Val was still in shock at the theory her siblings had pitched on the train on the way up for their weekend in British Columbia. She had heard stories about lycans but she had never met one that she knew of. She had also thought the stories of mates to be myths, much like the human fairy tales of a prince charming.

She had tried to brush it off and enjoy their outing, but the thoughts of Alexander kept intruding. The more her siblings debated the possibilities, the more the pieces lined up. It was rumored there was a lycan court in Seattle, but the race kept themselves well hidden among the human population, so the Guard did not know for sure. Werewolves, the less powerful and watered down version of lycans were well monitored and tracked so Z had left her with the promise to investigate it for her.

In the meantime, Val was to pretend everything was business as usual and report anything indicative she observed. She was grateful to her siblings but at the same time, she wished she had someone else to share the burden with. Someone like Zack, who would just listen and commiserate with her without trying to dissect everything.

Val walked out of her bedroom and down to the kitchen to get some breakfast. It was early yet, barely six in the morning, but she liked to eat before Alexander was up and about. She was surprised to see him standing at the coffee pot wearing only pajama pants.

The plaid pants rode low on his hips, and she could see where the firm cheeks of his bottom began to round before the fabric concealed the rest. She noticed how he tensed, and his nostrils flared before he reached into the cupboard to pull out a second mug and start filling it. She cursed at herself as her eyes drank him in and desire began pooling at her core again.

"Good morning, Val," Alexander said in a sleep laden voice.

Val was ashamed of her body as it reacted strongly to the sound of his voice. All his hard muscles rippling in faint light as he moved to the fridge and pulled out the milk did not help matters either. He poured some into one of the mugs before bringing it over and setting it on the counter near where she stood. The scent of sandalwood enveloped her, and she had to forcibly keep herself from reaching out to him.

She met his eyes as he stood rigidly in front of her, trying to decipher his stormy eyes. His nostrils flared again, and he sharply turned away and went back to the fridge to return the milk. Val looked down at the coffee and noted with surprise that he had fixed it the way she preferred without ever seeing her do it.

"Thank you," Val said to him. "How did you know I like my coffee with cream?"

"I told you, everything about you is my business," Alexander told her as he grabbed his coffee and walked to the stove.

"Why?" Val asked.

Alexander took a sip of his coffee before setting it down and grabbing a red bell pepper. As he placed it on the cutting board and began slicing it with a sharp knife, she realized he had an array of items set out. She had never actually seen Alexander cook before and had not even realized he knew how.

"A person in my position does not get or stay there by blindly trusting in the good intentions or capabilities of those around them," he said as he methodically cut the pepper.

"How does that relate to my coffee?" Val asked him.

Alexander ignored the question as he finished chopping the pepper and grabbed an onion.

"How was your trip to BC?" Alexander asked instead.

"How did you know we went to Canada?" Val asked in alarm.

She was sure she had not mentioned anything to him or the kids about where she was going to spend her weekend. The only person she had told was Zack. Was Zack spying on her for Alexander?

"I make it a habit to track the comings and goings of my employees, especially those that are in prime positions around me," Alexander said calmly.

Val could tell the calmness he was exuding was forced. It was evident in his stiffness, the white knuckles around the knife handle, and the clipped manner of his words. There was something else at play here that she was not party to.

"Are you having Zack spy on me then?" Val asked bitterly.

She was calling herself a fool for her time with him. She had found herself enchanted by what she perceived as his fun loving and innocent nature. She was chiding herself for being so gullible.

Alexander stopped his motions and looked at her finally. The muscles of his jaw ticked as he looked at her. He looked away and turned on the burner under the skillet.

"No," Alexander growled.

Val perked at that, relieved to have confirmation that Zack was not part of this. She was not sensing any deception from the one word, and she began to feel more in control. The caffeine was probably helping as her neurons began firing again at a normal rate.

Alexander threw some bacon into the hot skillet and then jerked back as it immediately began to sizzle and pop. Val rushed around the counter and pushed him to the side as she turned the burner down. It had been turned on high and she lifted the skillet for a moment to let it cool down before returning it to the burner.

"I guess they don't teach you how to cook bacon in CEO school," Val joked.

Val noticed he had the knife held in a death grip, veins all along his arm popping out more than usual. He must have noticed her attention because he slowly let go of the knife and grabbed a bowl, cracking in some eggs. He cursed as he began trying to dig out chunks of shell that kept escaping his finger.

"Here, let me show you something," Val said.

She pushed lightly on his arm to move him to the side, ignoring the jolt she felt at the contact, but he hissed at the contact. Val withdrew and looked at him in concern.

"Are you okay?" she asked him.

"I'm fine. And no, I've never needed to cook before," Alexander said as he stepped aside.

Val shrugged it off and grabbed one of the discarded shells and scooped out a chunk in the bowl.

"It is easier to scoop out with the shell, it is already coated in the same material, so it doesn't try to run away," she instructed.

She looked up at him and held out the shell to him. He looked at her curiously before taking the shell, his fingers lightly brushing against hers. She felt those damned bolts of electricity from the contact but found herself unable to pull back from him.

"How do you make me feel this way?" Val asked him in a daze.

"I don't know what you mean," Alexander responded.

He was lying Val realized as he turned away from her and resumed scooping out shells. He knew exactly what she was talking about, and he had her answer. If he was lycan, it would not be breaking the rules to ask him but if they were wrong and he was human, it would be. Conundrums.

"You never had to cook for yourself in college?" Val asked instead.

"I came from money, I've always had people to do it for me or went out," he told her.

"Where are those people now?" Val asked, indicating the lack of people present.

He looked at her briefly before discarding the shells and grabbing a fork to whip the eggs.

"I decided it was time to break from tradition after the last nanny," he said.

"What happened?" Val asked.

She was suddenly curious to know what had driven the rapid succession of nannies in this household and what caused such a drastic change in their lifestyles. Lily and AJ sometimes complained the penthouse was too quiet now and would mention names she was unfamiliar with. She had been left with the notion that until shortly before her arrival, there had been a whole staff present.

"She came up with the notion that she belonged in my bed. I had to disabuse her of that sentiment when I found her waiting for me naked," Alexander said.

He whipped the eggs with extra fervor until Val placed her hand on his. She ignored the tingles as he inhaled deeply and looked at her. She cocked a questioning brow at him.

"You are the first woman in a long time that hasn't immediately thrown themselves at me," he admitted. "I also realized I was doing my children a disservice by having people around to do everything for them. I don't want them to be raised in the same distant manner I was."

"If you keep whipping those eggs with that much aggression, you'll end up with meringue instead of a scramble," Val pointed out.

Alexander looked down at the eggs and suddenly burst out in laughter. His whole demeanor changed as he relaxed and pulled Val into his arms. She stiffened immediately but relaxed when she realized he was not looking for anything sexual as he laughed into her hair.

"I was watching videos on the internet last night to learn how to do this," he admitted. "It appears I still have much to learn. Thank you."