But if Weston and I had any chance of beginning our lives together, nothing could happen until I explained who we were to one another.
I slipped out of bed and gathered my clothes from where I’d scattered them across the floor. The mattress squeaked as Weston rolled over and buried his face in the pillow. It was the one I’d slept on, and it must scent like me.
Instinct was pushing me, just as my bear was doing, to bite or scratch him, but I resisted the urge and got dressed.
The hallway was empty, and the B&B was quiet early in the morning. I made it to my own room, grabbed my keys, and was out the front door before I could talk myself into going back.
My mind was on my mate and going around in circles about how to resolve this dilemma as I drove to pack territory. I’d made a mistake leaving because Weston would wake up alone and think I’d deserted him, that what we had was just a one-night stand.
I slammed on the brakes and almost swerved onto the other side of the narrow road. Not that there was much of an “other side” because it wasn’t much wider than the truck.
But I had to get my head sorted before I could return, and there was one person who could help me with that, my best friend. We might disagree about almost everything, but I needed a different point of view.
Anita was in the pack’s communal kitchen making coffee. She took one look at my face and poured a second cup without a word.
“Rough night?” She slid the mug across the counter to me.
“You could say that.” I wrapped my hands around the warmth and tried to figure out where to start.
Anita had been my best friend since the day Aaron brought me home. She was two years older than me, and being the Alpha’s daughter, she’d appointed herself my protector from day one. We'd grown up and hunted together and argued about everything. If anyone would understand, it would be her.
Or she'd tell me I was a fool. That was also possible.
“I found my mate,” I blurted out.
Her eyebrows rose, but her face didn’t register shock. She also didn’t jump up and squeal and yell congratulations. “Ummm, that's good, right? Or it should be. What happened?”
“He's human.”
“Ah.” She took a sip of coffee and studied me over the rim. “And you're freaking out because we don’t trust humans and you especially never wanted anything to do with them?”
That was significant in her eyes, though that hadn’t entered my head when I met Weston.
“He doesn't know about shifters. He doesn't know what I am or what we are to each other.” The words tumbled out. “And last night he marked me. He bit down and claimed me, and he doesn't even understand what he did. And I didn't mark him back because how could I? He'd wake up with a mate bite and no explanation.”
“Asher.” She set down her cup. “Breathe.”
Oh yeah, breathing was a thing. I did as she suggested, but it didn't help much.
“That’s what mates do.” She reached out and took my hand. “The universe guides them toward one another and they mark each other. Sometimes it's messy and complicated and nothing goes the way you planned. But it's still a gift.”
That made me teary, thinking of what Weston had given me, and yet I’d taken off to get my head on straight.
“A gift, yeah, maybe it is when mates are upfront about who they are.” I stared into the coffee cup, hoping it’d provide me with answers.”I lied to him and let him assume I was human too. How is that a great start to a relationship?”
“You have to tell him the truth.”
“Just like that?”
“You're scared. I get it. But running away isn't going to fix anything. And it's sure as heck not fair to him.”
She was right, but the thought of going back and facing Weston and explaining brought on a bout of nausea.
“What if he doesn't want me once I tell him?” Anita couldn’t predict the future, and it was unfair of me to expect her to provide me with an answer.
She tilted her head. “If that happens, he’s a fool and you deserve better.”
Big problem with that. I wouldn’t find anyone else. Tales of shifters who rejected their fated mate had been handed down through the pack generations. It never worked out well for either one, but who was to say that was worse than spending a life with someone you hated.
