Mated to the Alpha and His Beta

Braden

| threw a bundle of clothes at Lanie’s feet.

“There,” | said. “You can shift now, gorgeous.”

I spun around and faced the trees,

| won't even look. Even though the last time | saw you, you didn’t seem to mind...

There was a rustling sound behind me, and then her voice.

“| don’t know who the f uck you think | am, but you've got it all wrong,” she said.

| turned around to face her. If I’d had breath to lose, it would’ve been gone. I'd forgotten how unbelievably beautiful she was, even in my sweats and a hoodie.

That cinn amon hair, all long and wild, that perfect face, that intoxicating scent, and the way her nose wrinkled when she was irritated.

Which she obviously was right now.

Her arms were crossed, and her hip was co cked to one side.

“You're kidding, right? Or is this all part of your disappearing act?” | asked, studying her face for signs that she was joking.

But she just looked confused.

“| don’t know what act you're talking about.” She lifted her arm and inhaled, then stuck out her tongue ast if gagging

“What, the clothes aren't to your liking?”

She shook her head. “No, they just smell like vampire.

now are you?”

| narrowed my eyes at her. “Oh, so you're holding that against me now,

“What do you mean “now”?” she asked. “I don’t know who the hell you are or why you think you know who | am”

| thought back to the last time I'd spoken to a shifter | talked to Gabriela shortly after Lanie had been freed from Aldon’s prison, and she told me that Lanie had disappeared herself and would be laying low

indefinitely.

With the Council sniffing around Constantine and on high alert for vampires, Lanie thought it was too dangerous to stay in the territory as a hybrid.

This woman standing in front of me looked like the Lanie I’d known, but she really seemed to have no clue at all who | was. She was either an incredible actress or something very strange was going on.

“You really don’t have any idea who | am, do you?” | asked her.

She glared at me. “Did | not just say that?”

Da mn, she was still as fiery as | remembered her being.

“I'm Braden. We were friends once,” | said carefully, not sure how she would take this news.

Her brows knitted together. “Were we really?”

Did she actually not remember? Had the Constantines done something to her?

“Yes,” | said. “We met here another time when you were feeling...distressed.”

She stuck her bottom lip out. | wanted to sink my teeth into it.

“How did you know I’m distressed?” she asked me warily.

Tve to

told you before, | can smell you from a mile away’ | told her. “More boy troubles this time?”

She scoffed. “That's none of your business!”

“Til take that as a yes.”

She grunted a non-response.

I'd missed winding her up like this.

“Man, this is just like the first time we met,” | said.

“| wish you'd stop acting like we're besties,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I can’t imagine being that tight withProperty of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

a vampire.”

Dam n, had whatever happened to her made her forget that she was a vampire, too?

“You don’t like vampires?”

“| don’t know.” She shrugged. “Aren’t they, like, the enemies of wolf shifters?”

“In fairytales, maybe,” | said, stepping closer to her. “Do | seem like your enemy?”

She looked me up and down.

I could tell she liked what she saw.

“Remains to be seen,” she said.

But | could feel her defenses breaking down already, and thank the go ds for that. I'd missed her these last few months.

id know

| still didn’t know why she didn’t remember me or the part of herself that made us so alike, but | did that | didn’t want to lose her again like | did before. We had to be sneakier this time.

“You said we were friends once.” She eyed me curiously. “Could you tell me more about what it was like back then?” she asked 2/3

“| might be able to help you out,” | said, “But not today, let’s meet tomorrow.”

“Where?”

Iturned to walk back into the forest.

“You'll see.”