I pause, thinking back to the woman on the cliff. She was wearing a simple dress, just carrying a small bag over her shoulder. “No.”
“Maybe she lives here,” Dario says.
“There is no pack around.”
“So what? We are here. Maybe she is visiting someone. Or maybe she isn’t a wolf,” Dario offers. “But that’s not what’s playing on your mind. What’s truly worrying you?”
My heart starts beating faster. I am scared that if I say it, it will become true. “What if she left because she doesn’t want me?”
“Felix-“
“What if I am not enough for her?”
He shakes me so much that my head bobs back and forth. “Don’t be an idiot,” he says. “You said it yourself that you barely took up her scent because of the distance. She might not have smelled you at all.”
“Maybe. But I am not the biggest catch on the planet, you know? What if she is disappointed?” I pause. “We both know I am not the brightest bulb.”
“Goddess! I can’t with you,” Dario groans, letting go of me and smacking my forehead.
“Hey!” I rub the spot he just hit. “Where did your soft, caring side go?!”
“I am saving it for my future mate, not for you when you need a reality check,” he mutters. “At least give the poor woman a chancebeforedismissing her potential feelings towards you. So, where does all of this come from? What are you not telling me?”
For a couple of minutes, we have a staring match until I give in. I just can’t help it when it’s my brother. I give in every time. “I might have heard some girls say that I am just a good fuck,” I admit. “And that other than that, I don’t have anything to offer.”
He is just not deep.
For a couple of seconds, it’s so silent you could hear a pin drop. “Who?” Dario asks, his voice tense. The look in his eyes is angry, in a way I haven’t seen it before. “Who said that?”
I can feel the air around me getting heavier. “Dude,” I exclaim.
Dario startles, blushing slightly. “Sorry.” He clenches his hands into fists. “I can’t believe someone said that. It’s not true, and it says much more about them than about you! You have plenty to offer, more than many other guys.”
“But I struggle so much with reading and remembering stuff.”
“So what? That means nothing. It just means you have different strengths! I suck at training. Does that mean I am overall weak?”
“No,” I exclaim. “And it’s not a fair comparison, because you don’t suck at training.”
“I think it’s a perfect comparison,” he says. “Listen, you know I would never lie to you, and you would immediately know if I did. You are relationship material, and you have a lot to offer. Any girl should be happy to have you as her mate, because you will immediately become the sun in her life.”
“It’s so cheesy when you say that,” I groan.
“Live with it,” he mutters. “You are the fucking sun. And now let’s go find your mate before I make you tell me who badmouthed you.”
“Man, if anyone saw you like that, they wouldn’t believe it was quiet, mild-mannered Dario.” I grin. “You have so much fire.”
“Did it help?”
“Yes, I am pumped. I need to find her ASAP.”
Together, we make it out of the hotel. The sun has set, dipping everything in an orange light. “Where should we start?” I ask.
“How about from the place where she was standing when you saw her?” Dario offers.
“Good idea.”
Thank the goddess that the town is small, otherwise this would have been much more difficult. Thanks to Dario, however, my optimism skyrockets again, and I am more than ready to find my mate. Even the small glimpse I had of her already made my heart beat faster.
