atop the comforter as he continued to tease her with barely-there touches.

  “I can’t hear you.” Dipping his head, he skimmed the tip of his tongue between her lips and flicked it over her swollen clitoris. “Do you want me to stop?”

  “No,” she panted, rocking her hips, trying to get closer to his mouth.

  With an arm across her hips, he held her immobile, pinning her to the bed as he parted her slick folds, baring her glistening pussy to his gaze. Still, he teased her, gliding his tongue over her flesh in light, feathery strokes that both enticed and frustrated. Then, a fang scraped against her throbbing clit, a tiny pinch of pain that nearly undid her.

  “Xander, please.”

  “Please, what?”

  “More,” she begged, uncaring how wanton she sounded. “I need more. Stop teasing.”

  Without warning, he pushed two, thick digits inside her and twisted his wrist. “Is this what you want, sweetheart?”

  He didn’t wait for an answer—not that she could have given one—before closing his lips around her clit, sucking at the sensitive nub, stroking it with his tongue. Pumping his fingers into her aching pussy, he drove her ruthlessly, pushing her closer and closer to the edge.

  Her belly clenched, her muscles coiled tight, and lights burst behind her closed eyelids as she chanted his name. She was so close, hovering right on the precipice. She just needed a little—

  Xander curled his fingers on the next stroke, finding that perfect spot inside her, and Sasha screamed as she shattered into prisms of ecstasy.

  Panting and trembling, she struggled to breathe as she was rolled beneath a wave of bliss she’d never knew existed. Lights were brighter, sounds sharper, and for the briefest of moments, she swore she could actually taste the sun that streamed through the windows.

  Still, her body thrummed with desire, eager to see where Xander would take her next. He didn’t disappoint as he slid up her body, kissing a trail of liquid fire over her sensitive skin. His fingers still moved inside her, stroking and caressing, igniting the smoldering embers into wildfire once again.

  “You are so beautiful,” he murmured, his voice muffled against her stomach. “I can’t get enough of you. The sounds you make, the way you respond to me, I want more, Sasha. I want everything.”

  Tangling her hands in his messy hair, she widened her legs and arched into him, offering herself freely without words.

  “Perfect,” he growled as he nuzzled against her breast. “I want to see you come undone again. I want to feel that tight, little pussy squeeze my fingers. I want to hear you scream my name. Will you give me what I want, sweetheart?”

  “Yes,” she breathed, squirming against the mattress when he pressed his thumb against her clit and began to rub it back and forth. “Anything.”

  “Good girl.” Catching her erect nipple between his teeth, he bit down hard and tugged as he twisted his digits inside her. “Come for me, Sasha. Come for me now.”

  As if her body had just been waiting for the command from her Alpha, she bowed up from the bed, shouting Xander’s name as another blinding orgasm ripped through her.

  She was still quaking with aftershocks when Xander lifted her from the mattress and flipped her around with surprising ease. Positioning her on her knees, he pressed her chest into the padded, leather headboard, then took her hands, stretching them above her head and placing them flat against the wall.

  “Don’t move,” he ordered, his voice a low, sexy growl.

  With his fingers digging into her hips, he tilted her ass up, positioning the flared crown of his cock at her entrance. Slowly, he rocked into her, invading her depths in measured increments as he reached around to cup her swollen breasts. Once seated with his hips pressed firmly against her upturned backside, he began a slow, sensual grind, rocking into her and filling her more completely than she’d ever felt.

  One hand slid down her stomach, caressing her sweat-dampened skin as he blanketed her back with his large, muscular frame. Reaching between her thighs, he found her clit again and rolling the swollen nub between his fingers as he kneaded her breast with the other hand.

  Sensations bombarded her, stealing her breath until she felt lightheaded and delirious with pleasure. Sweet hell, she’d never known it could be like this, so powerful she felt consumed by it, by Xander, but she never wanted it to end.

  As the fire between them burned hotter, his tempo increased until he drove into her dripping pussy with hard, brutal thrusts that ricocheted through her very nerve endings. Arching her back, she pushed against the wall, matching his intensity, encouraging him to take even more. He dominated her, overwhelmed her…owned her. He expertly played her body like a finely tuned instrument, and she gloried in the freedom of handing over that control.

  His basal growls and her throaty moans mingled with the sounds of their coupling, creating an erotic symphony that echoed off the high ceiling as it built to the ultimate crescendo. Gripping a handful of her hair, Xander pulled her head back, exposing the slope of her neck. Knowing what he intended, Sasha closed her eyes in anticipation, needing his bite as much as he needed to bite her.

  When his canines pierced her skin, heat and light exploded in her chest and radiated outward until she was completely engulfed by it. Her cry ended on a strangled sob as emotions and sensations she’d never felt assaulted her.

  Pulling her upright, Xander clutched her firmly against his chest, pounding into her clenching pussy as he roared loud enough to shake the windows. His hot seed bathed her depths and overflowed to spill down the inside of her thighs as he continued to thrust, but he didn’t let go of her.

  Sagging into his arms, Sasha closed her eyes and tried to calm her pulse to a less dangerous rhythm. God, she’d never felt anything like that, as if her entire being had been systematically taken apart, then put back together, better and stronger than ever.

  She didn’t know how long they stayed that way, but when consciousness returned, she found herself stretched out on the mattress, still cradled in Xander’s arms. He nuzzled her neck and caressed the skin over her stomach as he whispered words of gratitude and affection into her ear.

  Her entire life, she’d been searching for something she couldn’t put a name to, something to fill the emptiness. Curled against Xander’s chest, she knew she’d finally found it. For the first time, she finally felt whole.

  She didn’t know what the future would bring, and there was still so much she had to learn about being the mate of a werewolf…and a N.I.T.E Warden at that. She was ready, though, ready to actually start living instead of merely surviving.

  “What’s going to happen with your dad and the rest of the pack?”

  “That’s for the Council to decide, but it’ll really depend on what happens at the trial.”

  “Will I have to testify?”

  “It’s not that kind of trial. Someone from the Council will question you, but it’s not an interrogation.” He hugged her a little tighter. “I’ll be right there with you the whole time.”

  “Will we have to go back to Broken Ridge?” She didn’t want to ever step foot in that town again, but if she could help, if she could be useful, she’d do it.

  “No, sweetheart. You never have to go back there.”

  Rolling to face him, she claimed his lips in a soft kiss she hoped conveyed all the things she couldn’t find the words to say. “Good. I’m still considering writing a scathing Yelp review for that bed and breakfast.”

  Xander laughed before slanting their mouths together again. “I don’t know what I did to get so lucky, but I’m never letting you go.”

  Smiling, she cupped his face, caressing his cheek with the pad of her thumb. “It took a long time to get here, but I think I’m right where I belong.” What came next, she knew she shouldn’t say. She told herself not to, that it was far too soon, but the words spilled from her lips before she could stop them. “I love you, Xander. I’m not going anywhere.”

  A low rumble vibrated through his chest, somewhere between a purr and a growl. “I love you, too, sweetheart.”

  “You don’t think it’s too soon?”

  “No, but it’s okay to be a little scared.” He tucked her head under his chin and yawned. “You can even run if you want,” he added sleepily, “but know this. I’ll chase you, and I’ll catch you. Every time.”

  Epilogue

  One Year Later…

  “Where are we going?”

  They’d been walking for a while, and the scarf around her eyes was starting to itch. Even blinded, she strode forward with purpose, unworried that she might walk into a lamp post or trip over a crack in the sidewalk.

  Xander would never let her fall.

  “You’re really bad at this.” Her mate’s laughter was deep and rich, and it brought a smile to her face. “It’s a surprise, sweetheart. How many times do I have to say it?”

  A whole year together, and she still couldn’t believe this was her life. She was mated to the biggest, most badass Warden in the region, a male who both challenged and worshiped her. Life at the Estate was always busy, always filled with fun and laughter.

  For the first time ever, she had a real family. Sure, her new brothers and sisters turned furry on occasion, but hey, no family was perfect.

  “Are we there yet?”

  Xander snorted.

  She waited a few seconds then repeated the question. Her third time earned her a hard pinch on the butt, and she giggled as she tried to dance out of his reach. The toe of her sneaker connected with something solid and unmovable, sending her stumbling forward, flailing her arms for balance.

  Instantly, strong arms came around her waist to steady her. “Easy, female. I swear, you’re going to be the death of me.”

  Sasha still couldn’t wipe the grin off her face. “I knew you’d catch me.”

  His lips skimmed up the side of her neck, right over her mating mark, making her shiver. “Always.”

  “So…are we there yet?”

  Xander snorted and swatted her backside. “Actually, yes.” Taking her by the shoulders, he turned her to the right. “Ready?”

  “I’ve been ready for like six blocks.”

  “We literally walked a hundred feet.”

  “Whatever.” Sasha shrugged. “Can I see it now?”

  “Okay, there’s still a lot of work to be done,” Xander warned as he unknotted the scarf and removed it from her eyes. “I figured you’d want to make most of the decisions about what to change, but…”

  Blinking against the midmorning sun, Sasha stared up at the little white bungalow with its burgundy trim and matching shutters. Landscape beds filled with vibrant flowers lined the outside edge of the wrap-around porch, and a wreath made of pink tulips and a sprinkling of baby’s breath hung from the front door.

  In the middle of the lawn, a large, purple sign stuck up out of the ground on a wooden stake, the fresh paint still glistening in the sunlight. Written in curling, elegant script, the words Future Home of Mirror, Mirror gleamed back at her.

  Fighting back tears—and losing—Sasha lifted a trembling hand to her lips. “Oh, Xander…”

  A couple of months after settling in at the Estate, she’d transferred her cosmetology license from Ohio to Texas and started looking for a job. As it turned out, she needn’t have bothered. Once word got out that she was a hair stylist, she’d been bombarded with requests from the females—and some of the males—living at the Council Estate.