When I didn’t reply, my roommate rounded the end of her bed and leaned over my nightstand to follow my gaze. “What are we looking a…” When her question faded into drooling nonsense, I knew she’d spotted him. “Who is that, and why the hell haven’t you called dibs?”

“That’s Jace Hammond.” I stood, trying to slow the automatic jump in my pulse. She wasn’t wrong. He was gorgeous, in a carved-from-stone perfection kind of way.

“Wait, that’s your dad’s friend? Shouldn’t he be…old?”

“He’s old enough.” Though in truth, thirty was too young for the authority he wielded and too old for what I secretly, wake-up-aching-in-the-middle-of-the-night wanted from him. Which was why I avoided him as often as possible. “And he’s not supposed to be here until tomorrow.”

Jace never came to pick me up until the day after my last final. I’d thought I’d have the evening to talk him out of it this time.

In the parking lot, he leaned against the side of his SUV and pulled his phone from his pocket. Mine rang second later, and for the fourth time in the past two hours, his name and picture popped up on the screen. I answered the call and pressed the phone to my ear.

“You’re early,” I snapped, and Jace stood up straight to scan the side of the dorm building, surprised.

“How did you…”

“Fourth from the left, third floor.”

When he found my window, Jace took off his sunglasses and grinned up at me. Even from two floors down, his eyes shone bright blue and his grin lit little fires deep inside me, as it had since I was fifteen years old.

I stomped those tiny flames until they were nothing but embers keeping me warm. Jace smiled the same way at every woman who looked at him. That grin meant nothing, I could not afford to forget that.

Robyn had identified the problem without even knowing it. Alphas weren’t supposed to be young and hot. They were supposed to be old and wise, like my father.

“I’ll be up in a second.” Jace’s voice surged through me, stoking the flames I’d just trampled.

“No! I’ll come down. Stay there.” I hung up before he could argue, and Robyn looked at me as if I’d just threatened to cut off my own arm.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“Looking for my coat.” I eyed a suspicious lump beneath my comforter, but it turned out to be my pillow.

“You know what I mean. If that guy promised my dad he’d look out for me, I’d sure as hell let him. He looks like he could take really good care of you.”

A quick search of my closet floor revealed a cardigan, four bras, and the hair clip I’d been looking for all month. It was the only one strong enough to hold all of my curls out of my face at once. “Stop staring, Robyn. He’s compulsively unavailable.”

Her hopeful expression collapsed. “Wife?”

“Yeah, but not his own. His heart belongs to my cousin. My very married cousin.” And his body belonged to whatever human girl was warming his bed on any given week. I’d met at least a dozen of them in what little time I’d spent at the lodge during holidays and long weekends.

He’d never failed to introduce me as “kiddo.”

I found no sign of my coat, but Robyn’s white down jacket was hanging over her desk chair. Perfect. “Hey, can I borrow that?”

“Sure.” But she clearly had no idea what I was borrowing, because she was still staring at Jace. Not that I could blame her. I’d had years to practice not-drooling over him, yet I was still tempted to stare.

“Be back in a sec,” I said on my way out the door, but Robyn never even glanced away from the window.

I flew down two flights of stairs and through the common room, and a burst of cold air hit me when I threw the door open. Shivering, I ran across the grass toward the parking lot in my boots, suddenly wishing I’d chosen lower heels. And pants.

Jace turned when he heard me coming, and a little thrill of satisfaction warmed me from the inside when his scruffy jaw actually dropped a little. But then he spoke, and that warmth died. “What happened to the rest of your skirt?”

“I left it in the nineteenth century.”

His blue eyes flashed in amusement, and I caught my breath. “Okay then, where’s your suitcase?”

I had to look up at him, even in my highest heels. “Um, I’m going to stay here with Robyn this time. It’s only for a month, and ours is the dorm they have to leave open for international students.” Though I hadn’t met a soul, other than Robyn, who was planning to stay.

Jace’s smile faded and the Alpha peeked from behind bright blue eyes and full lips I’d known my entire life. “You want to stay on campus alone? During the holidays?”

“No, I want to stay with Robyn. I was gonna call you, but...”

“But you forgot how your phone works. Right? That’s why you never answer it?”

“I was busy with finals. I was going to check in tonight, I swear. Jace—”

“The council’s called an emergency meeting at the ranch.” The Lazy S, of course, which was still the council headquarters, even after the death of the previous council head. Mostly because the Texas ranch had more room than the other territorial capitals. “Our flight leaves in three hours.”

“I’m not on the council,” I pointed out in as rational a tone as I could summon. “Ergo, I’m not needed at the ranch.”

“Your dad’s already there and he wants to take you home for the holidays.”

“Well, I’m an adult and I belong to your Pride, so he doesn’t have the authority to order me home.” Even if he was the head of the council, a position formerly held by his brother-in-law, my late uncle Greg Sanders.

Jace’s frowned, and I resisted the urge to give in just so I could see him smile again. “Your father’s not ordering; he’s requesting. Nicely.”

“Well, I’m declining.” I crossed my arms over my chest to hold Robyn’s jacket closed. Also to illustrate my determination. “Nicely.”

“Fine. Then I’m ordering you to go upstairs and throw whatever you need into a bag. Now.”

“Why? Are you scared to stand up to my dad?” I knew I’d stepped over the line when a growl rumbled from his throat and my head tried to bow. Because my Alpha was angry and my inner cat knew that was my fault.