My mate? His pack? Okay, there was no way I’d heard her correctly. She’d just said that the Fire Wolf had a pack, but he clearly didn’t. He’d told me so. “Come again?”

“Mr. King has offered you refuge in his wolf pack. Would you rather accept that offer or would you prefer what the Supernatural Forces is offering? The choice is yours.” She watched me, and I knew this was a trick question. Any female who was truly mated would choose to stay with her mate, so if I refused to go with the hunter, she could demand to know more about the two dead men in my apartment.

And then what would I say? Since the commander was aware that Jakub was after me and not my sister, she clearly knew that I held all of the magic behind the products at Practically Perfect, but as for my forbidden power and new power, she might still be clueless about those.

I couldn’t win. If I didn’t accept, she would undoubtedly learn about my secret powers after digging further into those two deaths. And if I did accept, I would be with the Fire Wolf.

Sweat beaded on my upper lip when I thought of his text. I’m free this afternoon if you want to train. Those words swirled through my mind as did a dawning sense of understanding.

The Fire Wolf had engineered this. Somehow, someway, he’d known I would end up in this position—being asked to leave Chicago—so he’d already suggested a safe place for me to go to the commander, who was obviously keen to please him since she’d been trying to recruit him for who knew how long.

He was working ahead, thinking ahead, always two moves in front of me. It was probably why he’d claimed to be my mate, so that he’d have leverage on me. Damn. He was smart. Really smart. And relentless.

But I was just as stubborn.

I cocked an eyebrow at the commander. “Why do I feel like a toddler who’s being given two choices? I can either have my milk in the red cup or the blue cup, but either way, I’m drinking the milk.”

Her eyebrows drew together. “I’m not sure what you’re referring to, Ms. Davenport.”

Right, and the sky’s purple.

“Ms. Davenport?” The commander’s tone softened. “I know it’s been a trying week for you, and I truly am sorry about that. But it’s in your best interest to either accept a safe house provided by the Supernatural Forces or to stay safely within Mr. King’s pack.”

My breathing grew faster as my thoughts shifted rapidly. I could ask Azad for help. Perhaps he could spare bodyguards. No. I couldn’t ask that of him. What if that put Prisha’s family in harm’s way?

“This is really happening,” I whispered. I was either being shipped off to Timbuktu to a secret SF house, or to wherever the Fire Wolf’s supposed pack was. So now the question became, did I want to spend my time with squad members or with the hunter?

But I already knew my answer, just like that smart fucker had known how I’d answer. I couldn’t accept the safe house without giving up an explanation for how those men had been killed in my bedroom. For all intents and purposes, I needed to be seen as the Fire Wolf’s mate.

He’d played this perfectly.

I chewed on my lip, and the commander raised an eyebrow.

Obviously, the amount of time I was putting into making this decision was raising even more red flags.

“Can I ask one thing?” I asked.

“Of course.”

“How did . . . Kaillen . . . know about the break-in?”

“He called earlier to check in, wanting an update. Since he’s your mate, I told him.”

Of course she did. Because mates had rights in our society. It was how the supernatural community worked.

I gave her a brittle smile, knowing I couldn’t put this off any longer.

I pushed to a stand, my chair scraping along the carpet. “I’ll need to pack my stuff and help my sister arrange a few business details at the store.” I swallowed the thickness in my throat, barely able to get the rest of my sentence out. “Then I’ll be ready to transfer to my mate’s pack as I’m sure Mr. King is expecting me.”

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Chapter 10

The second I see that manipulative fucker, I’m giving him a piece of my mind.

Thinking about that was the only thing that kept me functioning and not raving like a lunatic for the rest of the day. Of course, I couldn’t lose my temper at the store, not with two SF members trailing me.

I knew I could have refused their protection, but I wasn’t stupid. If Jakub-Dipshit was after me, I would be an idiot to turn down bodyguards just because I was pissed at the hunter.

My mood was only further aggravated when Tessa had squealed in happiness when she’d learned she was being shipped off to a safe house. Seriously, only my sister would be excited about that.

She’d left Practically Perfect immediately, saying she needed to pack. Poor Private Merrick had looked crestfallen. Apparently, he wasn’t getting his date with my sister after all, because Tess had already moved on to bigger and better things—an exciting safe house adventure—and her latest crush was already forgotten.

I imagined the young SF member wasn’t the only one left in the wake that was my sister’s tornado. My twin’s entire closet had undoubtedly been emptied and was waiting in huge bags in Prisha’s foyer, something I’m sure my bestie really appreciated.

I sighed. My sister was truly one of a kind.

With Tess gone, that had left only me to tie up all loose ends at the store. Thankfully, Nicole stepped up to the plate again. After promising to check in regularly with her, replenish inventory as needed, and give her another huge bonus, everything was ready to go for my departure, so I hightailed it back to Prisha’s high-rise to where she and Tessa were waiting.

Sure enough, the foyer was packed with bags.

“You’re back!” Prisha leaped from the couch in her living room when I entered her apartment. I nearly stumbled over a huge suitcase on my way to greet her.

“Tala!” Tessa called from down the hall. She appeared looking freshly showered and in stylish clothes. Of course, I was still a mess from training that morning. I hadn’t even had time for a shower or change of clothes yet.

A flare of excitement danced in my sister’s dark-blue eyes, especially when she saw the SF members who’d been assigned to me. They’d plastered themselves to the wall since space was so limited around the front door.

Irritation washed through me when I beheld my sister’s radiant expression. “You don’t have to look so excited.”

She just clapped her hands. “Oh pooh, don’t be like that. Because even you have to admit this is exciting. You’re going off to one location and me another. Think of all the hot SF members that will be there.” She gave a little happy dance, then eyed the two by the wall.

One of them gave her a crooked grin.

Rolling my eyes, I propelled her away from the SF members as Prisha followed. “Tess, our lives have just been turned upside down because you didn’t keep your mouth shut about my magic, and all you can talk about is hot SF guys?”

She frowned. “You know it wouldn’t hurt to embrace some impulsiveness every now and then. You’re too uptight.”

“Uptight?” I growled and advanced more, but Prisha intercepted.

“Not now,” she said under her breath. “Someone’s just arrived to collect you.”

“What do you mean?”

She nodded toward the foyer. “The wards just flared. Your mate is here.”

My heart felt as if it stopped. “He’s here? Already?”

She nodded. “In the hall.”

My mate. The Fire Wolf. The scourge of society. He was here to collect me and whisk me away to his pack.

Seriously. FML.