Gabriel walked into the hotel, tapping his ear to indicate he was on the phone when the hotel manager rushed to greet him. The woman took the cue, keeping pace a respectful distance behind him.

"The trucks disappeared in Ottowa. That's Larsson Family territory," Theo continued to speak on the other side of the line "You could ask Marianne if she knows whether her mother has been meeting with Ivan recently. Then we would get a better understanding of what's going on."

Theo's suggestion was logical. As the daughter of Liv Larsson, the Larsson Family Alpha, Marianne could be aware of her mother's dealings with Ivan. But Gabriel would not ask questions that would put her at odds with her family. "I see little chance of a collaboration between the Larssons and Ivan. They have no reason to help him."

"You're right," Theo sighed. "Marianne is your fiancé, so for them to sabotage your position in LUPUS is equivalent to cutting their own line of influence in the company... Damn it! Ivan always fought with lies and corporate intrigue, but now he's even stealing?"

Gabriel was a bit surprised himself that the Alpha had resorted to such tactics. As much as he disliked the werewolf and didn't agree with the way he led his pack, Ivan had never crossed into the realm of the illegal. Morally questionable, yes, but nothing like downright theft.

"Liv owns personal shares in the chocolate factory that the trucks were carrying almonds to," he told Theo as the hotel manager rushed past him to press the elevator button. "Get in touch with her PA and organise a conference call. She will have vested interest in helping recover the goods. Message me the time."

"Will do," Theo agreed, then hung up. Gabriel took a deep breath, grateful that LUPUS management elections only came up once every five years. The energy that went into fixing the series of sabotages, kept the company from growing at its maximum potential and annoyed the hell out of him.

"My apologies, Dolores. I trust everything is in order?"

"Not at all, Alph- Mr Moncrief. Everything is running smoothly." The general manager assured him quickly. "We are set for the charity ball next week and Ms Larsson arrived ten minutes ago. She is waiting for you in Petrichor."

"Good," Gabriel nodded. "Chef Bisset is getting good reviews. Are the guests pleased?"

"Very," Dolores smiled enthusiastically. "The Boston Globe is printing an article on our Chef tomorrow. As you predicted, his popularity is rising quickly."

At least a few things were going as planned. Gabriel stepped into the now open elevator doors. "Keep up the good work."

"Enjoy your meal, Sir."

Gabriel felt the excitement in the air before the restaurant manager spotted him approaching from the elevators and rushed over.

"Mr Moncrief, welcome!" Jacques' smile was hesitant, his eyes shifty. Of all the upper management in the hotel, he was one of the only humans on his staff. Jacques held his position due to his talent and experience so Gabriel was not used to seeing such uncertainty in his expression.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Jacques raised his brows innocently. "Everything is running smoothly, Ms Larsson has ordered your drink. If you would follow me?"

Gabriel frowned, taking in the faces of the customers around them before opening himself to their thoughts. Happiness, sorrow, discomfort, elation; everything came at him at once, but with practiced ease, he held the voices at bay and zeroed in on what he was looking for. A contest?

"The guests seem to be waiting for something. Care to tell me what?" he watched the manger.

Jacques' step faltered and he looked at him with embarrassment. "Luca, I mean, Chef Bisset has decided to serve everyone lobster appetisers."

"Lobster?"

"He assured me he will pay for the ingredients out of his own pocket," the manager rushed to add, misinterpreting his employer's frown. Gabriel wasn't worried about the cost of serving free lobster, it just didn't make sense. Chef Bisset was famously against serving something as simple as an amuse-bouches. He had told Gabriel he hated waste more than anything and no matter how good complimentary food might be, customers always had one reason or another not to eat it.

"It won't happen again," Jacques continued his apologies as they neared the intimate table at the corner of the room. Before Gabriel could respond, Marianne caught sight of him.

"Gabriel!"

Jacques excused himself when Gabriel moved to sit beside the excited werewolf. She looked fragile in her pale pink silk dress. Her white-blond hair was braided over one dainty shoulder, the diamond drop earrings he had given her for her birthday dangling from her ears.

"You're finally here!"

"I've made you wait, I'm sorry." He gave her an obligatory smile, then bypassed the whisky she had ordered and picked up his water glass. Maybe it was the orange juice he drank on the private jet a few hours ago but there was something not right with his stomach. "How are your classes going?"

"Classes? They are pointless." She looked over her menu as if she was going to choose anything other than a green salad with dressing on the side.

Gabriel considered telling Marianne that she should reconsider her attitude towards schooling. That even though she managed to ace all of her professors tests with her mind-reading abilities, University was not only about getting grades. She should learn for her own development and to broaden her horizons. He considered it telling her all of that, but decided against it.

If Gabriel told her not to skip her classes, Marianne would take his well meant advice as an order; a prerequisite for becoming his mate. And he didn't want to make Marianne change for him, since he had no plans to change for her.

"I can't concentrate!" She put the menu down with sudden force, a light springing to her blue eyes as she leaned forward. "By the way, you have no idea what you just missed."

"Oh?" Having decided not to eat, Gabriel put down his own menu.

"Luca came out here, which you know he never does, and he went straight to this poorly dressed woman's table. He didn't even say hello to me, Gabriel!"

"Oh?" Gabriel repeated, knowing she would interpret the noncommittal sound as empathy.

"Ridiculous, right? Anyway, I don't know what the woman said, but the two of them disappeared into the kitchen and suddenly the waiters came out to tell us we would be served lobster on the house."

"Two different dishes?" Gabriel guessed, starting to get the picture.

"How did you know? Oh, of course you know, you will have read someone's mind," Marianne rolled her eyes, then she shook her head as if to clear it. "Never mind, that's not what's important."

Gabriel waited as her eyes narrowed and she stared at the kitchen door.

"I couldn't read her."

Gabriel blinked, surprised by the declaration. "Who?"

"The badly dressed woman!" Marianne's voice rose as she pointed towards the kitchen door. Several men looked in their direction, their eyes filling with admiration at the sight of his fiancé. Gabriel wondered for the hundredth time if a day would come when he would feel attracted to her.

"You mean that the woman was difficult to read?" he asked, losing interest. "I told you, if you practice control, you can develop your skills..."

"No," she turned to him now, a look of consternation on her face. "I couldn't read her at all. It was like there was a wall around her."

Gabriel's gaze shifted towards the closed kitchen doors. Marianne's skills, as underdeveloped as they were, still gained her easy access into most human minds. True, some guarded themselves more successfully against intrusion, usually due to a quirk of strong genes, but for her to read nothing at all? Even amongst werewolves there were only a handful who could block her out completely.

"Are you sure?" A pair of emerald eyes flashed across his mind. But she was not due to arrive for several days.

Marianne pouted, fluttering her lashes at him. "Why wont you believe me, Gabriel. It really was super weird. And I still can't understand why Luca took that ugly-dress woman into his kitchen."

"Your ugly-dress woman must have impressed him."

"Hmph." It was obvious that Marianne didn't like the idea of another woman impressing the Italian chef, especially when she had failed to do so. Gabriel was well aware of the pleasure Marianne took in collecting admirers. She liked the power of holding men's affections, enjoyed being the centre of many worlds. It was one of the reasons Gabriel had never been attracted to her.

"I doubt he was impressed!" Marianne flicked her hair over her shoulder.

Just then the kitchen doors opened and six waiters stepped out carrying trays laden with plates. The tallest of the lot approached their table, setting down two long, rectangular plates in front of them, "Mr Moncrief, Ms Larsson, please enjoy."

Two miniature casserole dishes had been placed on each plate, one an earthy green, the other a sea blue. He could tell by the creative plating that the blue one was Luca's. Unlike its neighbour, the blue dish did not look like it belonged to a Michelin starred restaurant, but the scent... Gabriel took a deep breath, then frowned.

"What did the woman look like?"

Marianne played with her fork, "The ugly-dress woman? She was wearing a cap, so I didn't see her face properly. Why?"

Gabriel took a bite from the green plate. The scents and flavours of each ingredient were in exquisite balance, the lobster melting in his mouth. There was only one person who could possibly have created this dish.