Bewilderment. Incredulity. Anger. Gabriel fumed as unwanted feelings coursed through him, but he refused to slow his step as he left the kitchen. He had stood right behind Alex for several minutes and had not been able to access a single one of her thoughts. That alone would have driven him to grab her hand to see just how sturdy her control was, if something else hadn't pushed him to do it first.

Where had the sudden anger come from? He couldn't understand it, was not ready to accept it, but the rage that still boiled in his veins was impossible to cool. He hadn't lost control of himself like this since he was a young boy, faced with werewolf instincts for the first time.

What the hell had brought this on? He knew it was connected to her. This woman. Was it her strong defence, the unusual circumstances under which they met or perhaps her eyes? She had gotten under his skin the first time they met too. He had followed her outside then, and now...tightening his grip on Alex's hand, he headed for the restaurant door.

Several waiters took hurried steps back with their heads lowered in reaction to the anger they felt vibrating from their Alpha. Unaware of the undercurrents, Jacques stepped forward when he saw them nearing the door.

"Mr Moncrief, is there anything I can-"

A quick shake of his head stilled the man's question. No. No one could help him at the moment. What he was feeling was irrational and all he wanted was to be alone with the woman trailing quietly behind him.

The hall outside of Petrichor was empty. Passing the elevators, Gabriel led them into a small windowed nook between the restaurant and The Red Wolf, then pulled her in front of him. Still spurred by anger, he began to demand an explanation for her sudden appearance in Boston, but the sight of her downturned face stopped him short. She was upset. He could feel it through the hand he still held and see it in the slump of her shoulders. Damn! He knew his actions weren't particularly gentlemanly, but wasn't she the spunky Mama Fan? The same woman who made life changing decisions on a moments notice and send outrageous requests without an ounce of self consciousness?

Be that as it may, the defeated look of her was enough to push him out of the madness that had taken hold of him. Taking a deep breath, Gabriel reeled back his emotions and drew a wall around himself. "I apologise for my rash behaviour, you must have been shocked."

Her head snapped up, her eyes bright with unexpected surprise as she looked from his face to their joined hands. "So suddenly...how...how did you?"

"How did I, what?" He asked, confounded by the change in her demeanour. She was doing it again. Couldn't the woman give an expected reaction just once? And why the hell could he not read her!?

"I..." she blinked, and he could feel her retreating behind those jade eyes. She too had obviously lost control of her emotions and was now regrouping. Touching the rosewood bracelet on her wrist, she cleared her throat. "Did I do something to make you angry, Mr Moncrief?"

"No." She hadn't done anything to make him angry, he was almost sure of it. It was his inability to read her that set him off. That and Luca. Gabriel couldn't put his finger on precisely what the man said to make him furious, but it had been something decidedly distasteful .

Plus he was under a lot of stress recently. Yes, that had to be it. Fielding all of Korovic's attacks these past months was taking it out of him. Gabriel must have finally gotten tired, let his grip on his wolf instincts get loose...didn't humans blame everything on stress? It had to be stress.

Pleased with his reasons, he straightened his back. "I mean, I apologise if I surprised you Ms Turner. I just have a tight schedule and thought we should have a word."

Her look said she didn't see how that would warrant being dragged across the restaurant, but she didn't belabour the point. "Alright."

"You arrived earlier than expected."

"Yes."

Gabriel raised his brow at the single word response. No further explanations, no reasons, just 'yes'. It might have annoyed him had it come from someone else, but it suited her. No frills, no niceties, like a cool breeze. And yet there was nothing cool about the soft, pink bottom lip that she had been biting in agitation only a few moments ago.

He cleared his throat. "Your lobster dish was good."

A little line appeared between her brows. "It would have been better served on a pinewood dish."

His lip curled at the first expected response she had given. Alex was a perfectionist through and through. "I was surprised that you allowed a dish you cooked with unfamiliar ingredients, in an unfamiliar kitchen, to be served on imperfect plates. Did Luca measure up to your test?"

Her brows rose a notch as if she hadn't expected him to understand. "Yes."

Again, she did not elaborate, but this time his business mind took over and he pushed. "What did you make of the kitchen?"

"You want to know what I thought of Chef Luca." She considered for a moment, her eyes scanning the skyline outside the window. "He is talented, smart and confident enough to be open to new ideas. Cooperating with him should not pose a problem."

Her assessment was spot on, but he didn't like hearing Alex complimenting the Italian. Suddenly his senses lit, telling him another werewolf was approaching just before Marianne appeared from around the corner.