“How so?”
“It’s the same way I looked when I first met Len.”
I paused and faced him. There was no mocking in his expression, only sympathy and support. My younger brother didn’t think I was stealing his thunder by falling in love—he only wanted what was best for me, the same way I did for him.
“I don’t know,” I said, but even to my own ears it sounded like a lie.
Hugo crossed his arms and tilted his head. “Are you sure?”
“No.” I grunted. “I’ve… never felt this way before.”
“You know, when we set out on our journey, I didn’t want to be the only one who found a mate. I always pictured all three of us—you, me and Sage—each finding our one true love. Together.”
My brother’s words warmed me. Hearing him speak so candidly about sensitive topics was one of the reasons I looked up to him. He was never afraid of sounding silly or un-alpha like. He wore his heart on his sleeve.
“So what do you think?” Hugo asked, nodding in the direction of the grove. “About Morgan?”
I hesitated, sifting through my thoughts before speaking. “There’s something special about him.”
We were both quiet for a moment. Hugo didn’t push me into feeling any sort of way. He was more of a guide, encouraging me to figure it out on my own.
“Hugo,” I said finally. “How did you know Len was your fated mate?”
His eyes lit up at the mere mention of his mate and his smile was as bright as the sun. “It sounds cheesy, but I justknew.”
I snorted. “You’re right. It does sound cheesy.”
“I know. But it’s the truth. There was this pull I’d never felt in my life. It was this sense of desperatelyneedingLen in my life—like hunger or thirst, but a hundred times harder to ignore. As if, for a single moment, the universe paused just for the two of us, going dark so that a single path of light connected us.”
I wanted to scoff at his poetry but I couldn’t. The old Dax just might have, but after meeting Morgan, I wasn’t so sure I disagreed with him. Maybe there was a seed of truth in Hugo’s magical description after all.
My muscles twitched, restless. I should’ve been tired after a full day of journeying, but I wasn’t. If anything, I felt energized and ready to tackle anything.
“I’m going to go see Morgan,” I announced.
Hugo only smiled and nodded in understanding. “Good luck.”
As I climbed the hill to the grove and remembered how flighty Morgan had been earlier, I realized I was going to need all the luck I could get to convince him to stay—forever.
