Stealing the Alpha’s Heart

I headed into Mahlan’s place feeling pretty proud of myself. My adrenaline had been pumping during our little espionage stint, making me feel like I was running a marathon.

But it was also thrilling. I loved a good challenge, especially when it felt like I was acing it. And I most certainly aced it.

Who knew? Maybe I had a career in corporate espionage ahead of me. My future was wide open in a way it hadn’t been in a long time.

I didn’t get very far into the apartment before I felt Mahlan’s hand on my shoulder, spinning me around. The next thing I knew, he was k!ssing me deeply, making my breath catch.

God, locking l!ps with Mahlan should come with a warning. My entire body flushed, and I wanted nothing more than to press myself to his front and ravage his mouth right back.

But then it ended almost as soon as it began, Mahlan looking at me almost lovingly. “I’m really proud of you, I hope you know,” he said like that wasn’t the most intense thing he could say to me. If the k!ss was a lot, that was so much more, and I could feel my heart slamming against my ribcage.

“You handled yourself exceptionally well. Better than anyone could have expected you to.”

“T-thanks,” I sputtered. “You did well too.”

“Yeah, I’m a bit disappointed at how well I pulled off being a complete jerkwad.”

That startled a laugh out of me. “Pfft, just think of it as you being a talented actor.”

“Sure, I like your interpretation of it.” He let me go, and I couldn’t deny that I missed the touch of his warm hands. “How about I make something special for dinner tonight, then we can do whatever you want.”

The thought of Mahlan’s cooking made my mouth water. “Sure, I’m game for that.”

“Perfect. I’m going to change into something loungy and check my emails. The shower’s free if you want it.”

“I think I’m good on that, but I am gonna wash my face and get out of this business outfit.”

Mahlan gave me an absent nod, already heading to his office. I went to his bedroom, quickly doing what I said. By the time I was in joggers and a tank top that was ridiculously soft, Mahlan was entering the room himself.

I stood there for a moment, not quite sure what to do. Part of me wanted me to stay there and watch Mahlan strip. My thoughts went to the shower we shared and how much I was drawn to and turned on by his body.

“You all right?” he asked, shooting me a blithe grin like he could hear my lusty thoughts. Geez, what was wrong with me?

“Yeah, just thirsty.” In more ways than one. “I’m gonna get myself something to drink.”

“All right, I’ll catch up with you.”

I hurried to the kitchen, drinking that deliciously cold, filtered water from his fridge’s dispenser. I once thought that having a double-door fridge with ice and water dispensers was the pinnacle of wealthiness and chuckled at myself. There was a whole world of richy-richness that I was beginning to get a taste of.

And I was still there, sipping at my delicious hydration, when Mahlan returned, looking like a snack in his low-slung sweats and a dark t-shirt. It wasn’t fair that he looked soul-destroying good in whatever he wore. Not fair at all.

With a wink that nearly took out my knees, he started cooking as I parked myself at the kitchen island, watching him while he worked.

“So now that we’ve done the sting, what now?”

“I’m sure there will be some follow-up later, but for the most part, yeah. The job went a lot smoother than any of us expected.”

“Y’all are a bunch of pessimists then.”

“Hah, perhaps.”

Well, if I wasn’t going to be that needed… “You know, your sister offered me a job.”

“Did she?” I froze, waiting for his reaction with bated breath. “That’s a neat little solution. I’ve been after her to hire help for a couple of years now.”

Whew! So, he was okay with it. I didn’t want to fight about it, but I would have if it were necessary.

“Right now, do you mind holding off until Jacobian and Hannah finish their fact-finding? We don’t know what our endgame is because we need that info.”

“But if we’re just gonna be sitting, twiddling our thumbs in the meantime, why not have me start training with her and working part-time?”

I could tell that Mahlan wanted to argue, his jaw clenching as he ‘deglazed’ a pan. I didn’t even know that was a thing one could do to pans, but apparently, I had a lot to learn.

“All right then. As long as my sister understands that for a small window, you’re on call for me.”

“I’m sure she’ll be more than okay with it. You know, being pack business and all.”

“I’ll just speak with her-”

“Hey, I’m a big girl. I’ll talk to her myself. She’s going to be my boss, after all.”

Mahlan’s expression grew even more tense, and I kept waiting for him to boil over and yank everything away from me. But he didn’t. Instead, he kept deglazing that pan before adding the meat to it.

“Hey, you wouldn’t happen to know a bus route to her place, do you? I’ll need to figure out the best schedule that would work for both of us.”

“Public transit doesn’t always mix with shifters. You can always ride in with me, and she can bring you back until you get a car.”

“Uh, isn’t that a lot to put on both of you?”

“Actually, Emmaline passes right by here on her way home. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if she offered all on her own.”

“I still think it would be easier to take public transport.”

“Lyssa, I’m asking you, please don’t argue with me on this one.”

His tone wasn’t exasperated or even angry, but there was an underlying exhaustion to it that made me feel a bit guilty. “But…”

“You know what? Let’s call her right now and see what she says.”

The next thing I knew, he dialed her up, putting her on speakerphone as soon as she answered.

“Hey, Emma. Lyssa and I were brainstorming different ways for her to get to and from work if she takes you up on her offer.”

“Well, I always pass by your house whenever I go home, so if you drive her in, then I don’t mind bringing her back home.”

I had to give him credit; he did indeed know his sister.

“What about public transport?” I asked cautiously.

“Absolutely not. Honestly, I just assumed I would give you rides or add an Uber stipend into your pay.”

I could feel anger brewing in me, irritated that they both were so adamant against my independence. But I tried to tell myself they were both looking out for me. There had to be a good reason they were so against it.

So I swallowed down my urge to argue and rolled right along. “So, I’d need to be on call for certain stuff, but Mahlan said I could pretty much start now.”

“Oh, really? That’s perfect! Why don’t you come in tomorrow, and we can get all the onboarding going?”

“Okay.”

The conversation lasted only a bit longer, hashing out timing and whatnot, then she was saying goodbye, leaving me with Mahlan as he cooked.

“Fine, no bus,” I muttered. It was impossible not to miss how his shoulders relaxed as he nodded.

“I appreciate that, Lyssa. Thank you.”

I gave him a nod, and the mood settled between us as he finished cooking. It didn’t take long to finish, and it smelled heavenly and sinful while Mahlan dished it up for me.

Goodness, despite all my objections, it was nice to be served delicious meals in such a way. My stomach was getting spoiled very quickly.

“Oh my God, Mahlan, this is so good!”

He preened at that, which I usually would find kind of egotistical, but it just looked so sweet on him. So instead, I just kept happily eating. And if I made a few extra g****s of appreciation, well, that was just the icing on top of the metaphorical cake.

“Hey, do you want me to show you how you can connect your phone to your computer?”

“Wait, it can do that?”

“Yeah. It’s pretty easy once you know what you’re doing.”

I opened my laptop, pleased when Mahlan turned away as I typed my password into it. From there, we ate and he showed me around both items, taking a selfie with his phone and then sending it to my computer.

“Technology is wild.”

While I may not have been the most current on gizmos, I did know how to set a background, which I did with the photo he sent me. He looked good on my computer screen.

Besides, it wasn’t like I would see it that often considering I’d always have something else on the screen.

He continued showing me fun little tricks while we finished eating and loaded the dishwasher together. I’d never owned something like that before, so while it wasn’t as fascinating as my smartphone and laptop, it was still pretty cool.

After the intense rush of the past few days, I felt pretty exhausted. So once that was done, we settled down to watch a little bit of TV. It was nice, real domestic, and it was easy to imagine a future like that.

But that was also terrifying. Was I really so ready to dedicate my life to the man who kidnapped me?

Ugh. I was just going to upset myself if I kept chasing that thought in circles, so instead, I let it go, just enjoying my time.

Later, we went to bed, and for a moment, I was worried about something happening. Mahlan hadn’t gotten into bed with me any other time I’d gone to sleep. This was the first time that we were both tucking in at the same time. But the only thing Mahlan did was k!ss me on the cheek and curl up against my back as we drifted off.

---

I wokeup in a phenomenal mood, even with Mahlan having to drive me to my new job. But Emmaline and I got along well together, and my onboarding shift finished way faster than it should have.

The days began to pass quickly, full to the brim in a much more satisfying way than sitting around Mahlan’s place like a kidnapped trophy wife. I learned a lot from Emmaline, such as how to work a POS system, stocking, and even receiving orders.

At the same time, Mahlan and I were growing more and more comfortable around each other. There were no more steamy showers together, but my attraction towards him felt less dangerous and more… thrilling.

Which, like everything else, was crazy. But I was slowly, ever so slowly, coming to terms with the strange reality of my new life. Not that it was smooth sailing. Oh, no, there were plenty of bumps along the road, but I no longer spent most of my days blistering with resentment and anger.

Just some days.

“Whew, that was the busiest day we’ve had in a while,” Emmaline said as she dropped me off.

“Yeah, it was crazy.”

“Sorority runs like that are always pretty profitable. Especially now that I’ve got you to watch out for shoplifters.”

I grinned at that. I liked being appreciated and treated like I was a valuable asset, and Emmaline had no problem telling me how helpful I was to her.

“Glad to be of service.”

“Well, this is your stop.”

I chuckled as I got out, giving her a little wave. “See you next shift.”

“See you.”

I headed into Mahlan’s, ready to tell him about the entitled rich college girls I’d dealt with, but the moment I opened the door, I could tell that his place was empty.

“Hello?” I called uncertainly, stepping in. But a long beat of silence confirmed that he wasn’t home.

Huh.

He’d always made it a point to be home to greet me. Even if he had to leave shortly after, he was a permanent fixture in my schedule.

I didn’t know what to think of his absence, but I did know that I wasn’t a fan of it. So, I whipped out my new phone and called him up.

“Hey, where are you?” I asked as soon as the line picked up.

“Oh, Lyssa. I’m afraid I lost track of time. Are you home now?”

“Yeah, I am. But you weren’t here, so I got worried.”

“Aww, were you worried about little ol’ me?”

If he were in front of me, I would have leveled him with a truly epic glare. “I think we both know there’s not much little about you.”

“Touché.” Even over the phone, his laugh was amazing, a rumbling sort of brook filled with all kinds of pleasant tones. “How was your day?”

“Pretty wild, actually. We had an entire sorority come in, and they had some real witches among them.”

“Did my sister have to lay down the law? She gets pretty scary sometimes.”

“Nah, I handled myself.”

“That’s something certainly worth celebrating once I’m home.”

“I mean, sure, but don’t we kinda celebrate a lot?”

“I suppose. But since you came into my life, it seems like I’ve got a lot to celebrate.”

My jaw dropped open; my heart skipped beats like it was trying out for a jump rope team. I would always assume that someone saying that was being sarcastic, but Mahlan seemed to mean it sincerely.

And if I didn’t know what to think about most of our situation, I definitely didn’t know what to think about that, so instead, I just swallowed hard.

“Um, I’m gonna go shower.”

“That’s fine. I’ll leave now and should be back soon.”

“Okay. See you.”

“See you.”

I hung up, my heart still fluttering in my chest, and headed into the bathroom. But even as I stepped under the spray, I couldn’t help but smile.

Maybe being celebrated wasn’t such a bad thing.

I let that thought ruminate until he got home, and once he entered, I paused to k!ss him on his cheek. It was the first time I’d ever initiated such a thing, and he seemed pretty surprised.

“I’m happy you’re here,” I said, and I meant it.

“I’m happy to be here,” he answered, and I knew he meant it too.

From there, we went into our usual routine, having dinner together, doing any leftover office work on Mahlan’s part, then watching some TV together before going to bed. We also planned to ‘celebrate’ on the coming Friday, which I was excited about. It was lovely, and I felt my walls drop ever so slightly.

The days began to pass quickly again, and before I knew it, it was Friday. I headed into work as usual, ready for what was typically our busiest day of the week.

“Hey, Emmaline!” I called, heading towards her office, where I always hung up my bookbag. I knew the more usual thing was to wear a purse, but I liked having my old trusty backpack around.

“Oh, hey there, Lyssa,” Emmaline said, coming out of the back with her arms full of something. “Would you be a dear and try this on for me?”

“For what?”

“For the celebration tonight.”

“You don’t think I’ll be overdressed?”

Emmaline leveled me with one of her intense looks. “Please, don’t even try me. Anyway, I was thinking of texting my brother to see if you and I could get ready together.”

“That would be amazing,” I said, heaving a relieved sigh. “I’m still a bit too intimidated by those hot tools.”

“I totally get it. They are very specific tools that need to be used with respect and care.”

“Yeah, not helping me on the intimidation front.”

“Eh, you don’t need to worry. Your inner wolf will heal you up right quick.” She paused at that, seeming to realize what she said. “How is that going, by the way?”

I just shrugged. “I dunno. I feel the same as I always have. No unexplained powers or abilities suddenly showing themselves or anything.”

“Huh, curiouser and curiouser.”

“But for the moment, let’s get to work, shall we?”

“You’re such a motivated employee — I love it! All right, let’s tackle the day.”

Like every other day, the hours began to fly by. I knew that retail was technically supposed to be a nightmare, but Emmaline made it the opposite. By the time the end of the day rolled around, she was practically vibrating in her skin, and she may or may not have sped much more than usual back to her brother’s place.

He wasn’t there again, but that was purposeful, I was sure, considering that Emmaline and I were getting ready together.

“You know,” I remarked as I patted my face dry. “We should have invited Hannah. Maybe even Taylor.”

“Oh, I didn’t even think of that,” Emmaline said, her eyes going wide. “Honestly, I need to hang out with different pack members more. Not just my brother and his inner circle.”

“That would require you not being married to your work.”

“What can I say? My wife is a demanding one.”

“Funny that you’d call her a wife and not a husband.”

“Please, do you ever think a straight man would have the fabulous closet my wifey does?”

I laughed at that, thoroughly amused. “Technically, that’s a storage room, not a closet.”

“Potato, potahto.”

Goodness, I really liked hanging out with Emmaline, but there was also an undercurrent of melancholy to it. I missed Sarah, and I wanted to update her on stuff, but everything was still going a mile a minute.

Plus, I wasn’t exactly sure how to explain my situation. I was living with a strange man, and I had a new scar on my neck that was very clearly his teeth. That would shake things up no matter what I said.

“Hey, I know this is coming out of nowhere, but I wanted to tell you I’m proud of how you’ve been standing up for yourself and sticking to your boundaries.”

“Hmmm?” was all I said in reply, surprised by the sudden segue.

“It’s not easy to do with a mating bite. So, like, I just wanted to congratulate you.”

“Thanks,” I murmured. “Sometimes it’s hard not to feel like Mahlan is pushing them too hard.”

“I get that. He can be a very exacting guy. But he does his best to listen; if he doesn’t, lemme know. I’ll beat him up.”

“Hah! All right, I’ll keep that in mind.”

The conversation drifted to lighter topics as we finished getting ready, and I was quickly growing excited to meet up with Mahlan at the restaurant. I wanted him to see me all dolled up again, and this time not just for a corporate heist.

I was more grateful than ever for her suggestion that we get ready together. It almost made me feel like an ordinary woman just doing normal woman things. I needed those shreds of normalcy, as they were the only thing to keep me from waking up in a cold sweat every night.

Because, as strangely easy as it was to forget, the truth was that shifters surrounded me, and I was permanently mated to their leader. Their young leader at that. I wasn’t an expert on shifter politics by any means, but I was pretty sure it was a tenuous position.

“Ready?” Emmaline asked me after I checked my reflection for probably the dozenth time.

“Yeah, I am.”

“Let’s roll out then.”

That excitement continued to build in my middle as Emmaline drove us to the restaurant. And when we arrived, Mahlan was waiting out front with Theo, Parker, and Hannah.

His head immediately snapped to me, a broad grin spreading over his features. “You look amazing,” he said, eyeing me over with plenty of appreciation. Usually, I would find a look like that creepy, but from him, it made me feel much more alive.

“You don’t look half bad yourself,” I replied, giving him his own up-and-down with the elevator eyes. He wore a dark blue suit with a black button-up and a silver tie. He had to have gotten that suit tailored because it fit him like a glove.

“Ah, there you are!” Parker said, grinning brightly. I wasn’t close with the guy by any means, but I liked his levity. He seemed like he was a glass-half-full kind of guy. “Everyone else will probably trickle in over the next fifteen minutes, but how about I show you ‘round the place?”

I nodded, taking Mahlan’s hand. If he thought anything of the contact, my mate didn’t say anything about it. But he did squeeze my palm twice, which I appreciated. It made me feel seen in an entirely different way than his enjoyment of my outfit.

Because even if we’d met under possibly the most unfortunate circumstances possible, the truth was that Mahlan very clearly liked multiple parts of me, not just my looks. He said so himself how much he admired my tenacity, and he’d hired me for an important mission for his pack. He saw me as a whole person, flaws and all, yet still very much cared about me. Which pretty much went against everything I knew about the laws of the universe.

Maybe… maybe some of those laws could be broken then? Perhaps he was the exception that proved the rule.

And maybe I was developing a severe case of Stockholm syndrome.

Eh, whatever it was, at least I was in for another amazing meal.

Stepping into the restaurant, I was shocked by how fancy the interior was. It was clear to me almost immediately that the demure nature of the outside was just to keep people’s guards down because the inside was lavish in a completely unfamiliar way.

It wasn’t gaudy, not by a mile. There was no garish spectacle or gross display of wasted wealth. But it was clear that every bit of the place was meticulously curated — from the marble tabletops, the plush chairs and walls to the occasional pergola that was covered in beautiful vining flowers and other plants.

“Oh my God,” I breathed, taking in the amber light of the crystal sconces situated in strategic spots. “This place is really yours?”

Parker nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, an old family friend wanted to retire and sell this place, so I couldn’t walk away when he gave me an amazing deal. Honestly, I didn’t even update it much when I bought it. Just changed out the lighting and a few of the flowers that were less, uh… animal friendly.”

I caught his drift, and an amusing picture formed in my head of Mahlan and his pack out to eat but struggling with allergies and sneezing up a storm. Granted, I was pretty sure wolfsbane and other anti-shifter plants would have much more visceral reactions, but the image in my head was certainly amusing.

We walked around for a few minutes and at some point, I was able to retract my jaw back into my head. Just like Parker said, more people started to arrive until there were nearly twenty people around, most of whom I did not recognize.

But even if I didn’t know who a majority of them were, everyone greeted me with a smile, shaking my hand like I was one of them. Although it was a bit overwhelming, it was also reassuring too. Was this what a family reunion was supposed to be like? I remembered all sorts of zany sitcom episodes with similar meet-ups, and I’d always been vaguely jealous of them, even if they did seem a wee bit stressful.

Not too much later, we all sat in a back room that seemed like it was for special events, and delicious food started coming out in droves. It was like something out of a movie, and I started drooling from the start.

If anyone noticed my overworking salivary glands, no one said anything. Instead, there was drinking, eating, and all sorts of other merriment.

The only dreary part was when I overheard Jacobian tell Mahlan that he hadn’t found any record of the man that led them to the company anywhere in their system. I didn’t know what that meant but judging by Mahlan’s face, that wasn’t a good thing.

“I got another tour today, but I was told to avoid this one particular office. Apparently, the guy does local transports and is old-fashioned.”

“That’s certainly interesting. Jacobian, tell Addison to try to get around that area.”

“Yes, alpha.”

“How are your interns doing, by the way?” Emmaline asked, leaning across the table towards the stone-faced man. Although she was addressing him, her eyes were on someone else entirely. Kaleb, was it? Innnnteresting.

“Acceptable,” he answered flatly. “Why?”

“Oh, you know, just trying to make conversation.”

“Hm.”

Wow, clearly the guy was the life of the party, and even more so, my boss was still eyeing probably-Kaleb. That I could get, kind of, he was handsome and filled out his sharp clothing just right. But he seemed a bit shy, not talking much except to Parker, who was just about the complete opposite.

Still, maybe I could tease her about it on Monday. Just a little good-natured ribbing and perhaps encouragement to find someone who could hold an actual conversation.

But the conversation quickly shifted away from business, and soon I heard terrible -and by that, I meant excellent- werewolf and shifter jokes. I didn’t get all of them, but I didn’t need to in order to laugh. And I was ready to tell my own after enough peals of mirth and a glass of wine that I shouldn’t have been handed at the ripe ol’ age of nineteen.

“Hey, hey, I got one!”

Several eyes turned to me, and I almost lost my nerve, but Emmaline’s response kept me going.

“What is it?”

“What do werewolves eat after they get their teeth cleaned?”

Thankfully, no one corrected me that they were wolf shifters, not werewolves. Tomato, tomahto, as Emmaline liked to say.

“What do we eat?” Mahlan asked me, his eyes practically smoldering from across the table. I swallowed hard, and after a beat, I was able to remember the answer.

“The dentist!”

There was a beat of silence, and I was worried that I’d just said something offensive, but then all the shifters around me burst into laughter, the sound joyously booming.

“Haaaa! The dentist! I wish I could eat him!” Kaleb said, his smile growing even more toothy. Wait, was that something shifters could do? Why did no one tell me that was something shifters could do?

“Wait, since when have you been going to the dentist?” Emmaline asked. “If your wolf’s not healing right?”

“Not all of us went through puberty without developing cavities, Miss Emmaline. Check your enamel privilege.”

“I can’t help that I have superior genetics,” she responded airily, making me almost inhale my wine. “Sorry your diet of Mountain Dew and Red Bull did a number on you.”

“Shhh, none of that logic tonight! This is a celebration!”

It was just so fun watching everyone banter around me, and after a bit longer, I realized that I was having a blast. I felt welcomed. I felt like I had a family. Something I never thought was possible.

And yet it was and waiting for me to accept it.

The walls within me cracked a little further, sinking into the ether. Maybe I had found where I belonged.

Only time would tell on that, I supposed. But for the moment, I just sat back and enjoyed the best dinner party I’d ever been to. I was feeling an all-time high, and I owed it to Mahlan.

Funny how that worked out.