He sat back and took another drink. “Then who’s the guy?”
I stopped mid-sip. “What?”
“Whose the male that they set their sights on? The one that triggered the heat?” He looked jealous, and it just made me snort.
“You, dumbass.” I palmed my face. “Or I should say Erubus. That little fucker has been coming and visiting. He won them over by throwing you under the bus, though.” I laughed a little.
“What?”
I nodded. “They never tell me what they talk about exactly, but the gist I get is that you, the human, kept getting in the way of Erubus and Nix.” I laughed because he looked so surprised.
“Wait a minute.”
I leaned onto the table. “Okay?”
“You said I was the one that triggered your heat.” I nodded. “Your wolves chose me?”
I nodded again. “Uh, huh? Well…Erubus, but yeah, you guys are in the same body.”
His hands twitched when I said that and his eyes burned with need. “Me?”
I nodded again. “But…” I raised my shoulder. “I had thought…” I puffed out a breath, then stopped.
“What?” He reached over and grabbed my hand.
I shook my head and chuckled softly. “I thought before the letters that maybe I could try with Thoth…but then I read the letters and I didn’t know what I was going to do with you.” I met his eyes and felt the hurt bubble up again.
“But I turned out to be Thoth.”
I nodded. “Yup.” I popped the p and sighed. “I had loved you as Rowan. And then everything my father and you decided ripped me apart.”
“I’m sorry.” He squeezed my hands, and I nodded again.
“I know. But hearing those words doesn’t change how it felt.” He looked down again and pulled back his hand.
“I know.”
I snagged his hand again. “Then I loved you as Thoth and when I found out the truth, it hurt. It hurt more than I would like to admit because it felt like you were making a fool out of me.”
“I wasn’t.” He flipped his hand over and tried to thread his fingers through mine, but because of how we were sitting, it was a fumbling mess of fingers. I laughed, and Rowan blushed. “It’s stupid. I thought you were ignoring me, and I need you in my life. Thoth was your father’s solution.”
I tilted my head. “You said that, and I was confused. What do you mean?”
Rowan leaned back in his chair, pulling my hand with him. “When your dad blocked our messages, I thought you were mad at me because of the heat. I tried for weeks to talk to you, and I told you dad I was going to go to the school, he told me not to. But he said you asked for someone to help with your courses because the teacher that took over was confusing you.” I shookmy head slowly. “You never asked your dad for help in finding a mentor.” I shook my head again. Rowan groaned. “He told me instead of going to the school, and interrupting your studies, that he would introduce me as Thoth. A friend to help you with your schoolwork. That way we could talk, and we would know it is us, but if anyone saw the messages, they wouldn’t know who was who.” He groaned again. “I knew something was fishy because you acted like you didn’t know who I was at all. He convinced me you were just really committed to the secret.”
I laughed. “Really committed to the secret?”
He whined. “It sounds stupid when you say it like that.”
I laughed harder. “I think it sounds stupid when anyone says it, babe.”
His head snapped up. “Babe?” I pulled my hand back and looked away, but I could feel the tips of my ears burning. “Amy?” I could hear the question in his voice and I turned back, crossing my arms to make myself feel more comfortable.
“Yeah?” I braced myself. His soft words were probably meant to comfort me, but in reality, they just made me start to panic.
“Will you stop hiding your scent?” His question was soft, but it jolted me from my spiral.
“What?” I shook to clear my head. “What did you just ask?”
