Sawyer grasped the fingers of Alex’s other hand before exclaiming, “I’m blown away…like unfuckingreal…like wow…that’s absofuckinglutely amazing! You’re a dual shifter! Or is it a bi-shifter…you know like being ‘bi’…uh, how do you know which one you’ll shift into? Do you choose…or do your animals decide for you…like depending on the situation?” Excitement filled him as he thought about Mac’s reaction when he learned about Alex. But then, as the gravity of the situation sunk in, panic rose in his chest, replacing his feelings of euphoria.
Now he understood why the High Council wanted his mate, and the lawyer was right…Alex would be locked away as scientists tried to figure out the hows and the whys. “Sweetheart, who else knows about you? Your father…but he’s dead. Do you think he told anyone? What about the lawyer? He knows, right? And what about the headmaster? He must know too, right? You shifted in front of him…was it both animals? And what about the nanny?”
It took a moment for Alex to realize his mate accepted him—all of him—and that knowledge finally chased the remaining fear from him. Sawyer knew everything there was to know about him, but it didn’t matter. He wasn’t going to leave. And for the first time since finding out he had a mate, Alex relaxed, the tension holding his body in bondage was gone. “Sawyer? Can we eat first? I promise I’ll answer all your questions, but honestly? I’m starving.”
“Oh shit! A fine mate I am. Here,” Sawyer said, pushing the container towards Alex. “Just put this in the microwave on high for ten minutes. Quin made sure the meals Theo made for me were simple to cook because he knows I have zero to no talent in the kitchen.”
Rising, Alex grabbed the food. “Why don’t we eat inside…if that’s all right with you?”
“Sounds great. Why don’t you head in and start dinner…I’ll bring everything inside. Don’t want to waste these beautiful flowers or the candles.”
Pausing at the door to his trailer, Alex looked over his shoulder at his mate. “Thanks for everything…it truly means the world to me,” he murmured, before opening the door and stepping inside.
Glued where he was sitting, Sawyer felt real fear claw at his guts. His wolf was pacing while giving voice to menacing growls, the likes of which he’d never heard before. He needed Hunter and Mac immediately…and Mase; they would know what to do and how to protect Alex.How fucking rare is a dual…or bi…or whatever it’s called? Rare enough it wasn’t mentioned in any of my books in school. Fuck! I need to claim Alex soon!
Pulling out his phone, Sawyer sent a message to Hunter, deciding to tell him that he’d found his mate. Then, he stood for a moment, contemplating how far out of his depth he was, before gathering up everything on the table and heading to the trailer. He just hoped Mac wouldn’t be too hurt by his decision not to tell him about finding his mate. Stepping inside, he paused, looking around, smiling at the warmth and coziness of the décor. It was a far cry from the interior of his motorhome. Now he understood why Quin insisted on filling his bedroom with tons of colorful pillows as a condition for going along with them to California.
“Hey, thanks,” Alex said, taking the flowers from his mate and setting them on the small table. “Have a seat…the food is almost ready. What would you like to drink? I have water, wine…white or rosé…or beer. I found the beer at a tiny grocery store near the Grand Canyon, made locally according to the shop owner. I bought it because it spoke to me.”
Sitting down, Sawyer grinned at Alex. “A bottle of beer spoke to you? And, pray tell, what did it say?”
“Oh hush…I bought it because I loved the label.”
“Lemme see. Maybe it’ll ‘speak’ to me, too.”
Alex took two beers from the fridge, handing one of them to his mate. “See?”
Turning the bottle around in his hand so he could see the label, Sawyer smirked when he saw the name. “Dragon Fire Beer. Love it! Have you tried it yet?”
“Nope…I was waiting until I got here. I wasn’t sure how it would affect me so I figured it would be better if I didn’t have to get up the next day and drive for eight hours.”
“Wise decision,” Sawyer said, chuckling. Screwing off the cap, he sniffed it first before taking a swig of it. “Fucking A…that’s some good shit!”
“It is?” Alex copied his mate’s actions but ended up doubled over, coughing at the unexpected burning the beer left behind in his throat after he swallowed it.
Jumping up, Sawyer patted his mate on the back. “You okay? What happened…went down the wrong pipe?”
“Holy hell!” Alex managed to gasp, after he caught his breath. “That’s very potent!”
“Ya think?” Sawyer took another long drink. “I don’t know…it just tastes like beer…a fucking good one, though.”
“Does all beer burn your throat like this one?”
Frowning slightly at his mate, Sawyer asked, “Alex, is this your first beer?”
“Yeah…the housekeeper never allowed any kind of alcohol in the apartment, so…yeah, no beer. Before I left, I bought a couple bottles of rosé wine, just in case I wanted to try it. I decided on wine because the shop keeper told me it would go well with most any kind of food.”
“Well, you picked an excellent beer for your first,” Sawyer said, grinning as he sat back down.
“I’ll have to take your word for that,” Alex muttered, heading to the beeping microwave to get their dinner. Setting it down on the table, he handed his mate a serving spoon. “Here, take as much as you want.”
Scooping some food out of the container for Alex and himself, Sawyer grinned at his mate. “Did I ever tell youwhy each frozen meal is so big?” After seeing Alex shake his head, Sawyer said, “Quin…”
“He’s the youngest, right?”
“Yup…the baby of the family. Anyway, Quin loves romance novels and especially when they have an HEA…”
“What’s that?”
