BROOKE

I would say Huck had lost his mind, but he'd never been sane to begin with. He had a talent for finding danger, and he was stupidly unafraid. This was worse than the night he stole Blaze's car; this time he wanted to get caught. "There has to be another way," I insisted. "Can't we just sneak into his office?"

"Not without getting shot."

"And we won't get shot if you steal from them?"

"It's not as likely."

I scoffed. "We are asking for a loan with no collateral. We need them to trust us."

He laughed. "Dominic doesn't trust anyone, least of all me."

I blanked, and all I could do was stare at him. That would have been a very nice thing to know prior to this moment. "You said you do business with them all the time."

"I do."

"Then why wouldn't he trust you?"

"Because I stole from him before."

I closed my eyes and took a long, slow, deep breath. "Why did we come here, Huck?"

He was quiet for a moment. "For a loan."

"From a man who doesn't trust you."

"Yep."

I opened my eyes and glared at him. Why was he grinning? "Do you think this is funny?"

"No." He circled his arm around my waist and pulled me close, seemingly unconcerned that we were in a room packed full of people.

I gasped.

His grin stretched as he inched his lips closer to mine. "Have I ever told you how sexy it is when you scold me?" he breathed.

My stomach flipped and tightened, and it was all I could do not to pull him closer. "Is that why you can never follow the rules?"

"I was good last night, wasn't I? And all day today."

He said it like he deserved a gold star, but then he immediately undid all his effort by pressing his mouth to mine. He kissed me deeply, his hands roaming to scandalous places.

He'd thoroughly corrupted me because it took more than a moment for me to push him away. I pressed my hands to his chest and gently shoved.

Huck broke the kiss with a soft growl.

"There are people watching," I said.

"Of course they are. I'm the richest man in the room."

My chest warmed, and I couldn't help but grip his shoulders and pull him back to me. This kiss was softer—tamer—and I pulled back before it could become something more. "I love you. I don't want to take any risks."

He held my gaze for a long moment, then he sighed out of his nose, and grumbled, "Fine."

I smiled.

"I'll just hustle enough to get us a room for the night."

"What? No, we—"

Before I could argue, Huck stepped up to one of the tables and placed his stolen chips onto the gaudy, green felt. "I'm in."

He was in. Goddess, he was reckless. But I knew that already. I bit back a groan, balling my hands into fists at my sides. He better pray he didn't get caught, and if he thought anything was happening in said room he had another thing coming.

The dealer laid down two cards, one face up and the other down. The queen of hearts smiled up at Huck, and he tapped his fingers against the table, prompting the dealer to flip over the other—a five of spades. Huck tapped the table again. "Hit me."

The dealer flipped another card, and it was the six of clubs. "Twenty-one!"

Huck's chip stack doubled, and he gave some back, tapped the table again, and another two cards were dealt. He won again, sat out one hand, and then won the next two.

I nudged his back. Surely that was enough. But Huck ignored me and kept going. It was as if he knew exactly which cards would appear, and a crowd began to form around us, a buzzing building as his winnings grew. I forgot myself, swept up in the current, and the next thing I knew, I was gripping his shoulders, cheering along with everyone else.

Huck's eyes danced as they met mine. "I thought you hated this idea."

"Shush."

He laughed, but the sound quickly fizzled when his gaze latched onto something across the room. I turned, finding two massive men in suits headed our way. "Huck—"

"Shit. I didn't mean to do that. I promise. Everything's fine."

Everything was not fine.

One of the men clutched the back of Huck's neck, forcing him away from the table while the other shoved the chips back toward the dealer and took my arm. My heart thundered in my throat as we were ushered across the room and back into the elevator. The doors slid closed along with my throat. I couldn't breathe. What happened now? Peaceful music drifted from a speaker in the ceiling, so at odds with the panic growing in my gut. "Is something wrong?" I asked.

Neither of the men answered. They hit the button to the highest floor and watched the numbers climb.

Huck's soul caressed mine reassuringly, but I had no idea how he could feel so confident. I told him not to do this! How could he let this happen?

The elevator dinged, and the doors swung open to a penthouse more luxurious than the castle could hope to be. Sleek black tile, dark leather furniture, and the sweet smell of cigar smoke oozed decadent masculinity. Floor-to-ceiling windows gave an incredible view of the city. The only light emanated from the back of the room, where a hanging lamp illuminated the dining room table, and the group of men playing cards there.

As the two men forced us toward them, I couldn't help but feel like I was about to be thrown into a lion's den. This wasn't the formal setting I'd trained for, and these were no normal businessmen. I counted six in total, and each looked scarier than the last. But the most concerning was the man in black—the only one who didn't look up. Maybe it was the fact that everyone kept looking to him for a reaction. Or maybe it was the gun on the table beside his ashtray. A cigar hung from between his teeth; his eyes fixated on the two cards in his hand.

Silence stretched into eternity. I swallowed, wondering if I should speak. I had no idea what to say. This wasn't supposed to start like this. My teeth clenched, and I shot another glare at Huck.

"What did I tell you about stealing from me?" the man said, jarring my attention back to him.

"Don't get caught?" Huck answered.

Goddess, help us.

Dark eyes flicked upward, clearly annoyed, until they landed on me and locked. The man straightened and leaned lazily back into his chair, bringing the cigar back to his lips. "Gino said you didn't bring anything."

"I didn't."

He lifted a brow. "So then who is she?"

If my wolf wasn't so buried, she might have lashed out at being called a thing and treated as if she wasn't here. Unfortunately, I only had myself to blame. "My name is Brooke, and I am not an object to be bartered."

His lips twitched, but his expression darkened. "Well in that case." He motioned with his hand.

The man holding Huck gave him a shove and then punched him hard in the gut. Huck grunted and doubled over, and I lost whatever sense I had.

"Stop!" I tried to get to him, to help, but the man holding me was too strong, and without my wolf, I was powerless.

"I deserved that," Huck wheezed, lifting one hand in surrender. "But, in my defense, I wasn't going to keep it."

The man hit him again, this time in the back. Huck fell to his knees.

"We do have something!" I shouted.

Dominic lifted a hand, and his goon paused mid-swing. "Go on."

I paused. What could I say that wouldn't put us all in jeopardy? Sure, some humans knew about the mountain, but very few knew about our kind. How could I explain who Huck was without first explaining everything else?

Huck's eyes met mine, and I could tell he knew what I was thinking. Surprisingly, his gaze didn't urge me to keep quiet. A silent conversation passed between us. Was that his plan the whole time?

What other option was there now?

"I'm waiting," Dominic said.

I took a breath. "Someone stole from us, and if you could help us get it back, we will repay you double for your efforts."

Dominic took another puff of his cigar as he studied me closer. His eyes roamed, and I had to fight the urge not to cover myself. "What did they steal?"

"More than you can possibly imagine," I said.

He laughed and shook his head. "I'm going to need specifics."

"Money. Jewelry. Power. And alliance alone could benefit you greatly."

"An alliance." He shared a look with the men at the table, hiding a grin behind his cigar. "And why would I need an alliance with you."

"Huck is the equivalent of a king."

Silence fell, like the soundless moment after an explosion, and then the boom of roaring laughter echoed from every man in the room.

"King of what?" one of them said. "Petty theft?"

The laughter expanded.

"King of the fuck ups," another roared.

Huck gave me a flat look, clearly unimpressed by my pitch.

I lifted my chin, refusing to allow them the pleasure of seeing me slip. We were werewolves, and if this were the mountain, not one of them would last a second against me. It was then that I noticed Dominic wasn't laughing. He was watching me, and I knew the look well. Whether he believed my claim or not, he was intrigued.

He lifted a hand, and the men quieted. "King of what?"

My eyes strayed to the window, taking in the rising shadow beyond the city lights. The mountain. How could I ensure this didn't cause more problems than it helped? The world was a massive place, and humans greatly outnumbered our people. But if we didn't get help, how could we ever hope to succeed? We couldn't. We had to do this.

My throat dried, and I met Huck's gaze again. For the first time, I was the one who'd lost their mind. His wolf had existed off the mountain once before, but that had been life or death, and even then, he hadn't fully shifted.

"You have to show them."