The Lycan King And His Human-fated Mate

es worth of collected pieces and priceless curiosities, each one a testament to generations of outstanding wealth and indulgence. And yet, despite the chamber's opu

requisitions, dossiers on potential acquisitions, each one a tessera in the ever-expanding mosaic that comprised his corporate dominion. Had any of the servants dared glimpse through the study's arched double d

g just beneath the surface, remained laser-focused on the task at hand. Every so often, his jawline would tense almost imper

n for error or weakness. It was a mantle he had been groomed for since birth, the weight of expectati

chamber, Ethan felt that all-too-familiar mantle of wariness settles across his shoulders. Only one soul had both the te

y recognizable to the unfortunate servant on the other side of the door. One did

he Drake scion's personal assistant, the woman's uncanny ability to disturb the air around her as little as a wraith never ceased to unsettle even Ethan's most steadfast retainers. Of course, those who knew Lilith, who

sessed of the sort of shrewd, cunning intellect that had been the deciding factor in mathematics in far too many shifts of power to be readily quantified. In other words,

words. Ethan Drake might have been born to wealth, true, but he had clawed his way to the p

d. "A situation appears to be...developing, sir," she intoned, her voice a nervous wreck. "One that may ultimately warrant your personal attention." Had it been any other member of his personal staff, Ethan's eyes might have widened fractionally in surprise at such an ominous

h merely extracted a glossy 8x10 photograph from the leather folio tucked beneath her arm and extended it across the gleaming, polished expanse of his desk in one smooth,

immediately for what it was – the old familiar sight of a reporter in their natural envir

length, lifting his pale gaze to meet Lilith's own piercing regard. "And I can only assume his...companion's presence alongside him is the crux of the'situation' you felt warranted disrupting my morning." For the briefest of instants, so fleeting it could have been nothing more than a figment of Ethan's p

." Ethan felt a single, sardonic eyebrow arch ever-so-slightly at his attaché's ominous preamble. "You mean to tell me that we are to be...concerned about some little truth-seeker stumbling about on a misguided attempt at uncovering what

g those paroxysms of dark amusement to ricochet off the vaulted ceiling and richly appointed surroundings as his powerful frame shook with each breathless spasm. After several moments given over to this uncharacteristic display, he gradually managed to reign himself in, swiping an errant tear from the corner of his eye as vestiges of that sardonic smile still played about his lips. "A...a werewolf, you say?" he managed at last, his words still tinged by fitful bursts of chuckling. "Is that what this Blackwood girl - this relentless little

dilections are based in reality." Another ripple of that harsh, barking laughter esc

, flipping it open and lazily perusing its contents. "Well now," he commented at length, "I must

"My family's sordid history, our tenuous ties to that outpost of the forgotten world left to fester in obscurity..." he murmured, as much to h

p, the weighty file clattering heavily atop his desk amids

seled jawline. "And certainly, her findings make for a delightfully entertaining, if ultimately scandalous gossip." His glacial stare bore ac

u the importance of not allowing this going forw

st, as though an errant bree

ally that every...loose

hat seemed to reverberate in the deepest pits of the soul. "After all..

en with this Lily pers