Lexi’s POV

Waiting for that e-mail sucked. I hardly slept, when I did, it was only for a couple hours. I was awake before 8AM, clicking the ‘check e-mail’ button every 5 seconds. I should have known that the e-mail was going to be late. Everything runs a little late in the Los Angeles Police Department.

The e-mail came at 10:30. The download felt like it took another hour, but it was closer to five minutes. The anticipation was killing me. The note my informant sent me was weird.  He asked if I was doing a research piece. I couldn’t respond until I saw the documents. I couldn't tell him I was getting information on this guy because he was murdering if this guy was believed to be dead.

I had been warned not to trust the young faces I saw as their real age. I didn’t have the exact ages of the guys in this pack, but I knew they were older than me, even if I was the oldest looking one in the bunch.

There was a birth and death certificate, as well as a rap sheet and a couple news paper clippings.

According to his birth certificate he was born in the summer of 1908. My jaw dropped. He hadn’t looked like he was over 100 years old last night. He looked like he could be younger than me! The death certificate suggested that he died when he was 22 from falling into a ravine. His body was never found.

Of course there would have had to be a cover up. You can’t just live 100 years without there being any suspicion, right? Would that mean that they’d need to make the world think I was dead? Would my few friends mourn my fake death?

Roger Millender hadn’t been a good guy when he had been a human. He had been arrested multiple times on kidnapping and child abuse charges. That was only what he’d been caught doing. The newspaper clippings had warned people to stay away from the young man. That he was dangerous and to keep children away from him, there was even an emphasis on keeping young girls away from him.

He had probably stared too long and made someone uncomfortable. But it could make sense. The pack hated this man. Did that mean that he tried to go after the children while he was here? Did he try to steal the little girl away from her family? There would be no way I would trust him around little girls.

The man was sick, but he was also a survivor. A man who preyed on children couldn’t last long in the werewolf world without being a survivor.

Mason’s POV

That minute we had to wait for Mikko was more of an exaggeration. Of course he couldn’t be on time. We had already been waiting for him to take time out of his busy schedule to drop by after the first killing, but no. We had to find five bodies before Mikko could show face.

We were waiting three hours for him. We were trying to eat dinner when Mikko barged in. We all heard him coming; Lexi was the only one who flinched when the door banged open. The children didn’t even flinch; they had grown up in this house, so they weren’t very skittish.

I was surprised she’d want to be in the same room as me. But then again she was so stubborn that she was probably just doing it to show me she could. I knew she was afraid of me. Everyone in this room (children excluded) could smell that she was afraid. Though, she did a great job at not showing it in front of the kids.

“Grab a plate, you’re probably starving.” Casey said as she didn’t even look over. The woman was probably keeping tabs on him all the way over here. It didn’t matter that his mind was shielded to her; she could still sense him coming. Hell, he probably reached out to her to identify himself so she didn’t knock him on his ass as soon as he got near the house.

No one got close to this woman’s kid without a warning. She’d kill anyone to protect the little brat.

“Smells good.” Mikko complimented and grabbed a plate from the counter.

He set his full plate of food down right next to Lexi. He noticed her stiffen. Her wolf was probably screaming at her that she didn’t want Mikko so close. Mikko was a very powerful, very dominate wolf, which means that he’d need half a second to deal with her if she stepped out of line. That was a lot of pressure for a new wolf.

If she knew him, she’d know that he was a good guy. He had to deal out punishments because he was his father’s enforcer. The head alpha couldn’t leave his territory every time there’s a misbehaving wolf.

“So you’re the new girl.” Mikko said gently as he sat down. He didn’t want Lexi to panic.

Lexi slightly nodded.

“I hear you’re breaking records for gaining control over your wolf.” Lexi looked uncomfortable. “I’m Mikko, the head alpha’s son.”

I recognized that smile he was giving her. I’d seen it before when he tried to pick up women. Usually it worked. But it was too soon after dealing with Millender. She should be super cautious, especially of someone who tried to put moves on her.

But, to my annoyance, she smiled right back at him.

“So how’s that kid cooking Mikko?” Last I heard he knocked up some chick and she had to live with him now. Mikko had a lot of enemies; most of them would take the chance to get at his first child to blackmail him.

Casey squealed, “I almost completely forgot! When is Emily due? Do you know what you’re having yet?”

Mikko’s smile changed when he looked at me. He knew what I was doing. I was cock-blocking.

Women weren’t too keen on taking another’s baby daddy before they even had their own kid.

“She’s due soon. After this is over I get to go home until she has the kid. She’s due in a few weeks.”

The women kept the topic on babies for the rest of the meal.

Fortunately, that didn’t have to last long. We managed to escape to the office to talk with Mikko. This wasn’t a conversation anyone wanted the kids to hear. We didn’t even have a chance to talk about anything when Casey walked in.

“What would you say if I could get you guys an opportunity to get Millender?” She asked sweetly.

Grayson sighed, “And how would you do that? You can’t get a reading on him.”

She nodded, “I know that, but Lexi agreed to a second date with him.”

“No.” I left no room for negotiation.

Her head whipped to me. “You don’t get to put your foot down on this.” She looked at her husband. “He’ll show up. You know he will. He’s looking for an opportunity to get at someone. This is perfect.”

“You want to put her in harm’s way after you came screaming at us for not protecting her?” Grayson shook his head, “The first time we let her go was negligent, I’m not allowing that again.”

“We could follow her and get Millender secluded.” She argued.

Mikko shook his head, “That’s not a great idea. If they’re meeting on a date, that means there will be humans around. This guy isn’t going to take her anywhere that the pack frequently goes to. He’ll risk exposure. If you trap him around humans like that, the loss of life will be high.”

“Then she can lure him away from the humans.”

Again, Mikko shook his head, “So he can slip away? You know Millender’s fast.”

She put her hands on her hips, “Then what are we going to do?”

Mikko smiled at Casey, “That’s why I’m here sweetheart.”

Grayson’s growl rumbled at Mikko’s back. He smiled sheepishly at my brother, “Sorry, it’s a habit.”

“Not with my wife.” Grayson showed Casey out of the room. They argued for all of two seconds before he locked her out of the office. She probably huffed and puffed down the hallway.

Lexi's POV

I checked my makeup and studied myself in the mirror. I looked cute. I didn't want to come off looking sexy.

I didn't want RJ…Roger expecting anything.

I had to be a little late. But I couldn't show up so late that he'd think I didn't want this.

I nervously stepped out of the car and straightened out my dress. It was something to dance in.

Casey informed me that the men had decided that they didn't want me to go. She didn't order me to cancel the date and she didn’t say that the men had forbidden me from going. If I could get him to follow my plan, I'd be dragging him home unconscious. I couldn't let him run free. He was going to kill someone else and I couldn't have that.

So I met him. I tried to act normal; though I'm sure it came off like I was acting weird.

I knew I'm not a great actress.

"Everything okay?" He looked and sounded genuinely concerned.

I nodded and tried my best to smile. "Yeah, it’s just a little migraine."

He looked me over. Maybe I did look convincing. "You want to get out of here?"

He held out his hand for me to take. I sighed and looked right into his eyes. He was so good at this. I couldn't see any deception. I couldn't see the psycho killer which was lurking just under the surface.

I took the offered hand and made sure I remembered to smile. "Sure. Let's get out of here."

Once we were alone. I had to incapacitate him. That would be risky. I had stolen a few syringes from the center console of one of the SUV's meant to transport the wolves that were having issues with control. One knocked me completely out, I hoped that three would do the trick for him.

I was sure no one at the pack house would realize what happened until I was already back with Millender.

He even opened the door of his car for me, the gentleman. He smiled at me when he turned onto the main road. "So where should I take you? Home or to my place?"

I smiled at him. "Your place." I’d have to remember to come pick up the car in the morning. I just hoped it wasn’t going to get towed.

He nodded then stepped on the accelerator a bit. He didn't live in an apartment complex like I thought he would. He lived in a tiny cottage with its own private road and everything. At least there wouldn't be any spectators or witnesses when I stabbed him with the drug filled syringes.

"This is nice and cozy." I complimented as I got out of the car.

He smiled at me. I couldn't help but think that the twinkle in his eye meant he knew what I was up to. My cover was blown.

I pushed my insecurities back. There was always the chance that he thought he was going to get laid tonight. That thought makes a guy smile.

"It's even cozier inside."

He led me to the front door. If he thought I was going to get him, he wouldn't have turned his back to me…right? I opened my bag as quietly as I could and reached the syringes.

"That's not a good idea." He muttered as he unlocked the door. He didn't even sound worried. He didn’t even glance back at me to see what I was doing. He just knew.

He whirled around so fast I didn't see him move. He was just as fast as Mason. I was incredibly outmatched here...where there was no one to help me.

He had his hand around my throat. I hadn't even realized his hand was so huge. It almost circled completely around my neck. I stuck the needles in his arm but only managed to deliver two of the doses. He lifted me up and threw me into the house.

"That's not nearly enough little girl."

I came into contact with the first feature of the house, the spiral staircase that led upstairs. It felt like my head had split open. My bloody hand confirmed it. I was so screwed.

I should have listened to what they told me. I should’ve made Casey aware that I was going to go through with my plan. I should have at least left a note.

Roger stood over me with a smug smile on his face. "I can see why he likes you. You are a feisty one. You even manage to be cute, though you're not my type."

I tried to back away from him, but my hand slipped on the polished stairs, smeared my blood across it and caused more pain where the stairs connected with my backside.

"Are you batting for the other team?" I taunted, getting my sharp tongue from my wolf. She definitely is fearless. Maybe that would help me survive. I needed a miracle if I was going to survive.

"No. My type is quite younger than you."

Rage shot through me. "You sick bastard!"

He smirked. "There's that feistiness again. I really do like it."

A wave of drowsiness ran through me. I shook my head to clear my mind a bit.

"That's not going to help. You're losing a lot of blood." His smile grew.

"When you wake up you're will be all washed up and tied up." He whispered into my ear. I hated to admit it, but I was passing out. If he promised what he said, he’d have access to my body while I was unconscious. He could do anything he wanted and I would be powerless to stop him.

Here had been my golden opportunity and I'd wasted it.

Mason's POV

Mikko sat looking over the paperwork Lexi had gathered up. It hadn’t been hard to get access to her computer files. Jack had become quite the computer whiz in the past few years.

"This girl is really neat. Everything is clear and precise."

Grayson nodded, "She was a cop before she was attacked."

Mikko smiled knowingly. "She's the one the LA alpha complained about. He said you stole her from his territory."

"Finders keepers." Grayson said with a smile as he eyed me for a second.

Mikko’s annoying smile didn’t go away. "He didn't like that rule when I pointed that out to him. Plus he didn’t like the fact that she was changed right under his nose and he didn’t know about it." Mikko was then serious. "What are you planning on doing with her once she's trained?"

"Send her up to Finn and she'll go where she wants to go."

Mikko nodded, pleased with Grayson's answer. "This isn't the ideal pack for an unmated female. There are too many males willing to overpower her after 6 months of not getting any."

I didn't necessarily like the idea of her being moved again. She seemed to be coming into her own here. Moving her would make her have to start all over again.

Casey looked irritated when she came into the study and she came right for me. I didn't move as the angry woman came towards me. There was nothing she could do to really hurt me. She was a mother. Her instinct was to protect and coddle.

But the psycho woman punched me right in the nuts which sent me directly to my knees and unable to breathe. Mikko and Grayson stifled their laughs.

"What did you do to her this time?" She yelled into my ear, which wasn't very inconvenient since I doubled over in pain.

"I haven't seen her." I gasped as I tried to breathe again.

"I can't sense her anymore." Casey sounded worried, sad even.

I reached through the pack bonds. She was gone, erased from the pack bonds like she never existed.

Grayson growled, "Mated."

I shook my head automatically, "She wouldn't complete the bond with him. She knows he's crazy."

“Well she’s gone and no one felt her die." Grayson snapped. "That leaves two options: she left, or she's been mated to someone outside the pack bonds.”

“Maybe she got fed up with you and took the first offer she could.” Casey said disgusted.

I recognized that Casey was taking a dig at me. “Blow me.” I spat back.

Grayson stood and leaned forward on his desk. “Watch how you speak to my wife.” He threatened.

This was getting too heated. If we kept going, it would be a fight between brothers over something stupid. I wasn't going to believe that Lexi had mated with that bastard.

So I left.

Lexi's POV

When I came back from unconsciousness I knew I was in trouble. What Roger said stuck with me through my unconsciousness. I could feel his presence close to me, even with my eyes closed. He had a plan for me. He wanted me to do something for him. What could I do that another werewolf couldn’t do? I didn't feel dried blood on my face, so he had come through on his promise to clean me up. Maybe he didn't plan on killing me. He wouldn't have cleaned me and tied me up if he planned on killing me. Well, at least I had some time to try to escape.

When the door opened I immediately looked over. I cringed when my neck burned. It felt like I had cranked it. Roger smiled looking down on me. It wasn't a mean smile or a gloating smile. It was one of the smiles I had liked when I didn't know who he really was. It was charming and it made him look human.

I knew something was wrong. I didn't feel connected to the pack anymore. There was constantly a sense that there was always someone with me. I wasn't alone. But now, the small connection I felt to someone was weak. Something was very wrong.

I wasn't in a cage, it was a simple room. This cottage didn’t look like it was built to hold werewolves. Though that wasn’t really an issue since I had been drugged before. If I had woken up alone, I might have had a chance to escape, but Roger was around, so I couldn’t.

I tugged at the ropes that kept me tied up. I could slip out of them if I had enough time.

"Good to see you awake. I was a little worried for a bit." His voice was strangely appealing. He had the most angelic voice I had ever heard. I sat up and felt a wave of nausea. "Your head wound is still healing, you shouldn’t move so quickly." His concern felt real.

"What are you going to do with me?" My voice was weak. It probably had something to do with my dry mouth. I couldn't tug very hard at the ropes around my wrists without him noticing.

"I want you to get something for me." He leaned against the wall.

I huffed, "Why can't you get it yourself?" I felt the rope slip a little on my wrist. I was on my way to getting free.

"I can't get into the main pack house."

I shook my head slowly. I didn't want to get dizzy again. "I'm not stealing from them. The pack has done too much for me and I'm not a thief."

Rage crossed his features for a second before his calm facade returned. He crouched down next to me and caressed my face. "You're going to do what I want you to do, or there will be many more deaths." His touch was delightful on my skin. I didn't want him to stop touching me. "They're all your responsibility to rescue. One small little thing will save the life of your future pack mates." He was trying to manipulate me.

I needed to stay focused on what I came here for. I knew that once he got what he wanted, he’d kill me.

"What do you want from them?" One of my hands was almost free from the bindings now. I wished I could just break the ropes free, but if I did then he’d hear the fibers breaking.

"It's who rather than a what." His smile turned excited. He must have thought I was willing to help him out. Maybe he thought that I'd consider the trade worth it. A growing part of me wanted to help him get whatever he wanted. It was getting harder and harder to keep a grip on what I came here for. Roger had killed five pack members. Now he wanted to kidnap someone.

"You want me to kidnap a person?"

He nodded with a huge smile on his face. "She won't give you any problems. All you have to do is tell her that she's coming to see me and she'll follow you right out the door."

I rolled my eyes at him. I didn't know any woman at the pack house who would willingly walk out the door for him.

He grabbed me by my neck and brought me up to his face. My neck burned with the force of the stretching. But there was that great feeling where his skin connected with mine again. "Do you want to die?"

I didn't answer him. Of course I didn't want to die. No one really wanted to die.

He shook me which sent sparks of pain from my neck and down my back. I was going to have some serious bruises when he let me go. I welcomed the freedom of being let go, but I also dreaded the loss of contact that came with it.

"When I ask you a question, I expect you to answer it." He caressed my hair with his free hand. "So I'll ask you again. Do you want to die?"

"No." It even hurt to talk. There was too much stress in my neck.

He smiled that nice charming smile again. "Good. Then you'll listen to me.  And if you try to cross me, I'll kill everyone." He dropped me.

I landed on my wrists and felt sharp pain run up my arms. Luckily I didn't think they were broken. They were just going to make using them a bit difficult.

"You still haven't told me who you want me to kidnap for you."

He smiled. "I like that you're being compliant. You're much more compliant than those other recruits. But you're a smart girl weren't you?"

"You haven't answered my question." My hand slipped out of the rope. With the extra slack, the rope practically fell off my other wrist.

"The other recruits chose to die rather than give into my little request."

"Answer my question!" I growled out. I had enough with him avoiding my question.

He slapped me. "Normally I'd hate hitting women, but you're going to be the exception if you try to boss me around."

The slap wasn't very hard. I gripped the rope with both hands. "Well answer my question and I won't have to pester you." If I could get him to come at me again, I could get the rope around his neck and choke him out… If I did everything perfect.

He crossed his arms over his chest, showing just how powerful he was. He stroked his chin as he looked down on me. "I want to add a special member to our pack."

I felt a little twinge of something… maybe jealousy? I knew he was a bad person, but I wanted him to like me... and I couldn’t explain why. "And who is this special person?"

He smirked as he crouched down to my level. "If I knew the bond could be so powerful against women I would've considered this earlier." He caressed my cheek which left trails of tingles wherever he touched me. I felt so much more relieved when he touched me."You're going to bring Willow back here, to me."

"Willow Muse? The child?"

He nodded with a smile. "The three of us can make the perfect pack." It felt like a lie. My wolf was willing to overlook the lie.

I wasn't. "You're lying to me." The hurt was obvious in my voice. I hated being lied to. I was worth so much more than lies. "What aren't you telling me?"

He scrunched his nose, he wasn’t in the least pleased. "It's not your place to question my orders."

It didn't feel like an order. When I had received orders from Grayson or Mason, they sunk down to my bones and left no room for negotiation. Chris's orders had more effect on me than Roger's did.

"They would kill me if I tried to kidnap Willow. She's very dear to them."

"She's special to me!" He yelled in clear rage.

It irked me that she was so special to him. She’s a child. A child should only be that special to its family. "I can be special to you."

He stroked my cheek once and trailed down to my neck.  He put his hand around my throat. "You are going to obey me, mate, or I will kill you."

There was a small window of clarity as he choked me. I was free. I could fight back. I couldn't let this guy kill me. When he saw me coming at him with the rope, his fingers caught the rope before I could tighten it very much around his throat. I pushed him away from me by placing my feet on his hips and pushing him out. While at the same time I pulled at the rope, trying to tighten it around his throat.

His eyes sparked amber streaks.

He pulled the rope from his neck like he was bench pressing a lot of weight; he just had to put some effort into it. The rope snapped when I tried to tighten it. He fell on top of me and slammed his elbow into the side of my face. Pain exploded in my cheek bone. 

Before I could even recover he brought his fist down on the other side of my face.

He breathed heavily as he rose to his knees over me. I couldn't help the tears that fell from my eyes. I had never really been hit before so I couldn't ever predict how I'd react. The pain was immense.

"Maybe I should just kill you." He said thoughtfully. He smiled as he looked me over. “No. I have a better plan.”

He hit me in the head twice more before I finally blacked out.