Looking over the brim of my coffee cup, I watched Chael studying me. To see a man as typically assured as Chael, looking a bit nervous, rattled me.
There were so many questions that flooded my brain, I couldn’t stop all of the thoughts long enough to focus on one to ask. Chael was a freaking werewolf. How the heck was I supposed to respond to that?
“Um,” I said as I placed my half-empty coffee mug down. My gaze skirted away from his.
“Reese.” He approached, pulling out one of the chairs next to me. When he sat, his knee lightly brushed against mine. That familiar electric current pushed through my body. It almost overshadowed the weirdness of everything else.
“There’s a lot we need to discuss. I know,” he said before running a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry for not contacting you for the past few weeks. It’s my fault…” His face hardened, and he looked away from me. “There were some circumstances beyond my control and I thought it was best—”
“To lie to me,” I interrupted. “Because you did lie, right?” I stared at him.
“There are details that you couldn’t know about until the time was right.”
“A lie of omission is still a lie.” I turned, looking away from him. The familiar heat of embarrassment rose in my cheeks. The memories of men in my past that’d lied to me, they’d made me believe they wanted one thing but told everyone else they wanted something else.
Chael took my hands into his, squeezing them.
“I’m to blame for what happened last night. I should’ve protected you better.” He brought my fingers to his lips and kissed each one. His lips were so damn soft that I forgot my name, let alone why I had the right to be upset with him.
“Do you remember what I told you last night?” he asked.
I blinked and came back to reality with a shake of my head. Slowly, I pulled my hands free, trying to recall all of the events of the night before.
I thought back to what happened right before I passed out.
“You’re my mate,” he’d said.
“You told me that I’m your mate.”
He took my hand and looked deep into my eyes. “You are.”
My belly flip-flopped as if I had just gone over the massive drop on a roller-coaster ride.
“Why are you…?” I shook my head. “Henry.” I stood so abruptly that my chair smacked against the floor tiles. “Where is he? What happened to him?”
I didn’t want to think about being Chael’s mate, whatever that meant. I wanted to see my dog.
Chael sat back, his lips pinched. “He’s safe. I’ll take you to him. First—”
“No, I want to see him now,” I insisted. I had to make sure Henry was okay.
“Okay,” Chael reassured after a moment of hesitation. “I’ll take you to him.”
I peered down at what I wore. “My shoes?” Had he brought any of my clothes?
“By the door.”
I followed him out of the kitchen.
I followed Chael to the door that led to a greenhouse that stretched the entire front of the house. He plucked a bunch of green grapes from a vine. “You didn’t finish your breakfast.” He placed the fruit in my hand.
I held up the perfectly plump, juicy-looking grapes.
He staredat me until I popped one of the grapes into my mouth. I closed my eyes at the tangy, sweet explosion in my mouth. That might’ve been the best grape I’d ever had. I chewed and swallowed before eating another while stuffing my feet into the sneakers I had on the night before.
Chael held the door open for me, and I had to protect my eyes against the bright sun. As soon as we stepped out from under the house’s shadow, my breath caught at the beauty surrounding us.
In the not-so-far distance was a range of mountains. They were a mix of red, brown, and rust colors with pops of greenery throughout them. As we walked, I peered about the intricate structures of the homes we passed up and down the paved road.
