That one sentence brightened my mood. Indigo was open to learning about us.
Go to him.
No. My beast had no concept of alone time.
I texted Antonia.Did he ask about me?
The phone was heavy in my hand as I awaited her reply.
Not in so many words, but it’s a good sign he wants to learn.
Maybe I’d get a chance to tell him the three words I hadn’t gotten up the courage to say to his face.
I love you.
NINE
INDIGO
It’d been three days since I'd watched Riven transform from a wolf into a man.
I’d hardly slept ‘cause whenever I closed my eyes, images of a werewolf sinking his fangs into my flesh filled my head.
Standing by the window drinking coffee, I peered through the trees, half expecting to see the lodge staff transform into wolves. But there was no one about, just a lot of snow.
This cabin was smaller than the one I'd shared with Riven, not that it mattered. But everything was in its right place. There were no books on the sofa or shoes by the door. I was drinking instant coffee rather than using the percolator because this wasn’t home as I’d thought of the original cabin.
Moving to the desk, I ran my fingers over the books Antonia had given me. Some of the tomeswere ones I’d seen in the library, and I’d already flicked through a few. While Riven had said his kind weren’t cursed, it was reassuring to discover they weren’t werewolves and people were born a shifter, not transformed by a bite.
I read and reread a paragraph that stated shifters had lived alongside humans for centuries. I had to rethink every experience, from kindergarten to school and college, wondering who was a shifter. But the hours of reading hurt my eyes, and I pushed my chair back.
The phone rang, and though I wanted to ignore it, only two people had this number. It was Agent Fairbanks. I had to return to the city for the trial.
Knowing that I didn’t want to venture back to the dining room after seeing Riven on Christmas Day, Antonia brought me my lunch. “He's asking about you.”
I ignored that. What was I supposed to say? I didn’t have the words to describe my turmoil, and I wasn’t about to unload on her. But I did have a question. Lots of them, but one that was more important than the others.
“What is the mate bond?”
“It’s the moment a shifter identifies their mate. It’s instant, and it happens the first time they scent them.”
“So the couple don’t get a choice?” I refused to accept that the universe was telling me who to share my life with. There’d be no arranged marriage or relationship for me.
“Both the alpha and the omega can choose to walk away.”
I had so much bottled frustration I wanted to screamor pitch a vase at the wall. One or both might make me feel better, because I’d given Riven my heart when I didn’t know who he was. That was unforgivable.
Instead, I asked another question. “Why didn't Riven tell me?”
“Would you have believed him? A stranger claiming you were destined to be together?”
She was right. I hated that she was because I wanted to rant and rave and have a pity party for me.
Today being my last day, I wanted to get outside. I needed the cold to ice my cheeks so I’d have something else to think about other than the mess my life had become. Maybe I’d take one of the shorter trails Riven and I had walked.
The sun was out, and the light glittered on the snow. I strode along, wanting to work up a sweat despite the cold. But as I rounded a bend in the path, I froze. Riven. He was in the same place we’d stood last week.
Neither of us spoke. I was torn between running into his arms and tearing off in the other direction. Without a word, he disappeared into the trees. I couldn’t move, as though someone had put a spell on me. Tears streamed over my cheeks and huge wracking sobs shook my shoulders.
