Alex was right in my face, his gold eyes staring at me as if he wanted me to say something.

The smell of pine and rain was over my clothes it was Dave's scent. I remembered how he had hugged me that morning in the kitchen of the Lincoln estate. He had played the part of a boyfriend really well.. What he did not know was that I knew his plan. He had used that hug to distract me while Jane put poison in my coffee, which was going to happen thirty days from now.

I did not back away from Alex. I stood my ground.

"Dave Winslow is my mate" I told him.

Alex got really stiff and the room got really cold. A fated mate bond is a deal; it is like a biological tie. Wolves look for their fated partners in their lives. If you reject a mate it goes against your instinct.

"You found your fated mate " Alex said, his voice low.". You came here to marry me instead."

"Yes" I replied.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because Dave is weak" I said. "He uses people to get what he wants. He wants my fifty million dollar trust fund because he cannot make his money. I do not want to be with someone who cannot take care of himself."

Alex looked at me and he was trying to see if I was lying.

I kept my breathing slow. I told him the truth. I did not tell him about my murder nor did I tell him about time travel because he would think I was crazy if I told him that. So, I just told him about the money and that was enough to convince him.

"A mate bond is a connection" Alex said. "If you marry me Dave will feel it. He will know that another Alpha is claiming his territory."

"The bond is not complete" I said. "We have not done the mating ceremony. We have not shared blood. The connection is weak. I can handle it."

"You need to break the bond" Alex told me. "The Werewolf Council needs a blood ritual to break a fated tie. Until you do that Dave will use the mate bond to know how you are feeling."

"I know" I said. "I have an appointment with the Council Elders for Monday. I will break the bond then it will be legal and permanent."

Alex stepped back and put some distance between us. The heavy Alpha pressure was gone from the room. He walked to his desk. Opened his laptop.

"We have a deal" Alex said. ". I have some rules for when we are in public."

"I am listening" I said.

"In this office we are equals" Alex said. "We share information and plan our strategies together. You can talk to my analysts and my legal team."

He typed his password into the laptop and he opened a banking application.

"But outside this building you are mine" Alex continued. "You wear my ring, you stand by my side. If another Alpha approaches you you do not talk until I say it is okay. You need to show the public that you're in love with me."

"I understand" I said.

"You cannot talk to Dave Winslow" Alex added. "You cannot talk to Jane Lincoln. You need to cut all ties with your pack now."

"They will try to contact me" I said.

"You need to ignore them" Alex replied. "If they get aggressive my security team will handle them."

"I agree to your terms" I said.

Alex hit a key on his keyboard. "I just sent you two million dollars."

My phone buzzed as I pulled it out of my pocket. I opened my banking app. The balance was two million dollars. I had the money I needed to stop Dave from buying the downtown lots tomorrow morning. I felt a sense of relief that the tight knot in my chest was gone.

"Thank you" I said.

"Do not thank me" Alex replied. "You owe me thirty percent of the properties. If you cannot get the land tomorrow I will take the two million dollars from your trust fund month."

"I will not fail" I said.

"We are going to the charity gala tomorrow night" Alex said. He closed his laptop. "The event starts at eight o'clock. Dave and Jane will be there, the whole corporate sector will be there. We will announce our engagement on stage."

"I need to go to the Lincoln estate" I said. "I need to pack my clothes and my laptop. I have files on my hard drive."

Alex shook his head. "You cannot go back to that house, it is not safe. Dave might sense the change in your scent if he knows you talked to me he will lock you in the estate."

"I need my files" I said.

"My team will get your things" Alex said. "Give me your room coordinates and the security codes for the estate. My men will go to the house at 3:00 AM and they will pack your room. Bring your things to my penthouse before sunrise."

I was not sure giving Alex my security codes felt weird.. He was right facing Dave tonight was too risky. I needed to establish my position at Graham Enterprises

I took a pen from his desk and wrote down the security gate code and the alarm sequence for the door on a piece of paper. I gave it to him.

"My bedroom is on the last floor, door on the right " I said. "Tell your men to take the hard drive from my desk and leave my clothes. Jane monitors what I wear and if she notices something is missing she will panic."

"What will you wear to the gala?" Alex asked.

"I will buy a dress tomorrow morning" I said.

"No" Alex said. "I will have a designer bring some options to the penthouse tomorrow afternoon. You represent Graham Enterprises now I control the image. You will wear a dress I like."

I did not like losing control. I agreed to play along.

"Fine" I said.

"My head of security will drive you to my penthouse now" Alex said. "I have some meetings today so I will be home at seven o'clock. Do not leave the penthouse."

"I have work to do" I said. I pulled out a silver flash drive from my pocket I put it on his desk. "These are the GPS coordinates for Daves silver mine. Give this to your team tell them to make a report for the Werewolf Council now."

Alex looked at the flash drive and he seemed to respect me.

"You work fast, Mary" he said.

"We do not have a lot of time" I said. "We have thirty days to stop Dave."

There was loud shouting outside the office.

The door to Alex's office was shaking. Someone was yelling at the security guards in the hallway. I knew the voice was Dave's.

"Let me go" Dave shouted. "She is my mate."

The office door burst open and it hit the wall hard.

Dave was standing in the doorway two of Alex's security guards were holding his arms. Dave was breathing heavily, his eyes moving around the room. He looked at me and he was angry.

"Let go of me" Dave shouted again. "She is my mate."

Dave was struggling to free himself from the two security guards. He was wearing a gray suit but he looked messed up. He was breathing hard.

"Get your hands off me" Dave told them.

The guards did not move. They just looked at Alex waiting for him to tell them what to do.

"Let him go" Alex said.

The guards let go of Dave. He fixed his suit jacket. He glared at Alex for a couple of seconds then he turned to me.

"Mary we are leaving. Now" Dave said. His voice was sharp and bossy.

I just stood there. I looked at the man who had killed me in my life. Now that I was not under his spell I could see him clearly. He looked really desperate. He looked angry. He did not look like a man who was in love.

"I am not going anywhere with you Dave" I said. My voice was steady.

Dave took a step forward. "You are my mate. You belong with me. You belong at the Lincoln estate."

"I belong to myself" I said.

"You are confused" Dave said. He tried to grab my arm.

Before he could touch me Alex moved. He was really fast like an animal. He stepped between us. Pushed Dave backward. Dave. Hit the doorframe.

"Do not touch my fiancée" Alex said. His voice was quiet and cold.

Dave froze. He looked at Alex at me. "Fiancée? You are lying. She is my fated mate. The Moon Goddess gave her to me."

"The Moon Goddess made a mistake" I said. "I reject you Dave."

Dave flinched. My words hurt him. I felt a pain in my chest as our biological bond strained. Dave felt it too. He clutched his shirt over his heart.

"You cannot reject me" Dave growled. His eyes turned red. He tried to use his Alpha powers to force me to my knees.

Alex stopped him. He used his powers to counter Daves. The room shook. The glass on Alex's desk rattled. The air pressure. My ears popped. Alex's power was too much for Dave.

Dave fell to the floor. He could not even lift his head.

"In my office you follow my rules" Alex said. He stood over Dave. "Mary is mine. We signed the engagement papers today. If you approach her again I will wage war against you."

Dave was struggling to breathe. "You cannot do this."

"I just did" Alex replied. He looked at the guards. "Take Mr. Winslow out of the building. If he resists, break his legs."

The guards grabbed Dave. Pulled him out of the office. Dave looked at me with hatred.

"You will regret this Mary" Dave said.

The guards shut the door behind him. The room was quiet again. Alex pulled back his powers. I took a breath. My hands were shaking. I hid them behind my back. I did not want Alex to see.

Alex turned to me. "He tracked your scent."

"He must have followed my car from the estate" I said. "I drove here."

"He knows you are with me now" Alex said. "He will try to get your trust fund before the gala tomorrow."

"He cannot access the money without my signature and thumbprint" I said.

"He can forge your signature" Alex said. "He can bribe the bank officials. Dave operates outside the law."

I nodded. Alex was right. I had underestimated Dave's desperation.

"We need to secure the funds today" Alex said. "We need to move the money to an account under Graham Enterprises."

"No" I said. "The money goes into my account. I told you I control my assets."

Alex looked at me. "If the money is in your account Dave can contest it in werewolf court. He can claim the mate bond gives him rights. If you transfer the money to a Graham Enterprises account my team protects it. You still control the money."

I thought about it. I needed his protection.

"Fine" I said. "I want a signed document stating I am the sole authorized user."

"My team will draft it in the car" Alex said. He walked to his desk. Picked up his phone. "Cancel my meetings" he told his assistant.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"We are going to the bank, then off to my penthouse " Alex said as he put on his suit jacket. "You are staying by my side until the gala tomorrow."

We walked out of the office. The security guards followed us. We got into the elevator. The doors. The elevator started moving.

My phone buzzed. I pulled it out and looked at the screen. I had a voicemail.

I pressed play and held the phone to my ear.

"Miss Lincoln, this is the manager of the downtown lots, " a man said. "I am sorry to inform you the property sale is closed. Dave Winslow wired the payment ten minutes ago. He bought the land in your name."

I stopped breathing. The elevator kept moving.

Dave had already stolen my identity.