Eclipsed Hearts

Networking

[Ian]

Fuсk! I kissed her. It was like I couldn’t stop myself and I had to. I’d done my best not to put myself in a situation where I might have to get close to her like that after the things I felt for her at the swinger party. But I never felt the urge to kiss her before. Even after I saved her, I didn’t feel that urge.

Why did I need to feel her lips on mine so badly? I wanted to hold her, mark her, keep her. Goddess, I’m a fuсking idіоt! Of course, the bond would grow the more time we spent together. It was a natural part of how werewolves worked.

Normally, when mates found each other, they would get lost in each other. They would grow closer and closer until they marked each other, and the act of marking would keep them in bed for around three days, unable to think of anything but mating.

That wasn’t the future I could look forward to with Mari, though. One day, I would find a chosen mate I could share that future with, but it would never be what it could have been. It would never be my mate.

I needed to cool off and decided I would go for a walk around the outside of the hotel. The conference was set to begin with dinner and cocktails in the evening. It was a chance for all the attendees to meet and mingle.

My focus had to be on the job. We were here to hunt the werewolf who threatened my family and who killed Mari’s family. He needed to be my focus. Not her soft, warm lips and the way she fit so perfectly against me.

After my walk, I went back to my room to shower. I needed to make sure I didn’t smell like her. As I walked through the hotel and grounds, I realized there were more werewolves here than I thought there’d be. All of them gave me a brief nod but didn’t get defensive.

That was strange. I wondered how many were pack wolves and how many were rogues. I knew Gino was a rogue. Maybe there was a little rogue meet-up going on at the convention as well.

When I’d booked it, this thing was a corporate-style convention that covered a range of things associated with how to grow companies through mergers, takeovers, and franchising. The organizers targeted smaller growing businesses, but they made it open to the public so that people could gain the skills necessary for positions where they could use them.

I wondered why this was going on. Because of how I lived, I wasn’t really up to date on what was happening in the world of pack wolves. If I found out about a hunter attack scheduled for a pack or if someone approached me with an offer, I would anonymously inform the pack that was targeted. I had my Alpha’s old address book, so I knew where to address the letters. I’d grabbed it to protect the information from hunters, but it ended up saving so much more since I’d gotten into this line of work.

Once I was clean and dressed, I headed to the ballroom where the mixer was being held. Before and after the dinner, they arranged drinks and networking. The humans would be tipsy, but the werewolves wouldn’t. We had a very high tolerance for alcohol and it was almost impossible to drink enough to get to that point. I’d learned where to pretend for the sake of making other hunters think I had a high tolerance for a human.

As I circled the open area, greeting a couple of people as I wandered with my drink, I started making note of the werewolves I met. Like when I was on my walk, none of them postured or acted aggressively. It was strange and put me more on edge than if they’d done the opposite.

Finally, I settled in a corner where I could see everything. I would see when Gino came in and I would see when Mari came in. This would also give me the vantage point of seeing who else Gino interacted with.

We had to know if there was anyone here who might be his ally or who might figure out we were hunting him. Getting rid of potential foils would make sure we were successful in killing him.

I watched as the attendees mingled, exchanging pleasantries and business cards. Attendees mingled in the room, exchanging pleasantries and business cards, while an air of anticipation filled the space, a mix of excitement for the conference and tension due to the unspoken presence of werewolves among them.

As I sipped on my drink, my eyes scanned the crowd, searching for any signs of familiarity. And then I saw her.

Mari entered the ballroom, her eyes darting around as she made her way through the sea of people. She looked stunning in a sleek black dress that hugged her curves in all the right places.

My heart skipped a beat as she drew closer, and I couldn’t help but notice the way she moved and talked with the people who approached her. A growl started deep in my chest when I saw someone obviously flirting with her. Another werewolf near me glanced over and moved away.

Damn it, I needed to get hold of myself.

Gino entered the ballroom, his presence commanding attention in the room full of people. He moved with an air of confidence, his eyes scanning the room with a sharpness that hinted at his predatory nature. When he saw me, he smiled and headed in my direction.

For a moment, he stopped and sniffed. He was near Mari and I saw him register where he knew the scent from. It was like his entire body screamed his pleasure. His smile turned darker, and he changed his path.

Fuсk!

I kept a close eye on Gino as he veered off course, heading straight towards Mari. Panic surged through me as I watched him approach her, his smile predatory and dangerous. I needed to act fast before he could harm her in any way.

Without a second thought, I pushed through the crowd, my instincts kicking into overdrive. I reached Mari just as Gino was about to speak to her, but before I could do anything, another man grabbed her hand and pulled her toward him protectively.

Mari pushed against him a little before she saw what he was pulling her from. The man was a werewolf, definitely an Alpha. The tension between the three of us started making people instinctively move away from us.

With a dangerous glint in his eyes, the Alpha werewolf growled menacingly at Gino. The tension grew as the two werewolves stared each other down. I was, apparently, beneath the Alpha’s notice.

Mari looked between the two of them, confusion and fear dancing in her eyes. She stood closer to the Alpha werewolf, seeking protection from the brewing storm. She locked eyes with me and I could see a slight curve in the corner of her mouth where Gino couldn’t see it. It looked like she wasn’t in any danger from the Alpha.

Gino’s smile faltered slightly at the unexpected turn of events, but he quickly regained his composure, his eyes narrowing as he assessed the situation. Before either of them could make a move, I stepped closer to the Alpha and held out my hand.

He seemed shocked by the move, but accepted my hand. Now his attention was on me and not the werewolf we were hunting. I wasn’t trying to protect Gino, but I didn’t want Mari stuck between two male wolves when tension was high.

“It’s nice to meet you. Is this the first time you’ve been to one of these conventions?” I asked, as if that tense challenge hadn’t just happened in front of me.

The Alpha sized me up and smiled. “I’ve been wanting to speak with you for a while now. You don’t know who I am, I’m sure, but I’ve heard of you.”

Mari stiffened and hit him in the chest a little. What the hell was going on?That wasn’t an aggressive hit, and he was protecting her. It was as if he knew what was going on.

“Please join me for a drink later,” he added.

“Sure. I didn’t realize someone would recognize me here,” I replied.

“Now, I need to take this lovely lady for a drink. Excuse me, gentlemen.”

He took Mari by the hand and led her off toward the bar, while I stood there staring after them with Gino. He stepped closer to me and elbowed me a little. I had a hard time tearing my eyes away from Mari and the werewolf.

“What?” I asked.

“You know that girl?” he asked.

“Saw her on the boat. I definitely want to spend some time with her in a very physical way,” I replied before finishing my drink and starting toward the bar.

“Don’t try to get between her and that Alpha,” Gino growled, grabbing my arm and pulling me back.

I turned to him. “Why not? He doesn’t have dibs on her and he was wearing a wedding ring.”

“He’s Keaton Black. And I can guarantee you, he knows you’ve been playing hunter. He even knows who that girl is.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“You know that hunter family where I didn’t get to go after the last one? That’s her. All grown up. I thought the goddess smiled on me, but he’s gonna kill her and take the money for it. Well, at least it’ll go to a good cause,” Gino said.

Turning back toward the bar, I saw Keaton Black disappear with my mate… I mean partner. He couldn’t kill her. She was mine and I would be the only one to end her life.

I nodded and let Gino pull me away to meet a few people. When I met up with Keaton later, I’d make sure he knew why he couldn’t have the kill. He could claim the bounty, but I had to be the one to do it.