She walked him to the door and locked up in his wake, using the deadbolt and the slide lock too. A quick run through the room and she’d also made sure the lock on the window was set, as well as the one on the sliding glass doors leading to the balcony.

It was a fourth-floor room on the corner so she was reasonably sure she was as safe as she could be, at least for that night, before she headed into the bathroom with a change of clothes and her weapon.

She stood under the scalding hot water, scrubbing and scrubbing, but it seemed as if she’d never be rid of the stench of that body in the convenience store. Or of the way Allie’s face kept superimposing itself over Bobby’s.

She’d grown up in a house without a lot of control. Her mother had been all about appearances so she’d chosen Michelle’s clothes, what her hair looked like, her classes even. Michelle had been a cheerleader because her mother had been. Her father had been mainly out of the picture, and her mother had gone through men like cars. Trading in for a new one every four or five years.

Michelle had excelled because she was supposed to.

But when she decided to apply to become a cop, things had changed. She’d rejected all that lack of control and had taken the reins in her own life. Being a cop had given her something. Many things. But chief was the strength to take care of herself and others. Physical and mental. She had learned to face her fears and overcome them. People depended on her and that was all right.

And there she stood in a shower stall and her best friend was heaven knew where, in trouble, maybe dead, most likely scared and helpless, and she couldn’t do anything and it filled her with misery.

“I’m looking for you, Allie,” she whispered as she dried off, going over everything she knew in her head. Tomorrow they’d be on the ground, looking.

She turned out the lights and crawled into bed, the exhaustion sucking her into sleep faster than the panic could stop.

He knocked on the ornate front doors, smiling as he heard the sound of giggles and a deeper voice and more laughter.

Tracy Warden, his Alpha, his friend and the mate to the two men he saw in the living room wrestling with their daughters, Rose who was two and Lianne who was five.

She grinned. “Look, girls, it’s Uncle Josh!”

The girls looked up and squealed, rushing toward him. Josh stepped into the house and scooped them up, one in each arm as they covered his face in sloppy kisses that smelled like vanilla cookies.

“Did you save me any cookies? I’ve had a long day and I could really use one.”

Big green eyes widened as they both nodded enthusiastically.

“Have you eaten?” Tracy asked him as they headed into the living room where Nick and Gabe sat on the couch, feet up. A rush of affection filled Josh for all of them. He loved Tracy, Gabe and Nick. Not just as his Alphas but as friends. As family.

“Yeah, just about an hour ago. I’m still stuffed.” He set the girls on their feet.

“I’ll put them to bed.” She held her hands out and the girls grabbed them. “Looks like Uncle Josh needs to talk to your daddies.”

They broke free to give him hugs and kisses and to rush over and give love to their dads too, before heading upstairs with Tracy.

“How goes the situation with the missing witch?” Gabe, one of Pacific’s two male Alphas, asked as Josh settled on one of the nearby chairs.

“The cop? Michelle, the one I had a high school thing with?”

They both nodded.

“She’s my mate.” Once he said it out loud, it was real, he allowed himself to believe it.

Nick snorted a laugh. “No shit?”

“I kept thinking it was that we had something back then, you know? That old spark is certainly still there and we’re adults now and she’s gorgeous and of course I wanted to fuck her. But I’ve been feeling more and more protective of her. Getting agitated when anyone looks at her, especially her breasts or her ass. And then I kissed her.” He ran his hands through his hair several times, the rush of that kiss still zinged through his system. “Once I got a taste, my wolf wasn’t going to let me pretend anymore.”

Nick, who’d been his friend for many, many years, raised a brow. “Does she know?”

Josh shook his head. “She’s drowning right now. Scared for her friend. And things don’t look good, so it’s not like she’s feeling that way for no reason. She’s overwhelmed, and she had no real idea about this world, the Others I mean. So she’s trying to manage all that too. I just…if I spring on her that she’s my mate, with all the stuff that comes with it, I’m afraid she’ll freak out.”

Gabe nodded. “Fair enough. But you know this thing you feel is only going to be more and more intense as you’re around her. Trust me on that.”

Originally it had been Tracy and Nick who’d been mates, and they’d sealed the bond. But mate pairs need a third, an anchor bond, another male who is part of that bond. If one of the mates dies, having that third anchor bond keeps the remaining mate from losing it. But the bond included sex to seal it, much like the original mate bond.

And when that happened, Gabe found himself feeling far more than an anchor to Tracy. And she him. It turned out the three of them were something pretty unique to wolves, a Tri Mate Bond, which meant the three of them shared a bond usually made for two. But for a bit, Gabe was left out, thinking he was in love with a woman he was destined to watch with another male for the rest of their lives, until they figured things out.

God, at some point, he’d have to deal with that himself. Another male having sex with his mate. He knew it logically. It was part of who and what they were, and in the end, it kept her safe. But right at that moment, the reality of it was a little hard to get around.

“Is this what you want? Is she what you want? You know if you don’t seal the bond, there will be another woman at some point.”

“I want her so much I can’t think straight. You should see her. Christ. She’s so badass. She ran after this guy today and took him out with a leaping tackle. She’s fierce and beautiful, and she’s my match on so many levels.”

Nick grinned. “Yeah? We can always use more badass females in Pacific.”

“One step at a time. I have to take it slow. She’s not a wolf. Hell, she’s a witch but I know more about witches than she does. I want her to see how much more of the world, her world, there is.”

“And there’s the matter of you dumping her.”

“Yeah, because I’d forgotten that. Thanks, Nick.”

His friend smirked. “Just saying. Did you explain it to her?”

“I did and we talked more about it today. I think she understands. There’s chemistry between us, no doubt. She didn’t deny it after the kiss. I just have to be smart and take my time. I can do this.” And he’d have to use a condom until she was ready to seal the bond, because once he came inside her, that was it. The bond would be formed. They’d end up in bed very soon. There was far too much attraction between them to deny for too long.

Gabe leaned out to grab a handful of popcorn. “I understand why you want to take it slow, but the longer you wait to tell her, the harder it’s going to be for her to understand.”

“Easy for you guys to say, your mate was a wolf. She knew about this world, about what it all means.”

Gabe shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. You get what you get. If she’s worth it, you’ll find a way. You’re a smooth dude. I’ve seen you charm your way into plenty of panties. And you’ve been with her before. She knows you.”

He stayed a few hours more, hearing a report on Nick’s niece and nephew who they’d ended up raising after they’d all taken over the pack. They were both in college now, doing great. Tracy came down after she’d put the girls to bed, and they’d watched a movie before he headed back home.