Zane gazed at the beautiful sexy man in front of him with intriguing face tattoos—his cock hardened, and his wolf howled in delight at finally finding him.
In his soul, David was doing a happy dance as he stared at his gorgeous mate, not believing the Fates had given him someone so powerful. For the first time in many months, hope rose within him.
Chapter 4
“Hi Zane,” David said shyly, lowering his eyes, afraid to see what his mate thought of his appearance which was so unlike the heavily-muscled shifters standing in front of him. He wondered if his mate ever saw an Italian wolf before and, even if Zane had, David doubted it looked anything close to the likes of him.
Staring at his mate, Zane loved the tats his mate had on his face that only enhanced his light, sky-blue eyes, high cheek bones, classical Roman nose, and luscious lips—moist and parted, waiting for him to kiss them. David was slender and sleek, with a gracefulness to his movements that prompted Zane’s mind to generate images of sex positions his mate could do with such a body.Shit!Zane’s wolf was pushing forward, wanting Zane to touch their mate. Holding out his hand, he said, “Hi David, am I happy to find you.”
David glanced at the hand before grasping it, after which a brilliant electrical charge swirled around their hands, and shot up, wrapping around their arms until David felt it burrow deep into his heart. Looking at his mate, he saw the shock he felt reflected on Zane’s face. Lowering his eyes to stare at their still connected hands, David continued to gaze transfixed at the beam of energy as it melted into their bodies binding them together.
Stunned at what was happening to them, Zane, wondered if it was a preview of the gift the Fates would bestow on him once he claimed his mate. He glanced at Logan, who’d observed the light dancing along Zane and his mate’s arms but saw no alarm on his brother’s face.He knows what this is! I bet his spirit told him.Unwilling to say anything about his brother’s spirit in front of themanager, Zane turned his eyes back to David, wondering what he thought of it.
When the light and the sensation faded, David released Zane’s hand, unsure about what he should do next. A quick glance at Morgan’s face told him his boss was worried and probably wouldn’t leave now even if David wanted him to. Shifting his eyes back to Zane, he zeroed in on his mate’s lower lip, now being nervously chewed, realizing his mate was leaving it up to him to decide what to do next.
Stepping forward, he reached up and freed Zane’s lower lip from the attack it was under, then gently rubbed away the teeth marks. “There, that’s better,” David said, grasping Zane’s hand, as he led him over to the couch. “You don’t mind if we talk in here, do you?” he asked, sitting down and patting the place next to him.
Zane quickly claimed the spot and sat sideways, facing his mate. “No, it’s fine,” Zane said, adding, “David, I’d like you to meet one of my brothers, Logan.”
“Hi, Logan,” David said. “Are you staying also?”
Logan shook his head. “No, if it’s all right with everyone, I’ll head back to my mate.”
“That’s fine, bro,” Zane said, “I’ll be here…withmymate.”
“Fine, but let me know if you’re going to leave, okay?” asked Logan.
“Yup,” Zane said, gazing at his mate. “Go have dinner with everyone. I’ll be fine.”
Logan turned to the manager. “Thanks for everything. You know where I’ll be if you need me.”
Morgan looked at David and Zane, then said, “David, do you mind if I go take care of Logan and his party? Will you be okay?”
Dragging his eyes away from Zane’s face, David looked up at Morgan and said softly, “Go ahead, I’m safe with my mate.”
Morgan nodded, then ushered Logan out of the break room closing the door behind them. Once they were down the hall, Morgan grabbed Logan’s arm and wheeled him around to face him. “Would you mind telling me what the fuck happened in there?”
Logan looked at the hand gripping him, then at Morgan and, raising his eyebrow, questioned Morgan’s action with only a look.
Dropping his hand quickly, Morgan realized his actions could be misconstrued. He wasn’t looking for a fight—just some answers to questions he had about the energy exchange between Zane and David. “I’m sorry, Logan. It’s just I’m worried about what I saw when they shook hands. Do you know what that was? And, is David in danger?”
Logan stared over Morgan’s shoulder at the door to the breakroom, then said, “I’m not sure what it was, but I think it had to do with David’s ability to disappear. But then, you know more about that than I do.”
“No, I don’t. In fact, I know very little except he has the ability to disappear at will. The only other person that knows this, other than you and your party is my friend at the High Council.”
“Franklin Royd?” asked Logan. “Lizzie told us about it. I assume it was he you called to ask about the Blackwood Pack?”
“Yes. He told me David would be safe with your pack. Is that right?”
“Yes. David is now a full member of the pack even if he chooses not to claim Zane as his mate.”
“You give Fated Mates choices?”
“Yes, the Alpha is adamant about respecting individual rights and personal decisions about how a member wants to live his life.”
“How often does that happen? When a Fated Mate won’t be claimed?”
“So far…never. But that’s not the point. My Alpha believes everyone should have a choice and the freedomnotto do something is very important to every shifter, especially regarding Fated Mates, which is a forever decision.”
