“Just tell us, man. Get it over with. Nothing good comes from holding that shit in.” Wyatt advised.
I was tempted to make a joke of what he said, but I didn’t think that was going to get me out of the conversation.
So I leaned my head back instead. “Remember how you can lose your mind after getting rejected?”
“She better not have fucking rejected you,” Finn growled. “You’re obsessed with each other.”
“She didn’t. It’s been going on a lot longer than that.”
“What has?” Nico asked.
So, I told them.
All of it.
They asked—or growled—questions while I explained, but when the explanation was over, they were all dead silent.
“So, you’re hiding the extent of it from Maya too,” Wyatt said flatly.
“She doesn’t want to know. It wouldn’t change anything even if she did. She’d just feel bad.” I dragged a hand through my hair. It was already a mess. Matched the rest of me.
“I’m calling bullshit,” Graham leaned forward, resting his hands on his knees. “You’re not telling her, because you’re scared.”
A bunch of the guys made noises of agreement.
“Of course I’m scared. I’m fuckingterrified. When she finds out how bad it is and refuses to be around me, it’s going to fucking kill me. Not just because the wolf is going to take over completely, but because I’m really fucking in love with her,” I growled back. “There’s no way any of this ends well for me. I’m just trying to enjoy it while I can.”
“You’re telling me that a woman who asked us all to come talk to you, and commanded us to get a certain kind of pizza for your sake, isn’t just as in love with you as you are with her?” Finn asked skeptically.
“She’s a snob for good food.”
“What’s the worst thing that can happen if you tell her?” Austin asked. “She breaks up with you for a few days, misses you, and asks you to come back? She’s obviously not going to reject you.”
“She can’t stand it when I lie to her, so yeah, she could reject me when she realizes I’ve hidden how bad it is. And she still doesn’t want to seal a bond, so what does it matter? I’m not going to manipulate her into anything.”
“Ethan will decide what to do about his mate.” Nico stood. “We’re on your side, regardless. I think what we all need right now is a nice, long pack run.”
I didn’t want to shift.
I was fucking scared I was going to get trapped in my wolf.
I guess all I could do was trust that he still thought I had a chance with Maya.
So, I agreed.
The rest of the guys did too, and we all headed out to shift.
The run didn’t necessarily bring me peace, but it did make me feel slightly more okay with whatever was coming for me.
And fuck, I hoped it was Maya.
eight
MAYA
“You’re goingto tell Ethan about Dr. Ben, right?” Emmy pressed, as she parked in front of Ethan’s house. The lights were on, even though it was well past midnight. Unless something had changed since we’d been together, he was planning to give me a ride back to my apartment and spend the night with me there.
Emmy and I had already dropped everyone else off at their places. She was the one who planned the bachelorette for Abby, and we’d taken her SUV to fit everyone. Zoe hadn’t let her drive until we got home, but she hadn’t been surprised by that.
