The Bounty Hunter's Mate

Luke

LUKE POV

I was sitting at my computer looking at a picture of my mate. My mate. I had actually given up hope that I had a fated mate and was starting to consider taking a chosen one. I had even systematically started contemplating my options. This amused Kevin to no end. He found my pros and cons list especially amusing.

My mate’s name was Lexi Jones. She was pretty easy to find online, actually. I googled “bounty hunter, Seattle” and her company was the first one that popped up on the list. She was really pretty in a very sexy sort of way. Her long curly brown hair was wild and looked like it had never been tamed. Her green eyes were piercing, even in the headshot that I was currently looking at. I changed screens and looked at her social media pages. She had the highest security on them and they were private to all but the people she invited on, but I had a great IT guy who got me access. I scrolled through her photos, enjoying the candid shots of her with her friends. There was one in particular that she was tagged in that I kept coming back to. Someone had captured the moment when she was unaware, laughing at something unseen on camera. Her hair was up in a messy bun, tendrils escaping everywhere. She was in a tank top and shorts, long, lithe body on display with those endless legs. She was sitting on the ground, legs bent and feet flat, holding her knees with her arms. She looked relaxed and happy, different from the intense woman I met last night. I was looking forward to getting to know all of Lexi Jones’ sides.

There was a knock on my door. “Alpha?” My secretary, Heidi, poked her head in the door. “I have a Lexi Jones on the phone for you?”

I smiled. It didn’t take her long to figure out who I was, either. I was looking forward to this.

“Yes. I’ll take it. Thank you.”

I had a grin on my lips when I answered the phone. “Hello, Lexi!”

She sounded all business. “Alpha Luke. Thank you for accepting my phone call. I’m calling about your Beta, Kevin.”

Huh. She had no idea who I was, yet. A small smile played on my lips. She would soon enough. This might be fun.

She took my silence as an invitation to continue. “I know that this isn’t welcome news, but I’ve been assigned by the Council to apprehend Kevin and bring him in to stand Trial.” She paused to let me digest this. I knew already and was curious what she wanted since it was obviously not about the mate bond. “I have been authorized to conduct an investigation as I see fit to determine the whereabouts of Kevin. Out of courtesy and an attempt to foster cooperation, I am asking you for permission to come on to your Packlands and question some of Kevin’s acquaintances, including you.”

I could hear her mouse clicking in the background and I gave a wry smile. I knew she was looking up information on me, trying to learn as much as she could before coming here. She wouldn’t find much. I didn’t even have a picture of me up on the site. I took over my father’s pack at such a young age that we upped our cyber security and tried to minimize the pack’s digital footprint to avoid becoming a target.

She cleared her throat and I realized that I still hadn’t said anything. I let her wait a few more moments while I decided if this was a good idea. Why not? This would eventually be her home. We were mates, even if she wasn’t aware of it yet.

“You are welcome on our Packlands. When would you like to come?” I stressed our wondering if she would pick up on it. She didn’t. She sounded relieved I wasn’t arguing with her.

“I would like to come this afternoon, if possible. It will probably take more than an afternoon to complete my interviews so if you have a hotel or inn on packgrounds I will make a reservation and stay there. If you don’t, I will be happy to travel back and forth from the city but it may take an extra day to complete everything.”

“That won’t be necessary. Guests of mine stay in the Packhouse. We have suites intended for that purpose and you will find them comfortable.”

I could hear her hesitation. “I thank you for that kind offer, but in order to avoid any accusations of impropriety or favoritism, I would prefer to stay at a hotel.”

“Why would there be any accusations? You were hired to apprehend him, not sit on his jury.” This woman was frustrating me. So stubborn! “I insist. You are my guest and you will be treated as such.”

She was too well mannered to sigh out loud but I could hear her irritation. “There will be two of us. I travel with my bodyguard and we do not share a room. We will need two rooms next to each other. He prefers them to be adjoining.”

I could feel my wolf getting upset. Why did she need adjoining rooms? That was a definite no but I would deal with that when she got here. I made my voice sound calm even though inside my wolf was raging. “I will have the rooms prepared and let the Warriors at the Gate know to expect you. One will ride with you to the Packhouse. If you have your list of names prepared I will make sure that they will be available to speak to you.”

“Thank you, Alpha Luke. I appreciate you being so accommodating and I’m looking forward to meeting you.”

After she hung up I sat with my phone in my hand, looking at it. I couldn’t tell if she was being sarcastic or not but I was excited to find out. Google can only give you so much information on a person. I was looking forward to meeting the real Lexi Jones.

I replaced the phone in the cradle and called for Heidi. “Please let the Omegas know we are expecting two guests. Have them prepare the Luna’s room and also a room on the third floor.” Lexi wasn’t going to be happy with that. Not only were the rooms not adjoining, they weren’t even on the same floor. I wondered what she needed a bodyguard for. She was highly capable, as I knew first hand after our fight last night. Before I took over as Alpha, I was ranked as one of the best Warriors in the area. She gave me quite the workout, trying to keep up with her. I rubbed my arm where her silver dagger had sliced through my sleeve, nicking the skin. Since it was silver it healed so much slower than the rest of me and still stung this morning when I showered. Yes, I was very much looking forward to meeting the real Lexi Jones.