“Yeah, he keeps saying that,” Dario says. “It’s just a couple of minutes, but I guess time enough to give him a big head.”
Felix chuckles. “Dario is also my best friend.”
It’s mind-boggling that they are twins. They look exactly the opposite of each other. Felix is tall, blonde with dark eyes, and apparently has a very outgoing personality, while Dario seems to be much quieter with dark hair and bright blue eyes. He seems to be very kind, though, which instantly sets my mind at ease.
“Is everything alright?” Another voice can be heard. It’s a woman’s voice.
“Oh, that’s Charlie,” Felix explains to me. “She is Dario’s and my best friend.”
I lean out of the window to look at her, my eyes falling on a tall, young woman with shoulder-length, pink hair. She waves at me excitedly. “We combed the whole town for you yesterday,” she says with a grin. “And Felix was right, you have fabulous hair!”
“Right?” Felix says proudly.
Having curly hair has been part of my insecurities ever since I was a child. Part of me was always proud of it and loved it, but the other part hated it for being another thing to get bullied for. It’s one thing to have wavy, luscious hair, but my wild locks are different. They are hard to maintain and hard to keep under control. Looking back at it now, I doubt anyone had any issues with my hair; it was just another reason they found to hate me. If I had straight hair, they would have hated that instead.
“We’ll leave you to it,” Dario says to us. “Maybe we can all meet tomorrow to chat. I’d love to get to know you, Gwen.” He smiles at me. “You got a good catch with Felix.”
“Goddess,” Felix groans. “You sound like Mom. Please leave and don’t embarrass me further.”
I laugh at his mortified expression and the way Dario smiles at him. Before he can say any more, Felix closes the window again. He looks at me, moving his fingers through some of my locks. “Gwen,” he says softly, his voice making my heart melt. “I am so happy I found you.”
“So, you really do want me?” I ask, stunned.
“Why would you think I wouldn’t?” he blinks.
“I don’t have the best track record with shifters,” I admit.
He squeezes my hand and pulls me to the table with the small sofa. “Why don’t you tell me about it?” he offers. “Only if you want to, of course.”
I don’t really want to, but I think he should know. “Okay,” I say. “Can you tell me about you, first?” I ask.
He doesn’t ask me why, instead he nods, and starts telling me about his family, his siblings and his life. He just exudes so much warmth when he talks that it takes all my tension away.
It gives me the strength I need to talk about myself. I spend the next hour telling him everything about me and how I ended up in this town. I even tell him about Brandon and Josie, so he knows how much of a problem it was to my pack that I was half human. I also make sure to explain Marina and Faye to him. I don’t want there to be any misunderstandings about Faye beingmydaughter. I don’t mind if people think that, but Faye has a mom, and she sees her as her mom. I want everyone to know and respect that.
“Unbelievable,” Felix says once I am finished. “Fucking unbelievable! Your old pack sucks!”
His simple yet very clear response to my story and my pack makes me smile tentatively.
“I just can’t believe it. You were a pack member, and they treated you so badly. And all the lies they told you! What kind of alpha is that?! It’s utterly pathetic. Not to mention your ex-boyfriend, that loser.” He continues his rant, emphasizing how pathetic he finds anyone from my pack. “And the alpha actually told you you would not have a mate bond?” he finally asks.
“Yes. Granted, everyone thought the same, and those close to me truly didn’t have any comparison. They didn’t know.”
“Your alpha definitely knew,” Felix says.
I stare at him. “Really?”
“Yes, it’s common knowledge that shifters can be fated to everyone, also humans. It’s also common knowledge that humans can feel the mate bond, maybe not exactly the same way a shifter does, but they feel it. As for you, you are a hybrid; there is no way you wouldn’t have been able to feel a mate bond. And the alpha definitely knew!”
It takes a while for his words to sink in. “He really sucks, huh?”
“More than a little,” Felix says, annoyed. “Plus, you have proof now, don’t you?”
“I do,” I admit.
“And you obviously don’t need to worry about finding a pack anymore,” he tells me. “I am not going to leave you here. I would love for you to come with me to Silverlake pack – that’s where I am from, and I promise you they will welcome you with open arms!”
“Really?” I ask skeptically.
