Chapter One
LEON
Something about the wolves’ invitation had felt wrong to Leon, even before their driveway threatened to shake his car apart. They’d turned off the highway half a mile back, and still the rutted track stretched out in front of them, seemingly endless.
He glanced in the rearview to check the second car was close behind and caught sight of his sister in the back seat. She was as imperturbable as always, not a hair out of place despite the long drive from Seattle to Colorado. Sure, they could have flown, but that would have meant crowds of people in cramped conditions, and Luna would do almost anything to avoid that. She was more cat than anyone Leon knew. Given that just about everyone he knew, himself included, was a cat-shifter, that was saying something.
Turning his attention back to the driveway, he thought again about what lay ahead of them. He hadn’t agreed with Luna’s decision to accept the wolves’ invitation, but now that they were here, he had to keep her safe. Not only because she was his sister, butbecause she was the elected leader of the cat-shifters in the U.S., and it was his job.
Given how little most cats liked being organized, the fact she’d gotten at least some of them to vote said a lot about how good she was.
Wolves, though… wolves couldn’t seem to doanythingalone. Every decision was dragged through packs, councils, committees, subcommittees. It was never-ending. Talking to wolves was like trying to have a conversation with a filing cabinet.
And there were so many of them. Cats were rare, but wolves were everywhere. As if that wasn’t annoying enough, this particular pack had just shocked the entire country by declaring they had one of the fabled Argent shifters, long believed extinct.
Leon still didn’t know what possessed them to make that announcement. It had dominated the twenty-four-hour news loops for days, and it still hadn’t really died down, with breathless talking heads dissecting every clip of a silver coat under moonlight.
The car lurched again. Damn wolves couldn’t even keep their property in order. He was going to send them the bill for the suspension. If they made it to the house without blowing a tire, it’d be a miracle.
The route curved around a rocky outcropping and revealed a sprawling one-story house. A man was standing on the porch looking in their direction, and he raised a hand in greeting.
Leon had felt eyes on them shortly after they’d started up the so-called driveway, but didn’t know how the message they were on their way had been passed. He hadn’t heard a howl, and he’d have noticed that, even over the engine. Maybe the guy on the porch had simply been keeping watch, waiting for the cats to show up. Luna had told them midday, and they were right on the dot.
Leon pulled in next to a line of parked vehicles, the second car drawing up beside him. The man on the porch watched themwith an easy patience. Jeans, plaid shirt, cowboy hat—he looked more like a ranch hand than someone greeting the queen of the cats. Nothing in his posture indicated that he knew his pack had managed to royally piss off the cat-shifters.
The cowboy stepped off the porch once they were out of the cars, his stride unhurried but deliberate. He stopped a few feet away, inclining his head in a gesture that was polite without being deferential.
“Bryce Reynolds,” he said. “Beta of the Elk Ridge pack.”
No offer of a handshake. Interesting. Maybe this beta understood respect. Or maybe he just didn’t want to touch a cat. Leon wasn’t sure which option he preferred.
“Good afternoon,” Luna said, her voice calm but remote, enforcing her status as one infinitely above this wolf beta. “I’m Luna Fitzroy. I represent the cat-shifters.”
Reynolds nodded, his eyes scanning the rest of the group, registering that they hadn’t been introduced or explained. He was smart enough not to ask. Instead, he invited them inside with a smile that showed faint crow’s feet, suggesting that either he smiled a lot or spent time outdoors.
The interior of the house held the unmistakable scent of dog. Or, if Leon were to be accurate, it was a deeper, muskier smell than dog. Remembering his sister’s intention to make nice with the wolves, he aborted the instinctive movement of his hand to block his nose, and instead tucked his long hair back behind his ear.
Reynolds led the visiting party into a large, sunny room. Worn leather sofas and chairs were scattered in no particular order, giving the impression of a room that was lived in, not organized for show.
Standing in the center of it, offering his hand to Luna, was a blond man who radiated something far more dangerous than Reynolds’ friendly welcome.
“Appreciate you coming,” he said. “I’m Matt Urban, alpha of the Elk Ridge pack.”
The hairs on the back of Leon’s neck stood up. He’d met wolf alphas before but never one like this. This wasn’t some posturing blowhard with an inferiority complex. This man had power running through him.
Luna inclined her head graciously when she shook his hand. “Thank you for inviting us.” A carefully judged smile touched her lips as she accepted Urban’s offer of a seat.
Urban introduced the other wolf in the room as Jesse Turner, his mate, who was also the Argent.
Leon studied him, trying to work out what all the fuss was about. Turner wasn’t exactly impressive. On the scrawny side, not too tall, and dressed like he’d lost a fight with a clearance rack.Thiswas the living legend? But there was something in his eyes, something watchful and unafraid, that made Leon pause. He wasn’t sure how to read Turner, and he didn’t like that fact.
Urban raised an eyebrow at Leon, a quiet request for introductions. The assumption in that gesture made Leon bristle internally—he was no damn wolf, rolling over for an alpha. But then he remembered they were on Urban’s territory and that Luna wanted them to play nice with the doggies.
“Joaquim, Ava, Antoni,” he said, gesturing at each in turn. “I’m Leon, security head for Queen Luna.”
Urban nodded at each cat, showing no reaction to Luna’s rank. Most wolves were surprised by it, but it seemed as if Urban had done his homework.
Leon moved to the window, checking for external threats, Antoni took up position by the door, and the others arranged themselves around the room. Leon was itching to search the house and the territory, but he’d been working this detail for Luna long enough to know when diplomacy trumped security.
