Chapter One

Tracy Warden grabbed a cup of coffee in the spacious kitchen belonging to her brothers and sister-in-law. It was a room that felt like home. A room she’d cooked numerous meals in, had shared coffee and drinks in with her sister-in-law and best friend, Nina. Before Nina came, the room—the house—had been nice enough, but somehow the love she brought, the laughter and joy, made it a home.

Tracyoften wondered if it was about Nina or the connection she had with Lex. Wondered if she’d ever have that sense of belonging in a place—to someone—that Nina and Lex obviously did.

“Have some breakfast, Trace. There’s plenty. You know how Cade is when he cooks. He’ll pout like a four-year-old if you don’t eat anything.”

She looked back over her shoulder at Nina and laughed at the irreverence with which her sister-in-law treated their Alpha and the oldest brother in the Warden family. Cade may have scared the bejesus out of everyone else but Nina was fearless. Of course, considering the last year and a half of Nina’s life, what did she have to fear that she hadn’t overcome?

“You’re going to get me into trouble, old woman,”Tracy snickered as she joined Nina at the table.

“If you think I didn’t hear that comment, Nina, you’re mistaken,” Cade said in a growl as he came into the room and put a platter of bacon and another of eggs and toast down.

“Oh I’m all aquiver. I beg your pardon, Oh Supreme Tool, er, Alpha. Please don’t discipline me with your scary frown and spatula.”

Lex came in, kissed the top of Nina’s head and sat down, trying to stifle his smile.

“He needs to take you in hand,” Cade groused as he sat and began to heap food on his plate.

“Oh he has. Can’t you recognize the satisfied look on his face?” Nina said, one eyebrow up as she put a napkin on her lap.

“TMI! Let’s talk about something else, please, while I still have an appetite,”Tracy joked as she buttered her toast.

“TMI?” Lex looked puzzled.

“Too much information.” Nina winked at her sister-in-law.

“Yes, like how Mom keeps coming over here looking for you, Tracy. She says you’re never home. Are you ducking her?” Cade had his big-brother-Alpha face on.

“I keep telling you to rekey the gate code so she can’t sneak in here,” Nina murmured to Lex, who nearly choked on his coffee.

“She’d just climb it, she’s ruthless when there’s prey in her sights.” Lex grinned behind his cup.

Cade looked at Lex and tried not to smile, but lost the battle. “Okay, so she’s…”

“Pushy? Come on, Cade! She keepsdropping inat my house with werewolves in tow who she just ran into at the grocery store or somesuch. It’s blatant and annoying. Megan and Tegan just hide from her when she comes over here, Lex married Nina and you, you’re the Alpha and she has to be nicer to you so I’m vulnerable to her attacks.”

“Don’t you want to have someone?” Lex asked quietly, his fingers playing with the ends of Nina’s hair.

Tracysoftened. “Yes. Yes, I do, Lex. But I don’t want to date some suck-up that wants an in with the Alpha’s family. I want my mate. I want the kind of connection that you and Nina have.”

“Fair enough, doll.” Nina reached out and squeezed her hand. “You’ll find him. When you least expect it.” She grinned then. “And boy is he in for it!”

* * * * *

After breakfast,Tracy went into the office to start the accounting paperwork she did part-time for the Pack business and Nina moved about the house dealing with the plants before she went in to her gardening business for the day. Her florist shop had been burned down a year and a half before and instead of opening another florist’s she’d gone and opened up a full-scale nursery on the Eastside that had further nurtured her love for all things green—and had done extremely well in the bargain. Lex Warden tried not to notice how good his wife looked as she reached up to water the plants on the shelves above the kitchen counter. The morning sun streamed through the window and over her body.

Normally she was hard to ignore but this morning it was even worse as her skirt inched up ever higher as she moved.

Seeing the creamy café au lait skin of her thighs reminded him of the particularly fabulous way she’d said good morning and he had to shift in his seat as his c**k hardened against the buttons of his fly.

“Hello? You still with us, Lex, or you planning to ravish your wife?” Cade snapped his fingers in front of Lex’s face as he followed the direction of Lex’s glance. Nina Reyes–Warden was quite a specimen and Cade harbored more than one of his own fantasies about his sister-in-law. He certainly couldn’t blame his brother for the goofy, dreamy smile he wore. His brother had been totally head over heels for his mate since the first moment he’d taken a deep whiff of her, and Cade envied that.

Lex snorted as Nina turned and rolled her eyes at both of them. “Jeez! Can’t a girl water plants around here without being objectified?” She squirted water at both of them and sashayed out, smiling to herself.

The phone rang and a few moments later Nina walked back into the room and handed the receiver to Lex. “It’s the Enforcer from the Pacific Clan.”

His fingers brushed hers and he watched, satisfied, as her pupils widened and her breathing sped up. He sent her a cocky grin and she mumbled “fucking furry tease” on her way back out of the room.