Chapter 11
I was just finishing up my third cup of coffee, reviewing a report on my computer, when Levi appeared in my doorway.
Like usual, he didn’t bother to knock. He just strolled in like he owned the fucking place and closed the door behind him, his face set in that look he got when he was gearing up for a lecture.
“Goody!” I thought.
“Morning, Levi,” I said, not looking up from my screen. “Is this about the new contracts, or did Jax break the espresso machine again?”
“Nope,” Levi replied. He leaned against the doorframe; his arms crossed over his chest. “This is about the new girl.”
I finally glanced up, giving him a flat stare. “Audrey.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You brought a human into Arrhythmia, Mack. You know that’s against the rules. The council’s gonna’ lose their minds if they find out. She’s not even… one of us. What were you thinking?”
I bristled at his words. My beast immediately pushed to the surface.
“Tell him to back off,” my bear grumbled, not in the mood for anyone questioning us about our mate.
“She’s my assistant. I need someone I can trust, not the parade of thieves and con artists I’ve had lately.
Lisa stole millions from us. Now, we have to track her down and hope like fuck we can get our money back from the conniving demon.
” I said, keeping my voice calm even though my blood was heating up.
Levi shook his head. “You’re not hearing me. You could be in serious shit for this, Mack. If the council finds out, it won’t just be you on the line. You could put the whole damn town at risk.”
I crossed my arms, jaw clenched. “You’re making a mountain out of a molehill.
She’s not just my assistant,” I said, my voice low and lethal, telling him to back the fuck off.
“She’s my mate, Levi. I will be damned if anyone—including the fucking council, or you, gets in my way when it comes to her. ”
Levi’s eyes went wide for half a second before he scowled. “Are you out of your fucking mind? Mack, you barely know this woman. You sure about this?”
I stood up, feeling the familiar surge of protectiveness that always came with thoughts of Audrey.
“I don’t just know it. I can feel it. My bear knows it.
She’s the one. I don’t expect you to get it.
Hell, I wouldn’t have believed it myself until now.
You know that story about knowing your mate instantly that we all rolled our eyes over? ”
“Yeah. It’s just a fucking story, Mack.”
“The hell it is. I knew the second her scent hit my damn nose. Wait. You’ll see.”
Levi looked like he wanted to argue, but I could tell the wheels were turning in his head. “This is gonna’ blow up if you’re not careful. Did you at least tell her what she’s landed in the middle of?”
“Not yet. I will, but not until she’s ready.
She’s got enough to deal with, just getting her feet under her.
I’m not going to dump all of Arrhythmia’s secrets on her first thing.
” I ran a hand through my hair, my beast restless beneath my skin.
He didn’t like being questioned about his mate, and neither did I.
Levi shook his head again, but his tone softened just a little. “This is risky, Mack. You get caught; you’re on your own. I’m not covering for you with the council.”
“I don’t need you to cover for me,” I snapped. “Just mind your own business. Let me worry about and protect what’s mine.”
Levi studied me for a long moment, then finally nodded. “You’ve got balls, I’ll give you that. Stupid as hell, but balls. I hope you’re right about her.”
He turned to leave, pausing at the door. “If anyone else gets wind of this, you’d better have your story straight.”
“I always do,” I replied, feeling the steel in my voice.
When the door shut behind him, I blew out a slow breath. My bear was pacing, ready to tear apart anyone who threatened what we’d finally found. Audrey was my mate, and I’d fight the whole damn council if I had to. No one was taking her away from me.
“Ours,” my bear growled, satisfied.
Yeah. Ours.
I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop. Not really.
I’d gone looking for the copy machine, and when I got back to my desk with an armful of file folders pressed to my chest, I could hear the raised, tense voices coming from Mack’s office.
I heard Levi’s voice, tight and low—“…you brought a human into Arrhythmia, Mack. You know that’s against the rules. ”
I froze, my fingers squeezing the edges of the files. Human. The word echoed in my head. I edged closer, careful not to make a sound. Was Mack in trouble because of me?
The conversation inside was muffled, but the anger was unmistakable.
I caught words like “council,” “risk,” and “mate.” My heart thudded in my chest as Levi’s voice grew sharper.
“You’re not hearing me. You could be in serious shit for this, Mack.
If the council finds out, it won’t just be you on the line.
You could put the whole damn town at risk. ”
My ears burned, the shock of it all rooting me in place. What was I missing? Rules? Council? I didn’t remember seeing anything about a council or rules when I applied for this job. Something inside me twisted as I put the pieces together.
“She’s not just my assistant. She’s my mate, Levi. I will be damned if anyone—including the council, or you—gets in my way when it comes to her.”
Mate? My breath caught in my throat. I felt like I was going to pass the fuck out. The word didn’t sound like just a term of endearment. It sounded… primal. Final. Even dangerous.
A dull ringing filled my ears as I pressed my back against the wall, trying to disappear into the shadows.
Had I misunderstood? Was I just being paranoid?
But then I remembered the forum posts I’d read late one night, about Arrhythmia being a place for “castaway paranormals” and “misfit monsters.” At the time, I’d rolled my eyes, convinced it was a joke, some kind of local myth.
But now, with Mack’s words echoing in my mind, I wasn’t so sure.
Bits and pieces came back to me—flashes of odd moments.
The way Mack had handled James. How had he even known that I was in trouble?
The day I’d seen a huge bear getting ready to eat Muffin.
The way he’d growled—actually growled—at Colt and Jax in the office just this morning.
The animal magnetism, the way he seemed larger than life, like he belonged to a world that was wilder and older than this one.
Was Mack… dangerous? Was he human? Was he a freaking bear? Or something else altogether?
My mind spun. My gut filled with panic and told me to run out the door and never look back.
But my heart hesitated.
Did it really matter?
Mack had protected me, stood up for me against James, and made me feel safer than I’d ever been in my life. He cooked for me, made me laugh, and looked at me like I was the only person in the world. Did it truly matter if he had secrets?
The door to his office opened suddenly, making me jump. I ducked around the corner before Levi or Mack could spot me. My breath came fast and shallow as I listened to Levi’s heavy footsteps fade down the hall, then the softer sound of Mack blowing out a breath on the other side of the door.
I pressed my hand to my chest, trying to steady my heart. If Mack was—if Arrhythmia really was—what those crazy online posts said it was, then I’d wandered into something far stranger than a simple new job.
But wasn’t that what I’d wanted? A new life, a fresh start, something wild and different? Here was my shot at it.
I made my way back to my desk, the file folders forgotten.
My mind replayed every moment since I’d arrived in Arrhythmia.
From the warmth of Mack’s kitchen to the easy camaraderie of his team.
To the fact that everyone seemed to watch me like I was the new fish in a very odd pond.
Did they all know something that I didn’t?
I stared at my computer screen, seeing nothing, my thoughts racing. Could I handle this? The fact that everything I’d researched about the town was true.
Mind fucking blown.
Was I brave enough to stay? I guess only time would tell.
The only thing I knew for certain was that Mack was more than he appeared. And maybe, just maybe, so was I.
I glanced down at my hands, feeling the faintest tremble. If he was a bear—or something like it—should I be afraid, or did it just make the impossible seem possible? After all, life had never been gentle with me. Maybe it was time to stop wishing for something ordinary.
From Mack’s office, I heard his chair creak, the low rumble of his voice on the phone. I took another deep breath, straightened my dress, and decided I’d do what I’d always done: take it one step at a time, secrets and all.
And if Mack Kingston really was some kind of monster, he was my monster. For now, that was enough.