Falling For His Fake Mate

2

Zane.

She walked toward me, heels clicking on the polished floor, and though I had every intention of keeping my attention firmly fixed on the water glass in front of me, I looked up anyway. Reflex, I guess, or maybe a slow-building curiosity I wasn’t willing to admit yet.

This was my father’s idea. Again.

According to him, and I quote. “An Alpha without a mate is like a king without a crown. Strong, sure. But ultimately replaceable.”

It sounded dramatic, but it was also effective, unfortunately. So here I was, dressed in a suit I didn’t want to be wearing at this time of the day, sitting in a too-bright restaurant I didn’t pick, waiting to meet another “good girl” my father’s driver swore was perfect for me.

Perfect. Right.

He had said that before about all of them, and I had played along; dinner, small talk, polite smiles, and then the usual excuse about urgent work or a pack emergency. It worked every time.

Tonight would be no different because it never was. I wasn’t attracted to any of them, anyway. They always all blended together; thin, pretty, one-note women with expensive perfume and nothing to say that didn’t involve shopping or astrology or what kind of car they wanted their future husband to buy them. No offense. But also… some offense.

Then she reached the table, and I stood, out of habit more than manners—but something hit me the moment I got close.

Something off, and for a moment, my brain scrambled at what it was, then it hit me. It was her scent.

She was human.

What the actual hell?

Were we seriously going on dates with humans now?

I bit back a sigh. Fantastic. This was going to be awkward. I would shake her hand, make polite conversation, probably cover her drink, and be out of here before the appetizer menu hit the table. That was standard protocol, anyway.

But then, I looked at her, ans she was… different. It wasn't just the human thing.

No. She had curves, real ones, the kind that filled out a dress in ways that made my thoughts derail for a second too long. She was stunning in a way that felt tangible, not runway cold, not high-maintenance sharp, just… captivating. Full lips, legs that went on forever, and this soft energy that made it impossible not to look at her again.

Okay. So far, she had my attention.

But beauty only got you through the door. I needed to know what was inside before I decided if I was staying.

“Lily,” I said, because that was the name I had been given. Only she didn’t respond.

She just stood there, blinking at me, like someone had told her I was a blind date and she expected me to show up with three heads and a tail.

Great.

“Oh, it’s one of those,” I muttered under my breath. Another woman who clearly wasn’t thrilled to be here either. I could work with that. At least we were both disinterested.

“My name is Zane Marshall,” I added, extending a hand.

That seemed to snap her out of it. Her mouth opened, then closed. Then opened again.

“Uh… yeah. I’m sorry for being rude and weird,” she said with a nervous laugh, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “I wasn’t expecting… you.”

And just like that, I was screwed because she smiled.

And holy s**t.

I didn’t even notice the dimple on the left side of her mouth until that second, but when I did, it hit me like a punch to the chest. Her whole face seemed to change, brightened, like the sun came out just for her. That smile was lethal, and my heart… traitorous bastard, actually stuttered in my chest like a rookie.

My wolf stirred, restless and alert, and I shoved him back down with a growl in my head. Now was not the time. We were not doing this, not here, not in front of a human.

She didn’t know what we were. And we’d worked too damn hard to blend in, to keep the secret. Only those humans who married or mated into our kind were ever let in on the truth, and even then, that was rare. Controlled.

But still… something in me shifted; something ancient I didn’t ask for.

And as she took the seat across from me, offering another shy glance and a hesitant smile, I knew one thing with complete certainty: This night wasn’t going to go the way I planned.

Before either of us could say another word, my phone buzzed in my pocket.

I looked at her, Lily, and there was already an apology sitting on my lips. “Excuse me,” I said, pulling the phone out as smoothly as I could manage.

“Brand,” I greeted, already knowing this was my built-in escape. Except… it came too early. Way too early.

“Hey, Alpha. I’m not pulling you out of the meeting, don’t worry,” he said, because he knew me. He knew how I operated, especially on these setups. “I just wanted to update you about that contract we’ve been chasing for the past few months.”

And just like that, my mood dropped ten degrees.

“Oh?” I said, already bracing myself. “What’s the status?”

“They handed it to Alpha Rick.”

I blinked. “What? That asshole? Seriously? Let me guess, because he’s married?”

Across the table, Lily had turned her attention to the window. Her profile was lit by the soft city glow outside, lips curved into the smallest smile. And I swear, swear, I almost forgot I was mid-rant. That smile? It was knockout-level dangerous. She was already beautiful, but that smile made her shine.

“Yeah, Alpha,” Brand said, pulling me back. “And I’m worried he might land the second deal too, the bigger one.”

I clenched my jaw. “They can’t do that.”

“They can. And if you had come to this meeting, you’d see it happening with your own eyes. We need you mated. Fast.”

“I got it,” I bit out. “Just head back to the office. I’ll catch up when I can.”

I hung up and slipped the phone away, jaw tight, blood pressure climbing, but I did my best not to show it.

Across from me, Lily was now watching me. She seemed to be waiting for me to say something, but also like she had already pieced the whole thing together before I even said a word.

“You probably need to go, right?” she asked quietly.

I stared at her, thrown by how casual she sounded. “What? No.”

She raised an eyebrow, like she didn’t believe a single syllable. “You seem pissed off to be here,” she said. “And just so you know, you don’t need to have someone fake-call you to get out of this. If you can’t already tell, I’m not dying to be here either.”

Ouch. That one landed straight on my pride. She had no idea she was getting it all wrong. I had wanted to leave… before. But now, I wasn’t so sure. The truth was, I wanted to get to know her, and everything about her, her sarcasm, her honesty. That mouth. That dimple.

I exhaled slowly and ran my tongue along my lower lip.

“Look… Lily, right?” I said, even though I knew her name, even though it already felt way too familiar in my head. “That wasn’t a fake call. He reached out because something important came up. But if you don’t believe me, you’re welcome to come with me. Meet him yourself.”

I paused, then added, “I really do have to go. But I also don’t want this to end here.”

She looked at me like she was trying to x-ray my soul. Sharp, skeptical, unblinking.

Then she glanced at the tiny watch on her wrist, sighed, and said, “I should be in bed right now.”

“Same,” I thought, preferably with her in it. But hey, progress.

“But I also don’t want to leave this on a bad note,” she said. “So fine. Let’s go.”

I blinked. Okay, I didn’t expect that, but I didn’t waste the moment. I stood immediately, pushed her chair back like a gentleman who still had some manners left in him, and we walked toward the elevator together.

While we waited, I shot a quick text to Zach; my driver and my Omega. He was already outside when we stepped out into the night.

“To headquarters,” I told him as I opened the door for Lily.

She slid inside, legs first with her chin high, eyes curious, but no longer hostile.

And for the first time in a long damn while, I felt it, the thrum of something real and dangerous.

Something that could change everything.