I’ll stick with what I know.
The man shifts in the chair, adjusting his position but not waking. I freeze in place until he settles, then resume my movements toward him. My nose, short and stubby in this form, isn't nearly as good as my wolf's, but as I draw closer I can pick up the man's scent.
Pine and musk and fur.
He's a shifter then, like me. But my instincts tell me he’s more than that too…
I stop moving about a foot away, sitting back on my haunches and cocking my head to the side as I study him. Why does part of me feel so drawn to him?
And can I trust that part of me?
Scooting forward, inch by inch, I pause when my face is a hairs breadth from his leg and take another sniff. Layered in with all his other delicious scents is something that smells like safety.
Not that I’m entirely sure what safety smells like.
Still, the feeling is enough for me to close the distance, resting my cheek against the fabric covering his leg and closing myeyes. I nuzzle my face against his thigh, the movement almost pure instinct, as my last few tense muscles begin to relax one by one, a peacefulness like I've never experienced slipping over me. Warmth sinks into my very bones, and I release a slow breath as a sense of relief washes over me.
This man is protection.
This man is home.
This man is mate.
But… what is “mate”? Something tells me I should already know that, and a memory floats just out of reach, the thought teasing me as I try to grasp it, but it flitters away and disappears.
Before I have a chance to try again, the muscle beneath my cheek goes tense, and I go still, lifting only my eyes to find the man in the chair is now awake.
Our gazes meet.
And lock.
Something clicks into place, and it seems like all my scattered pieces come together and a sense of… rightness fills me, like this is where I belong.
This is where I’vealwaysbelonged.
His brown eyes widen, a mixture of shock and joy in their depths, and a jolt travels through his body. He opens his mouth and reaches his hand toward my face. The movement, even slow as it is, triggers a panicked confusion inside me, sending alarms throughout my body as something else registers.
Alpha. Threat. No.
I scuttle backward until my back hits a wall or maybe the bed, curling into myself and covering my head with my arms. More water leaks from my eyes, and I have to bite my lips to keep my terrified sobs inside. My whole body shakes with adrenaline as my ingrained fear wars with my wolf who wants nothing more than to return to the man’s side—thealpha’sside.
I risk a peek at him through the gap between my arms, careful to keep my gaze no higher than his nose.Never look an alpha in the eye.
He hasn't left the chair, but he's sitting up straight, his muscles tense and a frown on his face. His fingers twitch on the arm of the chair, as if he wants to reach out, but he stays where he is. Instead, he reaches for me with words, the soft sound of his voice crossing the distance between us.
My mind is racing too quickly to process the exact words he says, but there's a kind ofpullthat comes with his voice, one that wants me to obey, to submit. And that unwanted feeling just makes everything worse because it’s the kind of manipulation that can only come from an alpha.
My panic ratchets up again, my heart rate rising and my breaths coming in quick pants as I curl my arms over my head, covering my ears and trying to block out the sound of his voice.
Eight
Luke
Well, shit.
Keir's words from this morning play through my head on repeat.Maybe you'll even get a fated mate out of the deal. He said it with a laugh, and there's no doubt in my mind that he was kidding, but he also apparently jinxed me—or blessed me?
Because this unknown, half-feral shifter is my fated mate.
