“You, Sir, are worthy of a Nobel Prize. You are obviously a very intelligent man.”

A tic formed at his right eye and he gritted his teeth to keep from snapping at her. “What’s the big deal, Jackie? It was a joke.”

Some look he didn’t recognize flashed across her eyes. She stood up straighter, spine erect and said, “It’s a big deal to me. How do you think it feels being the only ginger in the entire pack?” Thane’s eyebrows shot up as suddenly he understood. He’d hurt her feelings. They sparred with words so much that he never even thought the barb had stuck.

“It’s not really the color of ginger, more like copper.”

She made a sound of disgust and turned away. Thane didn’t like this. Not at all. He didn’t know exactly why or what was the cause of it but he had to fix it. He stalked to her and pulled her into his arms.

It was like trying to trap a squirrel. She wiggled, squirmed, and fought against him until finally he shouted, “Stop it!”

She did, her surprised eyes wide as she looked up at him. Thane quickly thought up what to say but then his eyes fell to her hair. He caught it in his hand, watching as the fluorescent lights beat off it in streams of golden reds.

“Let go of me, Thane.” She’d quit struggling but a hard frown pulled at her mouth.

Thoughtfully he said, “No, your hair isn’t the color of ginger but a beautiful copper that catches the eyes and makes it hard to look away.” He meant every word of it. What he’d said yesterday had been a barb at her but he didn’t know it’d upset her. He looked down at her unreadable eyes.

Slowly she reached up and touched the hand he held her hair in. Then viciously she yanked it away and pushed him back. He went, startled at her anger.

“I am not some submissive who will cow-tow to your pleasure on a whim.”

God dammit. “I know that. That wasn’t what this was about.”

She cocked a brow. “Oh really, then what was this about?” She crossed her arms and stared at him.

Thane threw up his hands in defeat. “Never mind. I was just trying to pay you a compliment. Obviously your hard ass is too good for that.” He walked around her to leave.

“The next time you want to flirt, pick a submissive. At least she will be flattered by your...charms,” she said after him. That tic picked up again at his eye. Thane turned just in time to see her giving him her back.

Thane’s eyes flicked over her once. “At least she would know how to please a man.” He saw her back straighten and instantly hated himself.

Whatever. He gave as good as he got; that was his motto. Why should she be any different? He turned back and left her alone.

Lyonis wrapped up his workout as his lieutenants came into the room. Grabbing a towel, he wiped the sweat from his face. He noticed the tension between Jackie and Thane right away.

“What’s wrong?”

“We have a situation,” Jackie said. Lyonis’ gut tightened with fear.

“Willow?”

Thane shook his head. “No, the McLannahans reported their daughter missing this morning.”

Lyonis’ brows shot up. “Stephanie?”

Jackie nodded grimly. “Apparently she went for a run last night and never came back.”

“Organize a search party, check the town, hell check the whole city.”

Nodding, Jackie hesitated. “Sir, but we don’t have enough guards with the ones watching your...Willow.”

“Use them. With that vampire Draven here, she has her own guard. Find Stephanie, see if anyone else was out running last night and saw her.”

“We’ll take care of it,” Thane said then ran out of the room with Jackie on his heels.

His mood infinitely diminished, Lyonis left the gym and headed to the McLannahans. When he arrived, there were already other pack members visiting the distraught family. Stephanie’s mother, Laura, rushed to him with tears in her eyes.

“Alpha Lyonis, she’s gone. She’s gone!” A harsh sob left her as she broke down. Lyonis held her close to him. Nothing he could do would soothe her now, unless they found Stephanie alive.

“Tell me everything that happened.” Her mate Rick came forward and pulled his wife into his arms.

“Stephanie said she wanted to go out for a wolf run last night along the pass. It was about ten o’clock when she left—she never came back.” His wife cried harder and squeezed him tightly.

“Has she been seeing anyone, dating anyone she’d want to sneak off with?”

“Not that we’re aware of,” Rick said. “She said she was stressed about some school work but that was it.”

Lyonis came forward and embraced both of them. When a tragedy happened in the pack, all of them felt it as if it were their own child that was missing. He pulled back with promises that the guards were out searching for her right now.

“I will find her,” he promised. Rick nodded grimly, his face etched with pain.

Lyonis started back to his truck when a hard voice stopped him. “Your mate should be here to comfort the family.”

Lyonis slowly turned around, not surprised that it was Amy who’d spoken. The entire pack watched them both with wide eyes. Very few dared to use such an attitude with their Alpha, let alone question his mate. That she was only bitter because she’d pursued him for years almost made him angry enough to shout. As his father had taught him though, one cannot rule in anger; one cannot lead a pack with rage in the heart.

Lyonis spoke calmly even though her nasty attitude made him want to reprimand her. “Willow has not yet taken that step with me, but she will. She is still unaccustomed to our ways.”

Amy’s eye narrowed with a flare of victory. “Because she isn’t one of us! She’s isn’t a shapeshifter.” Lyonis nodded in agreement.

“Yet the bond I feel for her can no more be ignored than the moon rising each night. I hope that one day you will feel the same thing, Amy. Let’s try to focus on what’s really important right now. A pack member is missing.”

Her mouth clamped shut as a mortified blush stole over her. Lyonis got into his truck and took off for home.

There was that sound again.

“Stop it,” Willow grumbled. She snuggled deeper into the fluffy covers but the sound only got louder, more persistent.

With a growl, she tossed back the covers and stomped downstairs to the front door.

Throwing it open she yelled, “What?”

Some man was there, one she’d never seen before. He didn’t look like a shapeshifter but had long platinum blond hair that nearly reached his waist and an aristocratic nose with slender lips. He was handsome in a stark, aristocratic kind of way.

He smiled wryly. “Willow Bellum, I take it.”

She smiled sarcastically back. “Indeed.”

He chuckled at her and her shoulders started to relax from their tense position. “My name is Draven. I was sent here as your own special guardian by Chloe and Tyrian.” Willow crossed her arms and started tapping her foot on the ground.

“Oh really? As if I don’t have enough guards watching me around here let alone some Alpha hounding me.”

He only shrugged. “I don’t want to be here either, but I have my orders. I’m staying in one of the guesthouses on Fifth Street in case you need me. I’ll be around often, so if you need me just say my name.”

“How the fuck am I supposed to have any privacy around here with a posse following me around?” His lips twitched with a smile.

“I have some good news in that regard. See I work directly under Commander Tyrian because I’m half demon.”

Willow scrubbed a hand over her face. Obviously it was too early in the morning. “Say what? He kills demons for a living.”

“Nah, we have rules of engagement for that sort of thing. We mostly just push them back under the rift. See, I have a special ability thanks to my demon mother.”

His hand reached out and Willow jumped back. She frowned at his grin but he only touched the door with his hand fingers spread wide. Willow’s jaw dropped as the door disappeared completely before her eyes.