I grin nervously. “I don't read books,” I admit sheepishly, and the woman steps forward, regarding me with narrowed eyes.
“Ah…I know who you are!” she suddenly beams from ear to ear. “You're Miss Delilah's new husband!”
“Y—yes,” I say as I rub the back of my neck, staring down at the tiny woman with a gentle smile. She radiates a pleasant energy that reminds me of someone I knew when I was a child.
“Ah…very handsome…” she praises with a short nod. “Miss Delilah has done well. You better treat her right,” she warns with a pointed finger between my eyes.
“Of course,” I assure her, glancing at the building Delilah has just entered. “What's that place?”
“The pack's community center,” the woman reveals. “It's where most of the elderly work, to keep their time occupied and make them feel useful around here. Miss Delilah has a soft spot for them, always helping where she can. We missed her while she was gone.”
My lips curl into a proud smile as I see Delilah passing by a window in the pack center and greeting one of the elderly members with a warm hug. Again, Delilah doesn't fail to surprise me, and she might have good reason to be cold toward me, but she has the biggest heart.
She's special, and she deserves to be treated that way.
“I think I might have something that will pique your interest and get you to read,” the woman says, prompting me to turn with a frown, only to see her slipping back into the library. She comes out a few seconds later and pushes a hardcover book toward me.
“What is this?” I ask, taking the book and reading the title. “The Secret Society?”
“It's a book that depicts Luna Layla's origins of magic, the same magic she passed onto her daughter, Delilah.”
“Oh…will this give me more insight into my wife?”
“Yes,” the woman nods with a mischievous smile, as if she knows more than she's letting on. “It'll allow you to understand a woman's emotions, especially one like our dear Delilah, who wields so much power, and so much heart.”
“Thank you.”
“Now off you go,” the woman says as she waves me off. “You must be dying to get to her. I know how newlyweds are.”
I chuckle as the woman goes back inside the library, feeling smug about her warmth toward me, while a flicker of sadness rears its unwelcome head. Back when I was living in the village with the pack I was born into, there was a woman just like her who'd dote on me, bringing baked goods to our hut as gifts.
I sigh, pushing away the thought that threatens to unleash emotional turmoil on me, the flicker of the dark cloud that comes with it too daunting to face right now.
But at every turn, the Shadow Fang Pack members show me kindness, oozing warmth that makes it nearly impossible not to remember the traumas of my past. They're welcoming, and especially kinder when they realize I'm Delilah's husband.
The Shadow Fang Pack has a soft spot for their alpha's only child, speaking highly of her that it only becomes natural for them to warm up to me. I cross the street when a little boy waves me over, smiling when he grabs my hand and shows me inside to his family's ice cream parlor.
“What flavor would you like, Mister Hunter?” the woman behind the counter asks once I've introduced myself as Delilah's husband.
“Er—mint choc-chip, please,” I say as the little boy bounces excitedly beside me, tugging my arm.
“Miss Delilah likes that one, too!” he beams excitedly, and my lips draw into a smile as the woman hands me a sugar cone with two scoops of the ice cream.
Everyone is so nice in Scarborough that it lifts my spirits, even if I have to actively push away the intrusive thoughts about my old pack. I don't want to get too attached, but the hospitality of the Shadow Fang Pack constantly reminds me of the troubles of my past.
A past I can't seem to escape from. That's why I couldn't win the alpha trials in the Bloodclaw Pack. I couldn't risk becoming important and having others rely on me. Bloodclaw wasn't the pack I was born into, and I could never bring myself to get too close.
It's also the reason I decided to become a nomad, a lone wolf, hopping from one pack to another when I'd formed strong bonds with the friends I made during black ops. Friends who were from different packs spread around Maine, and it seemed like a good idea to hop from one pack to another.
But there's another reason why I couldn't become the Bloodclaw Alpha, and that reason stands at the stove in thecommunal kitchen in the pack den, stirring a pot of the soup brewing for lunch.
“Hello, wife,” I whisper as I approach her, prompting her to turn to me with a smile that's probably forced.
“Hello, husband,” she returns, and I lean in to give her a quick hug for the sake of the public's eyes watching us.
Even though we're pretending, it's hard to fake what I feel when I have her in my arms, closing my eyes to bask in the scent of roses she exudes, relishing the warmth of her body. Having heard the way her pack members speak so highly of her kindness has me feeling closer than ever to her, knowing she's an extraordinary woman and feeling honored to be her husband and her fated mate.
I draw back only to stare into her eyes, noticing the way she stares back at me. Her warm, honey-golden eyes betray the coldness she's been showing me these past few days, and for a moment, I forget that we're pretending.
