“I’m sorry,” I croaked the apology as I swiped my tears away with my thumbs.
“Don’t apologize,” Lachlan told me, walking through the creek and onto the rock, sitting next to me. “Never apologize for having feelings.”
I chuckled dryly, wiping the wetness from my tears on my tank top. “Feelings only get in the way. That’s what Alice says. Not worrying about how you feel is more productive.”
“You speak from experience?” I nodded, and he frowned, scratching his scruff. “If we felt nothing, we’d be monsters. If you need to talk, I’m right here.”
Swallowing, I let my legs extend in front of me and dipped my toes in the cold water. “Where do I start?”
“Wherever you want.”
ELEVEN
Lachlan
Wrenhadherdaintyfeet hanging in the water below us, and she wiggled her toes, causing ripples in the water. “Everything just happened all at once, you know? A couple of days ago, I was living a quiet life in the Arctic Wolf Village, working alongside my guardian as an herbalist. Then, I got banished and—”
“Banished?” My mouth fell open in shock. Usually, wolves only banished members of their pack for very serious reasons. I couldn’t think of this woman doing anything to deserve that.
“Ah, yeah. I, um, I found one of my mates, actually right before I found out I was marked for Fate Hollow, and he... he rejected me because he didn’t want to deal with the possibility of me having multiple mates. He insulted the pairing of a wolf and a fox, which my parents were... and I rejected him back. The Alpha and Luna didn’t like that because he’s the future Alpha of the pack, and by rejecting him, it essentially weakened the pack,” she stumbled over the explanation, and my temper sparked.
Squeezing my fists together, I huffed out a breath.
She’d found one of her mates, and he rejected her? A woman like this? I couldn’t wrap my mind around how anyone could be that stupid except...
“It’s Grayson, isn’t it?” I blurted, and she bit her lip with a small nod.
“He’s more of an idiot than I thought.” A low growl tore from my chest. “A fucking moron.”
She looked down as she toyed with the water by moving her feet around. “It wouldn’t bother you if you mated a fox who would share her affections with more than one mate?”
“Fuck no,” I told her, and she glanced up at me. “Not if they were as sweet and perfect as you are.”
She turned a few shades of red as a shy smile spread on her lips. “You don’t mean that.”
“Sure I do. I may not have known you long, but there’s something about you that nobody else has. Thorn was right.”
“Thorn?”
“Yeah. He told me you were special, as if I couldn’t figure that out myself.” I scoffed.
Giggling, she asked, “What’s with the flattery?”
“I like you. Isn’t that obvious?” My toe submerged in the icy depths of the creek, and I yelped, which was totally manly, and yanked it back to safety on the mossy rock. “How can thatnotbother you?”
She rose one of her white brows in my direction. “Arctic shifter, remember?”
Barking out a laugh, I shook my head.Duh, dude.“So, I’m guessing you wanted to be in the forest because of your fox side?”
“That’s right.” She smiled softly, playing with the end of her ponytail.
It was the first time I’d seen her hair up, and her face was serene. A soft jawline blessed her features. She had almond-shaped eyes that held so much emotion in their startling ice blue depths, it almost scared me. Her little button nose was adorable, and I could only imagine how soft her plump lips would be if I leaned in and kissed her.
With her hair back and her only wearing cotton pajamas, it was difficult for my eyes not to dip down. Her nipples were hard and the swell of her breasts was apparent through the thin fabric. For such a tiny girl, her chest was fuller than I’d imagined.
Swallowing hard, I jerked my gaze up. “I’m sorry,” I blurted. “I didn’t mean to stare.”
She tilted her head as she furrowed her brows. “We’re having a conversation. Is it not normal to stare at the person you’re actively speaking with?”
