By the time she and Avi had finished his chores, harvesting and tending to the crops, she was fully smitten.
He wasn’t just sexy, he was the sweetest guy.Funny and genuine, he had a way of looking at her with his pretty blue eyes that made her feel like the most important person in the world.
She’d had a bit of a meltdown earlier on the bench, but the tears had been more cathartic than anything.Not like the night before, when she’d cried out of frustration and fear.It had felt so good to be in Avi’s arms and to hear the soft, reassuring whinny of his stallion as she pressed her ear to his chest.
It was that little meltdown that had been a bit of a breakthrough for her.
After her tears had dried, they sat next to each other on the bench and talked about the farm and their lives.He’d lost his mom and been adrift for a while before settling in Little River with the herd.There had been some turmoil and the herd had disbanded and reformed with Crew as the alpha.More trouble had loomed recently, when Avi’s cousin, Colton, had appeared out of the blue asking for sanctuary but had secretly been planning to take out Crew and take over the herd and farm.
Colton had attempted to harm Zara, who’d been part of his herd before she mated Crew, and had also abducted Tatum from the library.After Tatum’s rescue, Colton had lost one of his males and he and the rest of his herd had been driven out of town.The attacks explained why the farm was so serious about security, which was why the park alphas believed Fallon would be safe there.
Plus, there was the added benefit of them essentially driving her right into her soulmate’s arms.
It was the bright spot in the shitty situation she’d been in.
But no matter how much she liked Avi—and she liked him a whole lot—she couldn’t shake the worry that Otto was lurking out there somewhere and would eventually figure out where she was.She was worried about her mom and Sunny being harmed as Otto tried to find her.
She wished he’d never found them in the first place.
After the last chore was done, Tris invited Fallon to the front porch to sit with her and Zara and enjoy an afternoon snack of blackberry iced tea and crisp sugar cookies.
Avi had smiled at Fallon and said he’d catch up to her in a while, and she climbed the steps and sat between the two females on white-painted rocking chairs and watched her soulmate as he headed toward the barn.
He sure was sexy.
She was tempted to follow him and forego the tea and cookies.
Very tempted.
“Someone got struck by Cupid’s arrow, huh?”Zara asked with a chuckle.
“Something like that,” Fallon said.She settled back in the chair and it creaked a bit as she pushed her foot against the porch to rock.Taking a sip of the sweet tea, she said, “It’s really beautiful here.Very peaceful.”
“Little River is a quiet town,” Tris said.“But the farm is special for sure.How do you like it so far?”
“I like it a lot.It’s the first time in a while that I’ve actually felt comfortable.”
“You didn’t feel comfortable at the park?”Zara asked.
“Not really.”She set her glass down on a small table and picked up a sugar cookie, taking a bite.“I always felt like I was just waiting for the other shoe to drop, you know?When would someone from the prowl come for me or harm my mom or Sunny to get to me?It was stressful.I couldn’t really relax.”
“That’s so awful,” Tris said.
“Well, stallions might not be predators like jaguars, but I have to tell you that no one takes the safety of their soulmates more seriously than our guys.Crew would burn the world down for me, and I know that Khyle would for Tris.It’s easy to see that Avi already wants to ensure you’re safe and happy.”
Fallon looked toward the barn where he’d disappeared.
“I want that for him too.”
“He just needs you,” Zara said.“All the stallions want is their soulmate by their side.”
“Do jaguars believe in soulmates?My old alpha thought waiting for soulmates was a waste of time.He thought wolves should mate and have babies and grow the pack.Anything else was nonsense to him,” Tris said.
“Ugh,” Fallon said, wrinkling her nose.“He sounds like a jackass.”
Tris grinned.“He sure was.”
“Jaguars believe in soulmates, but many didn’t believe in waiting for them.Our people were pretty isolated, so someone might wait their whole lives and never meet their soulmate.”
