“Right,” I say, sudden hesitation overcoming me. I told him about her, so he knows what’s going on with her, but it’s always different when people actually meet her. Brandon only saw her once and didn’t know what to do. He didn’t want to see her again. As for Maddox, he tried and acted normal around her, so I will give him that.
There is no avoiding it, though. Felix needs to meet her. “Come,” I say, taking his hand and leading him further into the living room past Charlie and Faye. There on the sofa, small and fragile, is Marina, her eyes pinned to the TV screen, lips parted slightly. She doesn’t move an inch, doesn’t seem to realize I am here.
“Marina, I want to introduce you to my mate,” I say, as if having a normal conversation. “This is Felix.”
As usual, she doesn’t react. Felix gauges Marina with a thoughtful expression, then he smiles gently. “Hello, Marina, I am Felix. I am happy to meet you.” He doesn’t touch her, he doesn’t make any rash movements, and he sounds warm and kind when he talks to her.
He is such a kind person. Is it true that I really got lucky this time?
I can barely believe it.
But watching Felix standing here and talking to Marina, as if it’s the most normal thing in the world for him, just sends me into a frenzy. It makes me so happy, I want to cry.
I am almost relieved when Faye gets tired of playing and joins Marina on the sofa. It stops me from watching my mate being so sweet to the people who matter the most to me, and to my pets. I am scared I will burst into tears at any moment.
Dario helps me bring Faye some donuts and something to drink, before the four of us sit around the kitchen table to talk about the inevitable.
“Was that the first time you‘ve seen those two shifters?” Charlie asks.
“No, they were in the club once. Now it’s obvious they were there to check on me,” I mutter, a shiver running down my spine. As if he could feel my discomfort, Mr. Dot comes trotting into the kitchen and jumps onto my lap, curling up there. He puts his little paw against Felix’s hand that’s resting on my knee, as if he isn’t sure whether he wants to push it away or not. Felix just grins, playfully petting the little paw.
“Dario and Charlie recorded everything,” he says. “We’ll make sure to find out who they are. On the upside, they weren’t aggressive. If they truly wanted to hurt you or kidnap you, they would have barged into the place.”
“I agree,” Charlie says. “It was more like they were… private detectives, if that makes sense?”
“Someone sent them,” Dario agrees. “For whatever reason, someone is looking for Gwen and sent two warriors to find her.”
“Are we sure they are just warriors?” Charlie asks.
“Yes,” Dario and Felix say in unison.
Their prompt reaction makes me curious. “You can tell it that easily? Because you are lycans?”
“No, it’s the alpha blood in us,” Felix explains.
“They were of no specific rank,” Dario clarifies. “Certainly, strong warriors, but they had no domineering aura around them.”
“Do you recognize them from your old pack?” Charlie asks.
I sigh sadly. “I don’t know, but it isn’t impossible that they are from my pack. I lived so secluded there, I didn’t know many pack members.”
“Did you reject the pack when you left?” Felix asks.
I nod. “I did.”
“And you felt it, right?”
I shrug. “Not really. But that’s not unusual for me. It could be because of my human side.”
Felix tilts his head, frowning slightly. “It could be.”
“They didn’t know you either,” Dario says all of a sudden. “I mean the two men… they had no idea who you were. They didn’t recognize you.”
Felix and I exchange a glance before Felix looks at his brother curiously. “What makes you say that?”
“They weren’t sure if they were truly talking to Gwen. They probably only had a rough description of her,” he says. “You have very distinctive features, Gwen. If someone knew you or had an actual picture of you, they would be able to tell it’s you immediately.” He pauses. “They also both avoided saying anything that would give away that they are shifters in case they were talking to a human.”
My mouth opens slightly at his words as realization settles in. “That’s true. I didn’t even notice!”
