The Alpha's Forbidden Mate

Chapter 9

The scent of Emma's blood made Lex's wolf pace frantically beneath his skin, demanding action. He stood in the hotel parking lot, studying the deep gouges carved into the asphalt where something had tried to corner her. Not werewolf claws—too wide, too jagged. Something else entirely.

"I can take care of myself," Emma said, though her voice carried a tremor she couldn't quite suppress. Her jacket was torn at the shoulder, revealing a glimpse of pale skin marked with what looked like defensive scratches.

"Clearly." Lex's tone was dry as he gestured toward the destruction around them. A street lamp lay twisted on its side, its metal base bent at an impossible angle. "Whatever did this wasn't human."

Emma's laugh held no humor. "Right. Because normal muggers can apparently bend steel now."

Lex turned to study her face in the dim glow of the remaining streetlights. Her auburn hair was disheveled, streaked with dirt, but her green eyes burned with fierce determination rather than fear. The contradiction fascinated him—this woman who should be terrified was instead demanding answers.

"You're coming with me," he said, not bothering to make it sound like a request.

"Like hell I am." Emma crossed her arms, wincing slightly at the movement. "I don't even know you, Alexander. A business meeting doesn't exactly constitute a relationship."

"Call me Lex." The correction slipped out before he could stop it, too intimate for their circumstances. "And you don't have a choice. Whatever attacked you will be back."

"How could you possibly know that?"

Because predators always returned to finish what they started. Because the scent trail led directly to her hotel room, meaning they'd been watching her for hours. Because his wolf was howling with the need to protect what belonged to him, even if she didn't know it yet.

"Trust me," he said instead.

Emma studied his face, and he wondered what she saw there. The scar along his jawline felt more prominent under her scrutiny, a reminder of battles fought in forms she couldn't imagine.

"Fine," she said finally. "But I want answers. Real ones. Not corporate doublespeak about environmental assessments."

Lex nodded, though he had no idea how much truth he could afford to give her. The forensics report sat like lead in his chest—her scent at his parents' murder scene, her mysterious appearance as an infant, the timing that connected her to the worst night of his life. Every instinct screamed that she was dangerous.

Every instinct except the one that mattered most.

His wolf had claimed her the moment she walked into his office. Mate. The recognition had hit him like a physical blow, overwhelming and absolute. Now, standing in the aftermath of violence, that claim only grew stronger.

"My car," he said, gesturing toward the black sedan parked at the lot's edge.

Emma hesitated, then walked beside him across the broken asphalt. Her movements were fluid despite her injuries, and Lex caught himself watching the way she moved—too graceful, too quick. Like someone trained for combat, though her file showed no military background.

He opened the passenger door for her, noting how she tensed when he moved close enough for their shoulders to brush. The contact sent electricity racing along his skin, and he saw her sharp intake of breath.

"Where are we going?" she asked once he'd settled behind the wheel.

"Somewhere safe." Lex started the engine, already plotting the route to the pack's safe house in Belltown. Neutral territory, warded against supernatural threats, with Marcus stationed nearby.

They drove in tense silence through Seattle's late-night streets. Lex found himself hyperaware of Emma's presence—the sound of her breathing, the faint scent of her shampoo mixing with adrenaline and fear. His hands tightened on the steering wheel when she shifted in her seat, her injured shoulder making her wince.

"You're hurt," he observed.

"I'm fine."

"Let me see."

"I said I'm fine." But even as she spoke, Emma was gingerly touching the torn fabric of her jacket. Her fingers came away with traces of blood.

Lex pulled into a parking garage beneath a sleek downtown building. The safe house occupied the fifteenth floor—high enough for a clear view of approaches, secure enough to keep unwanted visitors out.

"This isn't a hotel," Emma said as they rode the elevator up.

"No. It's not."

The elevator opened directly into the apartment, and Lex watched Emma take in the space. Hardwood floors, floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Elliott Bay, furniture that managed to be both comfortable and defensible. She moved toward the windows, her reflection ghostlike in the dark glass.

"Nice view," she said. "Very... secure."

"Emma." He stepped closer, close enough to catch her scent properly for the first time since the attack. Beneath the blood and fear was something else—something wild that made his wolf lift its head in recognition. "What do you remember about the attack?"

She turned to face him, and in the apartment's soft lighting, he could see the full extent of her injuries. Scratches along her collarbone, a bruise forming on her left cheek, dirt embedded under her fingernails as if she'd clawed at something.

"They came out of nowhere," she said slowly. "Three of them, I think. But when they grabbed me..." She paused, frowning. "I moved faster than I should have been able to. Stronger too. I threw one of them into that streetlight."

Lex's blood chilled. "You threw a full-grown man hard enough to bend steel?"

"I know how it sounds." Emma's voice was barely above a whisper. "But that's what happened. And for a second, just before I ran, I could have sworn I saw..." She shook her head. "Never mind. You'll think I'm crazy."

"Try me."

Emma looked directly at him then, her green eyes searching his face. "I thought I saw your eyes flash gold. In the parking lot, when you found me. Just for a second."

The words hung between them like a challenge. Lex felt his wolf surge forward, pressing against the careful control he'd maintained for years. In the apartment's dim lighting, with Emma's scent surrounding him and her blood calling to every protective instinct he possessed, that control felt paper-thin.

"Emma," he said carefully, "what else do you remember from when you were a child? Before the Rosewoods found you?"

Her face went white. "How do you know about that?"

But before Lex could answer, his phone buzzed with an urgent message from Marcus: Found something. The attackers weren't working alone.