And, just like that, I was stuck.
Chapter Six
Falkan
“Okay, so you don’t want to shift back,” I said softly, bending down to the beautiful red-gold wolf. “That’s all right. We’ll take this slow.”
I had gotten my pants on, still shirtless. The wolf looked at me, panting, but that could mean anything. He was our mate. Mine and Griffith’s. We knew that, but maybe he didn’t.
Omega. Mate. He is scared, but deep inside he knows. Nuzzle him. Comfort.
He was in no shape to be nuzzled at the moment. My beast held back, though I could tell he wanted to shift again and take him underwing.
Griffith, also bare-chested, shrugged into his T-shirt and bent down. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do,” he said.
Over the wolf’s head, we eyed each other with worried expressions. Usually, a beast who refused a human shift was a beast who was traumatized. Here we were, our mate in front of us, our third. Everything should have felt wonderful, like the universe had lined up and presented us the luckiest day of our lives. Instead, anxiety and uncertainty ruled. This might not work out for us.
But I wouldn’t allow myself to think like that. Griffith and I already loved each other in this short time, but it wasn’t the whole package. If Kyle bolted, we’d always have a missing space inside each of us. The devastation of having lost our third would be a cloud over us for the rest of our lives.
“We would love to sit and talk with you. Or just be together without saying a word.” I kept my voice low and calm.
Griffith nodded in agreement.
The wolf’s mane was up, full and defensive-looking. The hair on his back was not standing straight up, but neither was it flat.
Griffith slowly shook his head, holding his hand up for me to stop talking. He bent and spoke in an almost whisper. “You don’t have to shift. We think you’re beautiful just the way you are.”
“Right,” I added. “Look at you. Magnificent. We accept you in any form you present. I promise you that.”
The wolf let out a quick, high-pitched whimper. His pink tongue lolled, then he went back to panting. He seemed receptive, but his tail still curved between his legs.
Do more. He is still scared.
I was trying my hardest.
“Hey,” I said. “I’m going to sit here on the bench and put my shoes on. Okay? I’m not going to leave you. But if you want to run away, we won’t chase you.”
Griffith sent me a perplexed look. I shook my head once at him.
I continued. “We want you here because you want to be here. We hope you understand. We truly truly believe you are our mate. Our fated mate. I know you understand what that means.”
I reached down and casually put on my socks and shoes as the wolf stared at me, watching my every movement with quick flicks of his gaze, waiting for…what? I didn’t know. He still didn’t trust either of us.
When I was done, I kept sitting, my hands resting on my thighs. After another minute, while the wolf didn’t run, Griffith came around the beast and sat beside me. He also put his shoes on as if we did this every day while a scared wolf watched.
“It’s good that you’re still here with us,” I said.
“Yeah.” Griffith shot him one of his addicting smiles. Addicting to me, at least.
The wolf seemed to respond to that, too. He whimpered again then lowered his head.
“We’re just happy to be here with you,” Griffith said. “I hope you can feel that, too.”
The panting slowed. The tongue went back into the mouth. Hair still up, the wolf tilted his head. That was a great sign. He was acknowledging he was listening and processing.
“You do feel the same, don’t you?” I asked.
The wolf tilted his head to the other side.
