Rachel stared at her pack mate, speechless.Crap.She should have known Khaki would pick up Knox’s scent all over her. She was a werewolf, for Pete’s sake. And her best friend. So why was she so uncomfortable with the idea of Khaki knowing about her and Knox? She certainly trusted her not to say anything to anyone.
Besides, Diego already knew.
The problem was that Khaki would want to know details Diego hadn’t even considered. Diego had seen her in bed with Knox and immediately focused on the physical aspect of this relationship. Khaki would want to know about the emotional part. That’s what women cared about.
Unfortunately, that was the part Rachel was least sure of. She knew she liked Knox. Okay, maybe she more than liked him. Being with him felt right in a way it hadn’t with any other men she’d dated. But the PTSD she was dealing with—the nightmares, the feeling of constantly being on edge, and the hallucinations—made her doubt what she was feeling for him. How could she know if any of this was real?
“What’s wrong?” Khaki asked. “I would have thought you’d be happier about something like this.”
“I am,” Rachel said quickly. “But…it’s complicated.”
Khaki lifted a brow. “My soul mate is also my squad leader, and we have to keep our relationship hidden from the rest of the Dallas PD so the HR department doesn’t get wind of it and force one of us to drop out of SWAT. Trust me, I’m good with complicated.”
Rachel couldn’t argue with that.
“He’s one of the guys from DAPS.” She bit into her donut as the cream filling did its best to escape. “His name is Knox Lawson, and he got out of the Navy SEALs a little while ago. He’s only been a werewolf for a couple months.”
Khaki nodded, nibbling on her apple fritter. “I think I heard Diego mention him. He said you volunteered to help Knox learn what he needs to know about being one of us. I thought that was pretty cool considering you just met him.”
Rachel took a deep breath, ready to throw herself into the deep end of the pool.
If Diego could handle the truth, Khaki should be able to as well, right?
“Technically, I ran into him before we met at the Lloyds’ place,” she admitted softly.
“You did?” Khaki asked. “Where?”
Rachel met her friend’s gaze. “At Max and Lana’s wedding reception. He was with the hunters.”
She held her breath, waiting for Khaki to go ballistic, but her friend took another bite of apple fritter, chewing thoughtfully before slowly nodding.
“Crap,” Khaki said. “Thatiscomplicated. How did he end up as a werewolf and, more importantly, in your bed? Assuming that’s where you did the deed, I mean—your bed.”
Rachel laughed, relaxing. This was Khaki she was talking to, the woman who’d been her bestie since she’d walked into the SWAT compound that first day. “Knox fell in with the hunters without realizing what they were really about. For reasons he has yet to clearly explain—if he even knows—he stepped in front of another hunter and took a bullet meant for me. That’s what turned him. Since then, he’s been hanging around Dallas to be close to me while he tried to figure out how to ask for my help.”
“Seriously?” Khaki blinked. “That has got to be the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard—or the creepiest. Not sure which.” Her brow furrowed for a moment as she tried to decide. “So how did things go from stalking to sex?”
Rachel studied the half-eaten donut in her hand. “Honestly, I’m not sure. When we talked in my apartment that first night, I wanted to hate him. But then he told me about saving my life and swore he’d never harmed a werewolf, and the next thing I know, I’m offering to teach him the ropes.” She shrugged and nibbled on her Boston cream in between recounting the story. “The more time we spent together, the easier it was to forget he used to be a hunter. Then last night, I kind of had a meltdown at my apartment in the form of the worst waking nightmare ever, and when Knox showed up, the horrible images I kept seeing and terrifying things I kept hearing all went away.”
“And then you slept with him?” Khaki prompted when she didn’t continue.
Rachel frowned as she realized her donut was gone. She should have bought two. “Yeah, though in the interest of full disclosure, I have to admit, after the meltdown last night, all we did was sleep. The other part came this morning. Right before Diego showed up at my apartment and found us naked in bed.”
“No way!” Khaki’s eyes went wide, then laughed. “I would have loved to see that. Does he know Knox used to be a hunter?”
Rachel nodded. “He overheard Knox and me talking about it. He thought I was in danger, so he kicked in the door of my apartment. But he promised not to say anything and to give me time to tell everyone myself.”
“And how exactly do you plan on telling the Pack you’re dating a former hunter?”
Rachel let out a sigh. “I have no idea. I’m not even sure if I need to tell them. I mean, I’ve known Knox for less than a week and we’ve slept together a grand total of once. It could fall apart by tomorrow for all I know, which would make telling the Pack a moot point.”
Khaki arched a brow. “Please. The man took a bullet for you, stayed in Dallas to be close to you, then held you after one of your nightmares. And from the look in your eyes when you talk about him, it’s obvious the bond isn’t one-way. The same way it’s clear you’re already falling for him, even if you did just meet him. That isn’t so surprising, though. That’s the way it works when you meetThe One.”
Rachel started to agree with her friend’s assessment of the situation until she got to that last part. She did a double take.
“Wait. What?” she sputtered. “Knox can’t beThe Onefor me. I mean, he used to be a hunter. Besides, we only just met. There’s no way he’sThe One.I’d know if he was, wouldn’t I?”
Khaki reached into the brown paper bag and picked out a crumb she’d missed, popping it into her mouth. “You’re aware whoever is in control of the whole soul-mate thing doesn’t care about your excuses, right? Then again, maybe this is just a case ofthe woman doth protest too much.”
