Reaper moved fast. One second Luna sat behind him on the bike, the next his hand wrapped around her arm pulling her toward a building at the back of the compound. His grip was firm but not painful. She stumbled trying to keep up with his long legs.

"Hey, I can walk by myself."

He ignored her. The crowd of bikers parted as he walked through them. Some stared at Luna with open eyes. Others looked confused. A woman with short dark hair and scars along her jaw shook her head slowly.

"Reaper, what are you doing?" The woman's voice cut through the noise.

"Church. Five minutes." He didn't slow down or look back.

They reached a door. He yanked it open and pulled Luna inside. The room was small and dark. He turned on the light from the switch. The fluorescent bulbs came to life overhead.

An office. Desk covered in maps and papers. Filing cabinets along one wall. Photos tacked to a corkboard showing groups of people in those same leather vests. A MC clubhouse office.

Reaper finally let go of her arm. He walked to the desk and placed his hands on it. His shoulders rose and fell with deep breaths like he was trying to calm himself.

Luna stayed by the door. Her hand found the doorknob behind her back just in case she needed to run.

"Sit." He pointed at a leather chair without turning around.

"I'd rather stand."

"I wasn't asking." He turned to face her. Those gold eyes seemed to glow brighter in the indoor lighting. "Sit down Luna."

Something in his voice made her legs move before her brain caught up. She sat. Hated that she obeyed but her body responded to the command anyway.

He studied her for a long moment. His nostrils widen again like he was scenting the air.

"How much do you know?" His voice came out rough.

"About what?"

"Don't play games. You said werewolves. How much do you actually know?"

Luna pulled the flash drive from her pocket and set it on the desk between them. "Everything on here. Twenty years of research. Medical records. Experiment logs. Financial transactions. Video footage."

Reaper stared at the small device like it might explode. "Where did you get this?"

"I stole it from a Blackwood facility three nights ago. There was a scientist, Dr. Chen. She worked there for three years before she couldn't take it anymore. She told me where to find the proof."

"And you just broke in? Just like that?"

Luna lifted her chin. "I'm a journalist. This is what I do. I chase stories nobody else will touch."

"This isn't a story." He picked up the flash drive. "This is a death sentence. For you. For everyone you show it to. For my entire pack if Blackwood thinks we have it."

"Pack." Luna repeated the word. "So it's true. All of it."

"Yeah. It's true." He plugged the flash drive into his computer. The screen lit up with folders. Hundreds of files. He clicked through them. His jaw got tighter with each one he opened.

Luna watched his face. Saw anger there. Pain too. Recognition.

"You know some of these people." It wasn't a question.

"This one." He pointed at a file. "James Morrison. His pack was in Oregon. We heard they got hit by hunters two years ago. Blackwood took credit for it but we thought he just killed them." He opened another file. "Sarah and Michael Torres. Mates. From a pack in Arizona. Disappeared last year."

"They're still alive. Some of them." Luna leaned forward. "I saw holding cells. Silver lined. There were people in them. I thought they were human test subjects but if they were werewolves..."

Reaper slammed his fist on the desk. The wood cracked under the impact. Luna jumped back in her chair.

"Sorry." He held up his hands. "Sorry. I'm not going to hurt you. I just..." He ran his fingers through his hair. "This is bigger than I thought. Blackwood's been hunting us for years but I didn't know he was keeping prisoners. Didn't know about experiments."

"There's more." Luna's stomach dropped. "There are references to something called Project Lycaon. They mention Alpha DNA. Pack hierarchies. They're trying to weaponize what you are."

A knock sounded at the door. The scarred woman from before walked in without waiting for permission. She looked at Luna then at Reaper.

"Everyone's waiting. You want to explain why you brought a human here?"

"Not now Raven."

"Yes now. Snake wants her gone. Half the pack agrees with him. You can't just bring some random woman into the compound without explanation."

"She's not random."

Raven crossed her arms. "Then what is she?"

Reaper opened his mouth then closed it. He looked at Luna. Something passed over his face that she couldn't read. Confusion maybe. Fear definitely.

"I don't know yet," he finally said.

"That's not good enough."

"It has to be. Give me an hour. I'll call church and explain everything."

Raven studied Luna for another moment. "One hour. Then Snake's going to push for a vote." She left without closing the door behind her.

Silence filled the office. Luna's heart beat fast in her chest. She didn't understand what just happened but the tension in the room felt thick enough to choke on.

"What's church?" she asked.

"Pack meeting. Leadership votes on important decisions." Reaper pulled out his phone. "I need to make some calls. You stay here."

"I'm not a dog you can order around."

His head snapped up. Those gold eyes locked on hers. "No. You're not. But you're in danger and so is everyone here because of what you're carrying. So for once in your life, just do what you're told."

Luna stood up. "I didn't ask you to save me. I didn't ask to be brought here. If I'm such a problem, I'll leave."

She made it two steps toward the door before he moved. Suddenly he was right in front of her blocking her path. She hadn't seen him cross the room. One second he was at the desk, the next he stood inches away.

"You can't leave." His voice dropped lower. "Blackwood knows you were on that highway. He'll have men searching every mile of desert between here and Nevada. You walk out that gate, you're dead within an hour."

"Then what do you suggest?"

"You stay. Under pack protection. Until we figure out what to do with that evidence."

Luna tilted her head back to meet his eyes. He was so close she could feel heat radiating off his body. Could smell that sage and leather scent again. Her pulse increased rapidly.

"Why?" The word came out softer than she meant it to. "Why help me? You don't know me. I'm putting your pack at risk. Why not just take the flash drive and throw me out?"

Reaper's hand lifted like he was going to touch her face. He stopped himself halfway. His fingers curled into a fist that he dropped back to his side.

"I don't know," he said quietly. "I just know that letting you go isn't an option."

The door burst open. A man stormed in. Tall, muscular, bald with a gray beard. His vest had different patches than the others. Vice President written on one.

"We need to talk. Now." He glared at Luna. "Without her."

"Bones, this isn't the time."

"There's never a good time with you lately. But this can't wait." Bones jerked his thumb toward Luna. "Snake's gathering support for a challenge. He thinks you're compromised. I think she's Blackwood's plant."

"She's not."

"Then what is she? Why are you protecting some human you just met?"

Reaper's hands clenched into fists at his sides. A low sound rumbled in his chest that sounded too much like a growl to be human.

"Because she's mine."

The words hung in the air between them. Luna's breath caught. Bones' eyes went wide.

"That's not possible," Bones said slowly.

"I know."

"Humans can't be mates."

"I know."

"Then you're wrong. You have to be wrong."

"I'm not." Reaper's voice carried absolute certainty. "The second I caught her scent, my wolf knew. She's my mate Bones. Even if it shouldn't be possible."

Luna's legs went weak. She grabbed the edge of the desk for support. "What are you talking about? What's a mate?"

Both men turned to look at her. Reaper's expression was almost apologetic. Bones just looked stunned and suprised.

"Tell her," Bones said. "She deserves to know what you just claimed."

Reaper took a step toward Luna. She held up her hand stopping him.

"Explain. Now."

"A mate is..." He struggled for words. "It's a bond. Soul deep. When a werewolf finds their mate, they know instantly. It's recognition at the most basic level. Your wolf calls to theirs."

"I'm not a werewolf."

"I know. That's the problem." He rubbed his face. "This shouldn't be happening. The moon goddess doesn't pair wolves with humans. It doesn't work that way. But I felt it the second I saw you. My wolf recognized you as ours."

Luna's vision blurred. The room tilted sideways. Too much information. Too fast. Werewolves were real. This biker could apparently smell things humans couldn't. He thought she was his soulmate based on what scent?

"I need air." She pushed past both men and yanked the door open.

The courtyard was packed with bikers. All of them turned to stare as she stumbled out. Their eyes reflected light like animals. Gold and silver and amber. Not human eyes.

A man stepped forward from the crowd. Thin, wiry, with cold eyes. "You shouldn't be here."

"Snake, back off." Reaper appeared behind Luna.

"No. I'm calling for a vote right now. This human knows too much. She's a threat to the pack."

Other voices joined in. Arguments broke out. The crowd pressed closer.

Luna's breathing got faster. The walls around the courtyard seemed to close in. Dozens of predators surrounded her with nowhere to run.

Then Reaper moved. He stepped in front of Luna and his body changed. Not a full shift but something in between. His shoulders broadened. His hands grew claws. His teeth lengthened into fangs. That gold glow in his eyes became fire.

"Anyone who touches her answers to me." His voice came out deeper, rougher, barely human. "She's under my protection. That means she's under pack protection. Anyone got a problem with that?"

The courtyard went silent.

Snake's lip curled. "You're choosing her over the pack."

"I'm protecting both." Reaper's claws flexed. "Now back off before I make you."

The tension stretched so tight Luna thought something would snap. Then Snake's eyes dropped. He stepped back. The rest of the crowd followed his lead.

"This isn't over," Snake said.

"Yeah. It is." Reaper turned back to Luna. His face was still half shifted, still more beast than man. "We need to talk. Somewhere private."

He reached for her hand. Luna looked at those claws that could tear her apart. Looked at those inhuman eyes. Looked at the creature wearing human skin who claimed she was his mate.

She took his hand anyway.

His claws retracted the second her skin touched his. The gold fire in his eyes dimmed back to that amber glow. Human features slid back into place. But his hand stayed hot in hers. His grip gentle despite the strength she knew he possessed.

"Come on," he said. "Before they change their minds."

He led her toward another building. Luna followed because she didn't know what else to do. Behind them, voices erupted in argument again. She heard Snake shouting about tradition. About pack law.

She heard others defending Reaper.

But all she could focus on was the heat of his hand in hers and the word that kept echoing in her head.

Mate.