THE NAIVE SEDUCTRESS

The first time Xavier Ray wanted a woman, his wolf tried to tear him apart for touching her. He had spent twenty-nine years believing there was something fundamentally wrong with him. It wasn't that women weren't beautiful. Xavier had eyes. He noticed beauty when it walked into a room, just as he noticed expensive cars, priceless paintings, and anything else that demanded attention. He simply didn't want any of it. Women had flirted with him at parties, slipped their numbers into his jacket pockets, and invented reasons to attend the charity galas his company sponsored. Models had thrown themselves at him. Actresses had made it obvious they wouldn't mind becoming Mrs. Ray. Even the daughters of powerful families had been presented to him with the subtlety of business proposals. He had felt nothing. Not disgust. Not attraction. Nothing. His father called it stubbornness. His mother called it patience. The elders of his pack called it a problem. Xavier called it freedom. He preferred it that way. A mate was supposed to be a blessing among werewolves, but Xavier had watched enough powerful men become slaves to the women their wolves chose for them. Love made Alphas reckless. It made them vulnerable. It gave their enemies something to threaten. Xavier had no intention of ever becoming vulnerable. Which was why, on the night everything changed, he was perfectly content to stand alone beside the enormous glass windows of his penthouse and watch Lagos glitter beneath him. Behind him, the party was in full swing. Champagne flowed. Laughter filled the room. A famous actress was currently telling one of Xavier's business associates that she had always dreamed of visiting Paris, while making absolutely no attempt to hide the fact that she was waiting for him to offer to take her. He didn't. He took another sip of whiskey instead. "You're doing it again." Xavier didn't turn. His friend, Daniel, came to stand beside him. "Doing what?" "Looking like you want to personally evict everyone from your own party." Xavier glanced at him. "I do." Daniel laughed. "You're unbelievable." "So I've been told." "You could at least pretend to enjoy yourself." "I am." Daniel looked around at the crowded penthouse. "Really?" "No." Daniel shook his head. "One day, you're going to wake up and realize you've spent your entire life avoiding happiness." Xavier's mouth curved faintly. "Happiness is overrated." "That's something a man without a mate would say." The faint amusement disappeared from Xavier's face. Daniel noticed. "Sorry." "It's fine." But it wasn't. The word had struck a nerve. Mate. For years, Xavier had endured whispers about it. Every male in the Ray bloodline had found his mate. Every one. His grandfather had met his grandmother at twenty-four. His father had found his mate at twenty-three. Even Daniel, who loved teasing him, had already experienced the bond. Xavier alone remained untouched. His wolf had never reacted to anyone. Not once. Until tonight. His phone vibrated. He pulled it from his pocket. Mother. He answered. "Yes?" "Come home." Xavier glanced at the clock. "Now?" "Now." Something in her voice made him straighten. "What's wrong?" "Nothing is wrong. I just need you here." "Mother ..." "Xavier." A pause. Then she said the one thing that made him forget about the party entirely. "Rose is back." He went still. For a moment, the name belonged to a distant memory. A little girl with scraped knees. A ribbon perpetually coming loose from her hair. Bare feet running across the Ray estate while her mother chased after her, apologizing to anyone who might complain. Rose. The maid's daughter. Xavier hadn't seen her in years. "She came home today," his mother continued. "She's staying here tonight." "Why?" "Her mother is helping with the preparations for the family dinner tomorrow." Xavier's gaze moved toward the city lights. "All right." "Come home." "I'll be there." He ended the call. Daniel raised an eyebrow. "Problem?" "No." "Who was that?" "My mother." "And?" Xavier picked up his jacket. "I'm leaving." Daniel stared at him. "That was fast." Xavier ignored him. He didn't know why his mother's words had unsettled him. Rose was nothing more than a childhood memory. She was the daughter of a woman who had worked for his family for most of his life. She had no place in his thoughts. No place in his world. And certainly no place in the strange, guarded part of him that had been waiting for something he had never believed would come. He didn't know how wrong he was. The Ray estate was quiet when Xavier arrived. The gates opened before his vehicle reached them. He drove beneath the canopy of trees lining the private road, his headlights sweeping over manicured gardens and stone fountains until the mansion appeared ahead. He had grown up here. He knew every corridor, every staircase, every hidden passage. Yet the moment he stepped inside, something felt different. The house smelled of rain. And something else. Something warm. Sweet. Familiar. His wolf stirred. Xavier stopped. The reaction was so unexpected that his hand tightened around his car keys. What was that? His wolf didn't answer. It hadn't spoken to him in weeks. He took another step. The scent became stronger. His pulse quickened. Impossible. He walked toward the kitchen. His mother's voice floated down the corridor. Then he heard laughter. A woman's laughter. Soft. Unrestrained. Something inside his chest tightened. Xavier pushed open the kitchen door. And the world stopped. She stood beside the marble island with her back partially turned toward him. She was wearing a simple cream blouse and a long brown skirt, nothing remotely expensive, nothing designed to attract attention. She didn't need either. Her dark hair fell over her shoulders in loose waves, and a few strands had escaped around her face. She was arranging plates while talking to her mother, laughing about something Xavier couldn't hear. Then she turned. Their eyes met. Xavier forgot how to breathe. His glass slipped from his hand. It shattered against the marble floor. Everyone in the kitchen went silent. Rose stared at him. Her expression changed slowly as recognition dawned. "Mr. Xavier?" His wolf exploded awake. MATE. The word wasn't a thought. It was a roar. Xavier's vision blurred. His entire body went rigid. No. His wolf surged again. MATE! The scent that had drawn him into the kitchen suddenly became overwhelming. Rose. Her heartbeat. Her warmth. Her scent. Every instinct inside him recognized her. His mate. The one person his wolf had apparently been waiting twenty-nine years to find. Xavier stared at her as if she had become something entirely unfamiliar. But beneath the shock, another realization struck him. She wasn't a little girl anymore. She was a woman. A beautiful woman. And for the first time in his life, Xavier wanted someone. Not because of her beauty. Not because of her body. Because something ancient inside him had looked at her and said: Mine. Rose shifted awkwardly beneath his stare. "Are you okay?" Her voice was gentle. It nearly destroyed the last thread of his control. Xavier stepped backward. His mother noticed. Her eyes widened. She knew. Of course she knew. She had seen this before. "Xavier," she whispered. He looked at her. His mother's face had gone pale. "Not here." His jaw tightened. "What?" She glanced at Rose. "Come with me." "No." The answer came too quickly. His mother stared at him. Xavier forced himself to breathe. Rose was still watching them. Confused. Unaware. He couldn't let her see what was happening. He turned away. "I need some air." He walked out of the kitchen. His mother followed. The moment they were alone in the hallway, she grabbed his arm. "Tell me." Xavier looked at her. "My wolf woke up." His mother's fingers tightened. "Who?" He didn't answer. She already knew. Her gaze drifted toward the kitchen. "Rose." Xavier nodded once. His mother closed her eyes. "No." "That's exactly what I thought." "You don't understand." "I understand perfectly." "No, Xavier. You don't." His expression hardened. "She's my mate." His mother looked terrified. "Then God help us." Before Xavier could ask what she meant, something moved beyond the kitchen window. His wolf immediately snarled. Xavier turned. At the edge of the garden, between two dark trees, stood a massive black wolf. Its eyes glowed gold. It was watching the house. Watching Rose. Xavier's body went cold. His wolf roared inside him. Protect her. The creature disappeared into the darkness. Xavier didn't move. His mother whispered behind him. "That's impossible." "What?" She looked at him. "The wolves were supposed to be gone." Xavier slowly turned toward her. "What wolves?" His mother said nothing. From the kitchen came Rose's voice. "Mr. Xavier?" He looked back. She was standing in the doorway. Her eyes were fixed on him. "Why were you looking at me like that?" Xavier couldn't answer. Because he had just discovered the woman his wolf had chosen. And somewhere outside the estate, something else had discovered her too. Something that had apparently been waiting for her to come home.