He really needed to learn how to cook.
The Brays weren’t a threat anymore; nothing would be a threat to Flora while he was alive. Even then, he knew if he wasn’t there for her, his Pack would be. They would always be in her corner.
“She may not know it yet, but she’s my soulmate,” he whispered, staring off at the wall.
He’d let her go and prayed she’d choose him.
37
FLORA
The hot chips weren’t enough. Since when were chips not enough? They didn’t fill the gap in Flora’s heart. Why didn’t she storm to the Enchanted Packhouse and demand Dylan take his head out of his ass and be her mate? Why was she still sitting in Willow’s apartment when she could have everything she wanted a few neighborhoods over? Her tear-stained cheeks were proof that Dylan was worth the fight.
So why was she still sitting there?
She missed the man who had been breathing down her back for the last few months. She missed the man who saved her countless times. She missed the man who taught her to fight for herself. She missed the man who couldn't warm up a toaster pastry to save his life. So why was she still there? Ass parked on the couch, called out of work, and a mountain of empty chip bags lying on the hardwood floor of Willow’s otherwise pristine apartment.
Did being part of a Pack scare the hell out of her? Yes. Did being in love with a wolf terrify her? Yes. But continuing without Dylan was a disaster she didn’t want to be a part of anymore. She couldn’t believe what she was thinking.
Rushing off the couch, she grabbed her keys to her car and prayed that it had enough gas. When it started up, she finally got a whiff of herself. Good lord, she wouldn’t win Dylan back smelling like she’d been sitting in a pile of dog shit. Yanking the door back open and racing up the stairs, she headed straight to the shower and then pulled on a random suit set with a plain white long-sleeve shirt. Pulling her curled braids up into a high pony, she headed back out the door. She was going to win back the man who never should’ve gotten away.
Nerves covered Flora’s body. Pulling into the Packhouse driveway unannounced, shaky hands were the least of her problems. She prayed Jackson wouldn’t take offense to the intrusion.
She took a deep breath. This was for Dylan; she needed to do this for him. Choose him, for him, nothing more, nothing less. He was hers. This was her soulmate; she needed to fight for him, give this life a fighting chance. Slamming the car door shut, she leaned back against it, trying to find some stability before walking to the white wood porch.
Would they even want her to be a part of the Pack? Trying to put the questions to rest, she pushed off the car. Everyone in the house would know she was there; there was no backing out now.
Dylan stepped outside alone in the same outfit he wore the first time they met. She grew to love that hoodie and flannel combo on him.
“Flora?” His deep voice broke their staring contest. Seeing him confirmed everything she was feeling. As much as he was hers, she was his.
“Hi.” Flora knew she should spit out what she’d come here to say, but the adrenaline choked her; she could hardly breathe standing in front of him. He was handsome and incredibly tall. Strong, kind, an ass at times, funny, loving,hers. Hers, if he’d want to be. Inhaling as much air as she could, she let it all back out. Tears escaped, trailing down her face as she smiled.
It was now or never.
Inhale. “You're my mate.” She knew it would hurt and be absolutely soul-crushing if he rejected her as his mate, but he was worth the risk. “Dylan Enchanted, Second-in-Command, wolf Shifter, member of the Enchanted Pack, you are my soulmate. If you’d have me, I want you. In my life, as my lover, forever.” Exhale. All the cards were on the table, and it was his turn to play.
Nothing, he was giving her nothing. The silence screamed in her ears. She had no idea what was going through this man’s mind, and she desperately wished she did. Biting the inside of her cheek, she picked at her manicured nails, trying to give him the chance to say anything. Whether it was ‘I hope I never see you again’ or ‘I love you, too.’ She’d take either at that point.
“Bye, Dylan Enchanted.” Flora broke the growing silence between them. She turned, defeated, her heels kicking up the gravel driveway. Her braids hung heavy in her ponytail as she walked away. It was too good to be true; who would mate with a panther and let her join their Pack?
What in the world was she expecting? He didn’t feel the same. Dylan’s Pack was everything to him, and the possibility of giving that up for her must have been too much. Tears started to drop one after the other the minute she turned her back, heartbroken. Reaching for her car door, her arm was suddenly yanked back, and her body was spun around to crash into a warm chest.
“You’d seriously leave your soulmate if he asked?” he asked, an eyebrow raised. He fuckingsmirked.
He was toying with her! Her conversation with Ryder played on a loop in her head. A man wouldn’t let his mate walk away, so neither would she.
“No, I wouldn’t,” she glared. "Not forever. What you fail to realize is that you're mine now. I’d give you time and space, but eventually, you’d miss me. See, Dylan, I get what I want. I wanted to start a business, so I did. I wanted to live on my own, so I did. I wanted a fucking jungle gym in my office, and so I got one. And now, I want you.”
“You really think I’d let you go a second time, Flora?” Dylan asked, wrapping his arms around her waist, his heat and woodsy smell encompassing her senses. A short intake of breath and a sob was all Flora could manage. She pressed her face into his chest, soaking his flannel with her tears. She lightly slapped his arm before rubbing the spot she slapped, pissed that he would let her think he didn’t want her.
“Ow, Flora.”
“Don’t ever do shit like that again,” Flora mumbled, pulling him impossibly closer. Hearing applause, they turned, still wrapped in each other’s arms.
“You know what this means, right?” Eddie asked, looking over to Jackson. The whole Pack was standing on the porch. Felix, Leo, Ryder, and River were crowding the porch.
“Flora, can you come forward?” Jackson asked.
