ian'

his life in the quiet sp

r grid, the frantic pulse of the thousands of employees in the floors below him, and the rhythmic clicking of keyboards that sounded like a million tiny insects. To survive the sensory barrage,

ame, mostly because they had shared a nursery as pups and because Jax was the only one who knew that Killian's "icy" silence was often just a mask for profou

. His voice was deep, a tectonic vibration t

vered," Jax teased, tapping the 'Call' button. "I'll pass the word through security. No one get

ation he craved. He adjusted his cufflinks, his mind already drifting to the Pack Coun

the sens

p, and the scent-oh god, the scen

and an aroma that bypassed Killian's brain and went straight to his soul. It was starligh

usually slept in the back of his mind, suddenly stood up and let ou

A

truder. She was small-well, most humans were small compared to his six-foot-four frame-but she looked like she was carrying

clear and sweet, despite the obvious panic in

atory growl. He was the King of the North, a man who had faced down rival Alphas and hostile boardrooms without blinking, and yet, he w

His wolf whined, a pathetic, high-pitched sound that made Killian's ja

s running a fever. He could smell the slight change in her chemistry-the heat rising o

d her ear and tell her to put the folders down. He wanted to pick her up

an intensity that he knew was terrifying. He saw the blush deepen on her neck. He sa

een in the same room as your mate for thirty seco

no one would be here. But even as the thought passed, a darker, more selfish part of him was glad.

he world tu

sensitive ears on fire. The cables groaned, a sound of heavy steel snapping under too much ten

t, her folders sli

t-the blurred speed of a predator. He caught her before her knees hi

is suit jacket, and for a second, the world narrowed down to the sensa

twice, and then vanished, plunging th

bling. She was still in his arms, her hands clutched against his chest

ld step back and maintain his "icy" professional distance. But in the dark, with the scent of sta

he had spoken, and his voice sounded like dry leaves crush

on his neck. It was hot. Too hot. "I'm Aria. I work in... I work on the twe

m taking over. The beast wanted to nuzzle into her neck, to scent-mark her, to

d, her voice hitching. "It's re

d of his voice.He realized then that they were going to be here for a while. The sensors on the building's mai

ur

n't know he was her boss, didn't know he was a king, and currentl

e softening. He didn't want h

ha

the back wall. He sank down next to her, his massive frame taking up most of the space"My phone is dead," she mutt

was venting the last of the chilled air into the shaft. For a normal per

lack. To his wolf-vision, he could see her perfectly. He could see

ting for a fraction of a second

are

n me. I'm warm."It was the understatement of the century. His body tempe

and the darkness was too heavy. She let her head fa

red, her voice trailing off int

rk. He could hear Jax's voice in his head, teasing him about his sil

he Trillionaire King realized that for the first time in his life, he didn't want to be anywhere else.He was th

he silence, the words a promise sh