Chapter 3

Madison smiled at Duke from across the table, her teeth a perfect shade of pearl white. Next to him, their parents were discussing the mating ceremony.

“Next weekend will be fine,” her father, alpha of their pride, said. “We’ll hold the ceremony here. There are banquet rooms large enough for both prides.”

“It’s lovely here,” Duke’s mom said.

“It’s run by humans,” Madison’s mom said with a slight sneer, “but they are very accommodating.”

“Because they’re afraid of us, Mother,” Madison said with a chuckle.

It had taken all of two seconds for Duke to know that he’d been entirely right about Madison before he’d even met her. She was pro-lion and anti-everything else, from other big cat shifters all the way down to humans, who she and her pride seemed to view as despicable. He briefly wondered if she realized that the bar was usually half-full of humans on any given night. Whatever she had against humans she’d have to get over. Although he was driver to become alpha, he enjoyed the bar and wanted to continue to see it thrive. He didn’t need a lioness coming in and scaring the humans off. They were a core piece of his business. Especially the females who came in on Fridays for the free drinks and kept the unmated males in the pride occupied.

Not that any of his males would ever mate a human. Cross-mating with a human just simply wasn’t done. Pride law demanded that they mate within their own kind and produced pure race children so that their lines would continue on, undiluted. Hybrids, the mix of either two different shifters or a shifter and human, were second-class citizens, lower even than the humans themselves in the eyes of many lions. He supposed it was possible that a lion or lioness could find a heart-match with a human, but he’d never heard of it happening.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he turned his attention back to Madison, who was texting while talking to him about the ceremony and the mating night.

“I’ll have my things sent over this week,” she said, not looking up from her phone. “I’ll require the exclusive use of the master bedroom and bathroom, and if there isn’t enough closet space, you’ll need to fix that.”

His eye ticked. The alpha’s home was the center of pride territory, a large three-story mansion with eight bedrooms and a beautiful yard that he’d spent many precious years enjoying as a cub. The master was on the third floor, and his parents had designed the home themselves. They were planning to switch homes with him, taking his three-bedroom house after he mated Madison.

He stifled the urge to grab her phone and squeeze it until it cracked. Reminding himself that this was exactly what he’d wanted – a business-mating – he forced himself to smile. Madison didn’t want romance; she wanted power. And they were not so different since he wanted that as well. Now that he was faced with tying himself to a female who didn’t appear to have a compassionate bone in her body, he wondered if being alpha was worth it.

Could he grow to love her? Could she?

“Cubs?” her mother asked, lightly rubbing her manicured fingers on a strand of pearls.

“Two,” Madison said, glancing up. “Unless they’re both females. I will bear you a son to carry on the alphaship.”

Duke nodded.

“I think that’s all the details,” Madison said, rising to her feet. He stood, and they met next to the table. “You’re very handsome. We’ll have beautiful cubs.”

She closed her eyes and pursed her lips, and Duke squeezed his eyes shut for a brief moment and told his disgruntled lion to shut up. The ridiculous beast had been snarling at him ever since he’d met Madison.

This is business. Don’t you want to be alpha?

He pressed his lips to Madison’s, and she purred softly.

“If you’ll sign here,” Abbie said quietly behind him.

Breaking a kiss that had all the passion of a root canal, he turned and looked down at the contract. This was his future, all laid out in black and white. He was vowing to mate Madison in a week, and nothing short of death would break the contract.

A roar of fury in his mind nearly brought him to his knees. It was as if his cat was begging him not to sign.

“I was born for this,” he murmured.

“Were you?” Abbie asked, her gaze searching.

“What?” Madison asked. “Sign it already. I have an appointment at the spa.”

He didn’t voice how unhappy his cat was, because Duke was the boss of their lives, not the beast. After he mated Madison, and she wore his marks and they’d sealed their mating by having sex, his cat would fall in line.

Scribbling his signature on the line, he handed the pen to Madison. She had an elegant signature, which didn’t surprise him.

“There,” she said, leaving the pen on the contract, and turning to face him. “Make sure there are white roses in the master bedroom for our mating night. They’re my favorite.”

She tipped her cheek toward him and he kissed it. “Of course. Until next Saturday.”

“You have my number. You can text me anytime.”

With a wave of her fingers, she walked out with her mother. Her father stopped and shook Duke’s hand and was gone just as quickly. Abbie gathered the contract and left, leaving Duke with his parents.

“She’s very beautiful,” his mom said.

“Yeah.”

“It’s what you wanted,” his dad said, pushing back in the chair and standing. He pulled his mother’s chair out and helped her to stand. “I’m not too old to be alpha. You could have waited and maybe met your heart-match.”

“I think I would have met her by now. I’m not sure I believe that everyone gets a heart-match.”

“I hope that Madison grows to love you,” his mom said, placing her hand on his cheek for a brief moment. “You’re worth loving.”

Duke wanted to believe that, but he wasn’t so sure that Madison would.

 

* * *

 

“You’ve got a week of freedom left,” Titus said as he sat across from Duke’s desk. The bar had a second floor with two offices and two small apartments. The two males had one office and one apartment to themselves, and Duke would often simply crash there instead of going home when the nights got late. Some things would change when he took over as alpha, but he intended to maintain his presence at the bar. Period.

“You say that like there’s an ax poised above my head,” Duke said.

Titus grinned. “Something like that. I still can’t believe you want to be alpha so badly that you’re contracting with a female you know nothing about.”

“I can’t be alpha without a mate. Ergo I’m getting a mate.”

“Can’t you be happy being number two?”

“You weren’t born to take over, you can’t possibly understand.” Duke pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes and groaned.

“I guess I don’t. I wouldn’t mind starting a family myself, but I don’t want to have a contract-mating. I want there to be a spark between us. From what you told me about Madison, the only thing she’s sparking is high credit card and phone bills.”

Duke placed his hands on the desktop. “Look, she’s going to be your alpha female, so knock it off. I made a choice and I’m bound by it now. The contract is binding, period.”

“Maybe.”

“No, not maybe. Definitely.”

“You could meet your heart-match. That would void the contract.”

Duke snorted so hard that he had to cough. “If I void the contract, I lose access to being alpha. You know our laws.”

While it was essentially true that a mating contract was binding for the life of the couple, there was one way to opt out – a heart-match. If either he or Madison met, mated, and marked their heart-match before the ceremony next Saturday, the contract was void. Madison would suffer no ill effects from mating with her heart-match because she was female, but Duke would be exiled from the pride, and lose out on being alpha. He’d just be a male mated to a female, alpha over no one.

“There are prides that don’t have such archaic laws, you know.”

“I know, but ours is the way it is.”

“Have you ever asked your dad to change the laws? Why can’t an alpha be unmated, anyway? I’ve never understood the need for the alpha to have a mate before he takes over.”

“The female balances the male. It’s just the way it’s always been done.”

“If I were alpha,” Titus said.

“But you’re not going to be,” Duke interjected.

He grunted. “Right. If I were, though, I’d change about half our laws. Prides that don’t change with the times will die out.”

“I’m not alpha now and my father likes the laws the way they are.”

Titus gave him a long look and then sighed. “I’ll leave you alone about it, then. Just don’t think that your new missus is going to come in here and make a lot of changes.”

Judging by Madison’s country club family, Duke doubted she’d even set foot in the bar, which was fine with him.

“Don’t worry.”

“Good. I’m heading down to make sure everyone showed up for their shifts.”

“I’ll be down later.”

“I’ll buy you a beer. It’s your last week of freedom, after all.”

“Stop saying that,” Duke said, growling a warning.

Titus laughed as he walked out of the office.

Leaning back in the leather desk chair, Duke stared at the ceiling. His lion was right there in his mind, nudging him with Titus’s words. He could break the mating contract, if he found his heart-match. But what in the hell were the odds of that happening in a week? In twenty-five years, he hadn’t found her, and after next Saturday, it wouldn’t matter if he had, anyway. Once he mated Madison, once she bore his mark and he bore hers, they’d be bound together in a mating that was only severable by death. A mating was for life, period.

Which was exactly what he wanted. Mating. Alphaship. Family.

Then he’d have everything.

As if on cue, his lion suddenly stretched under his skin, pushing and nudging him to go down to the bar. He didn’t normally spend the evenings on the floor, aside from making appearances to say hello to regulars and make sure things were running smoothly. Titus worked the floor most nights, handling the staff schedules and stock, and Duke handled the business end of things.

He pushed at his lion, but the beast refused to settle. He’d been listening to his aggravated cat’s grumblings ever since he’d decided to see Abbie. He wished he’d thought to ask his dad if his lion had given him this much grief when he’d contracted for a mate.

Fine!

Pushing away from the desk, he stalked to the door and yanked it open, the handle cracking against the wall with a satisfying thud. He walked down the wide hallway, through the security door, and out onto the balcony. The second floor was accessible by an elevator and stairwell, the access hidden in one of the stockrooms behind security doors. No one had ever tried to get up to the second floor without permission, but the space was definitely invitation-only.

Staring down into the crowd, he let his gaze roam over the dancers in the center of the open space who moved to the music of the house band. Lasers and strobes painted their writhing bodies.

Then he saw her.

A mass of long, auburn hair cascaded past her shoulders. Curves for days, barely contained by the dress that hugged each inch of her body like it wouldn’t let go. She was with another female, who judging by the resemblance, was most likely family. She didn’t appear to be with a male. He was very sure of one thing as he watched her make her way to the bar – she was his heart-match.

He rushed down the stairs, bursting into the stock room, his thoughts only about getting to the female and claiming her. When he reached the open area, the dancing crowd separating him from the long bar, he found her with her friend, ordering drinks. His lion chuffed, anxious to close the distance to her.

Mate her. Claim her.

Mine!

His fingers tingled from the claws that threatened to break free, and his gums ached from the fangs. He knew his eyes were flashing gold. He’d never been so unable to keep the beast at bay, but he was barely holding on.

She shivered and turned slowly. She scanned the crowd and then her gaze met his and everything inside him roared in happiness. He moved through the crowd, the dancers parting for him as if they were aware that he was on a mission and would not be stopped. He wasn’t sure he could stop. The pull to reach her was overwhelming.

He stopped only inches between them. She was a full foot shorter than he was, her brown eyes wide as she looked up at him, her brows high with curiosity. Her scent hit him full force, sweet like honey, and he knew in that moment that she was human, but he didn’t care.

She was his, and this time he was certain that he hadn’t been born to lead the pride, but to make this female happy for the rest of their lives.

“I’m Duke Fairborn,” he said, taking one of her hands and lifting it to his lips.

A zing of electricity snapped through him at the simple touch, and when she gasped, he knew she felt it too.

“Memory Hendrix, but my friends call me Ree.”

He looked over her head and found Titus staring at him in slack-jawed surprise. “Clear a booth for us.”

Titus snapped into motion at the request and hustled from behind the bar, disappearing to the booths to make room for Duke and Ree.

“Join me?” he asked.

“I… I’m human?”

He arched a brow. “Are you asking or telling?”

“No. I mean, I’m human and you’re… not.”

“I’m aware. Don’t be afraid of me.”

“Said the big bad wolf.”

He grinned. She was feisty. “Lion.”

She rolled her eyes. “Sorry. Big bad lion.”

“You’ll join me?”

She bit her bottom lip, which made him want to purr, and glanced over her shoulder. Her friend was smiling broadly.

“My sister,” Ree said.

“I’m fine on my own,” the sister said. “I’m Mercy, by the way.”

“But,” Ree said.

Mercy put her hand up. “I see some girls from the salon, so I’m going to dance with them. Don’t worry about me.” She mouthed have fun, and gave an exaggerated wink, which made Ree’s cheeks turn scarlet.

“Do you have any siblings?” Ree asked as she watched her sister dance her way from the bar to a group of females.

“No.”

“Lucky. On the good days, she’s my best friend. On the bad ones, though, she makes me want to dig a very deep hole and push her into it.”

“I’m sure she’s a comfort. It’s not always nice to be an only child.”

She reached for her drink without letting go of his hand. “I think you mentioned a booth?”

He nodded, feeling like the king of the world as he walked her to the booth in the back corner. The lighting was dim, which gave an aura of privacy in the busy, noisy bar. She scooted into the booth and he joined her, signaling to a nearby waitress.

“What can I get for you?” China, a lioness, asked.

“Do you want something besides your Coke?” he asked.

“I’m the designated driver.”

Deciding to follow suit, he said, “Bring me a Coke, too.”

She nodded and hurried off.

“Your name is unique,” he said. “Is there a story behind it?”

Her cheeks darkened again. “My mom was binge reading historical novels when she was pregnant with me, and there was a heroine in her favorite book named Memory.”

“It’s pretty. I like your nickname, too.”

“That’s from Mercy. She couldn’t say Memory so she called me Ree, and it just stuck. I only ever cared about my weird name when we’d go somewhere on vacation and I couldn’t find any souvenirs with my name on them.”

He chuckled. “I never thought about that as a hardship.”

“I think it’s more common now. People seem to like to give their kids unique names. I like your name, though. Makes me think of a cowboy.”

China dropped off a Coke for him, and he smiled at Ree. “I’m no cowboy. Horses would spook with one scent of my beast.”

“Ah, the old predator/prey situation.” She sipped her drink through two narrow straws, her lips pursing and making his cock throb.

He cupped her face and stared into her lovely brown eyes. “You are so beautiful,” he said hoarsely. Pressing his lips to hers, he first tasted the chilled soda and then, under that, her natural taste, sweet and decadent, like caramel and dark chocolate mixed together. She moaned softly and wrapped her arms around his neck, melting into the kiss as her lips parted and their tongues touched. He’d never been so rocked to the core by a kiss, but the connection that sizzled between them had everything to do with her being the single female on the planet who was meant for him.

Kissing across her cheek, he planted nips and kisses down her throat, stopping at the juncture of her neck and shoulder, where he’d sink his fangs into her warm flesh and mark her. He pulled her closer, and sucked her flesh into his mouth, biting gently. She pressed her head against his shoulder, groaning sweetly as he slid one hand up her side and cupped her breast.

Her fingers curled into the short hair at the top of his head, and her nails bit into his scalp, but he didn’t mind. He kissed the light mark he’d made, laving his tongue over her throat and tasting her natural sweetness. He wanted to lick her everywhere. Trace her curves with his tongue and find out what she sounded like when she came for him.

“Come upstairs with me,” he said roughly. His lion was banging around in his skull, and his human side was entirely in agreement – that getting Ree naked, and in his bed was the very best idea he’d ever had.

She leaned back slightly and stared at him, her eyes a little glazed and her face flushed. “Upstairs?”

“I have an apartment.”

She furrowed her brow and frowned, attempting to push away from him.

Alarmed, he locked his arms tighter around her. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m not interested in being a one-night stand,” she said, her voice low and tinged with anger.

“Whoa, sweetheart, who said anything about one night?”

She blinked in confusion. “You don’t want to have sex with me?”

“No, I want to make love to you, which is entirely different. But if you don’t want to get physical tonight, at least stay with me. It’s noisy down here and there’s no privacy.”

He saw the indecision in her gaze, and could practically see her mind spinning.

“If you’re worried about Mercy, I’ll have my best friend and business partner make sure she gets home safely. His name is Titus.”

She tilted her head. “You’d do that for me?”

His lion roared within him, and he knew his eyes changed color. “I would move the moon from the sky for you. I don’t care that you’re human, I care that you’re mine.”

“What?”

He pressed his forehead to hers and exhaled with a soft snarl. “You’re my heart-match, Ree. My true mate. I felt you walk into the bar. You felt me, too, didn’t you?”

“I felt something.”

“Me. The connection between us.”

“I don’t know you and you don’t know me.”

“That’s what the rest of our lives are for. I only need to know that you’re my mate. Everything else is just background noise for me right now.”

“I feel like I’ve fallen into a romance novel.” Her mouth quirked up at the corner.

He chuckled and kissed her. “I’m not human, Ree. I don’t need to date you for a year and then propose. I feel connected to you and want to be with you.”

“Just like that?” She leaned away and arched her brow.

“Why does love have to be complicated?”

“Because it is.”

“For humans.”

“For everyone, I think. You’re a shifter and I’m human. We’re from two different worlds.”

“Give me a chance to show you how compatible we are.”

Insecurity washed over him. He didn’t know what he’d do if Ree wanted to leave. Well, he’d probably follow her home and stake out her place to make sure she was safe. He didn’t like the idea of her being away from him, and his lion wasn’t much interested in their being separated either. He’d never felt so in tune with his beast, but right now they were on the same wavelength. Ree was theirs – this beautiful, witty, feisty human was everything he’d ever wanted.

“I need to get the car keys to my sister.”

“I’m right here,” Mercy said as she stopped in front of the table. Next to her was Barron, one of the pride members who worked as a bouncer.

“Oh! Do you want me to take you home?” Ree asked.

Duke stifled a snarl of displeasure.

“Hell no! Barron told me who you were with, and said that it appeared you wouldn’t be heading home with me tonight, so I came to get the keys.”

“Geez,” Ree said, a blush creeping up her neck. “That is decidedly uncool.”

“Nah, it’s awesome,” Mercy said.

Duke stared at Barron. “Mercy’s important to my mate and that makes her important to me. Am I making myself clear?”

“Of course,” Barron said. “On my life, I’ll see her home safely.”

Mercy fanned herself. “I freaking love shifters.”

Ree pushed a set of keys across the table. “Text me in the morning.”

“Don’t do anything I would,” Mercy said with a wink, tucking the keys into her pocket and waving at them as she walked away.

“See? She makes me want to push her in a hole,” Ree said. “That was embarrassing.”

“Why?” he asked, wrapping a lock of her hair around a finger. “Because one of my pride members recognized what we are together and was looking out for your sister?”

“I haven’t decided if I believe in this mate business.”

“Let me show you Ree.”

She stared at him in silence, and then she chuckled and kissed him. “Yes.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Part of me wants to leave because I’ve been hurt in the past, but I feel like if I don’t stay with you tonight, I’ll regret it.”

“I won’t let you down, Ree, I swear.”

She whispered. “Please don’t break my heart, Duke. I don’t think I could handle it.”

His heart cracked a little from her confession. A plea and a demand wrapped up together. “You’re safe with me. I promise.”

He slipped from the booth and signaled to Titus, who joined them. “T, this is my mate, Ree. Her sister, Mercy, is with Barron. I’m counting on you to ensure that he gets her safely home.”

Titus smiled. “Nice to meet you, Ree. Barron already checked in with me. I’ll be sure she makes it home. Barron is a trustworthy male.”

“Does he do that kind of thing all the time?” Ree asked as she scooted from the booth and stood.

“What?” Titus asked.

“Hit on girls when they walk into the bar?”

“Is that what happened?” Duke asked. “No, definitely not. He’s a quiet male, and I’ve never heard of him doing that.”

“Me, either,” Titus said. “If he asked your sister out right then, his lion is leading him.”

“What does that mean? They’re mates?”

“It’s possible,” Duke said with a shrug.

Ree looked past them to the dancing crowd and then shook her head with a smile. “She always has to copy me.”

Titus laughed. “Gotta love siblings.”

“We’re heading upstairs. Don’t call me.”

Titus snorted. “No worries.”

“Are you ready, Ree?” he asked.

She smiled, rose onto her toes, and brushed her lips over his. “Yes.”