“Why are you here?” she asked, shaking her head slightly.
Sighing, I took her hand and led her to a more secluded area. She didn’t pull away or stop me. Once we were far enough away, I let go of her.
“I want to say I’m sorry about everything,” I said.
“Which things?” she asked, her voice carrying a note of exasperation.
“For not being honest with you, for not letting you in as much as I should, and for not putting you first. Naphele is gone. She’s not coming back. You are my fated mate, and I should have understood that.”
June’s eyes widened slightly. “Levi, I’d love to figure this out, to be with you, but how?”
“What do you mean how?” I said, feeling a pit open in my stomach. “We love each other. We move forward and live our lives together.”
“You make that sound easy,” she said, chuckling bitterly. “What are you going to do if Naphele comes back in someone else? I can’t share you. Iwon’t. I have more self-respect than that. And I won’t make you choose. That wouldn’t be fair to you.”
“Neither of those things would happen. I’m willing to give up anything to be with you. I’ve made peace with the fact that Naphele isn’t coming back?—”
She eyed me warily. “Have you?”
For several seconds we looked at one another. Finally, I took her hands in mine.
“June, I chose you. I want to be with you,” I murmured, putting as much emotion into the words as I could.
“You say that now, but I’m not convinced you won’t change your mind if she comes walking into your life a year or two from now.”
Shaking her head, she backed away, then walked to the dining hall, leaving me to watch her go.
45
JUNIPER
“You look upset,” Linnea said as I flopped onto a chair beside her in the dining hall.
“You could say that,” I muttered.
My head was a whirlwind of emotions. The confusion I had about the situation was made all the worse by the never-ending whisper of my new inner wolf. She wanted Levi as much as I did. She saw him for exactly what he was—her fated mate. She didn’t understand the nuance of the situation because wolves operated on pure instinct and emotion.
“Did it go poorly?” Linnea asked, nodding toward the exit door.
“It’s bad,” I said, my voice almost a whisper. “I don’t know if I can stay here anymore.”
“Hang on,” she said and lifted a hand to wave at someone. “Hey!Can you come over here? I think we need another set of ears for this.”
Glancing over my shoulder, I felt an icy stab of embarrassment. Rainier was in line, grabbing a plate of food.
“No,” I hissed, reaching out to put Linnea’s hand down. “He’s Levi’s beta.”
“That’s why I called him over. If anyone can give you some insight, it’s him,” Linnea said.
It was too late anyway. Rainier was striding over to us, his black, bushy beard slightly ruffled.
“What’s up, guys?” he said, sitting down with his plate and a cup of coffee.
I sighed, feeling suddenly like a bug under a glass, something to be eyeballed and critiqued.
“Do you want to spill and let us help?” Linnea asked.
Rainier was giving me a knowing look. He probably understood the situation better than anyone other than me or Levi. I leaned back, crossing my arms. I glanced around to make sure no one was nearby, then told them about my worries about Levi being hung up on Naphele, about part of the vision I’d had the night before—though I left out the murder, as it was too brutal to recount—and the conversation Levi and I had just had. I also didn’t mention seeing Anders. For one thing, I thought Levi would beirateif he knew another alpha had not only invaded his territory but also made a play for his mate. With the issues with the Red Maw, I didn’t think it was prudent to give him another enemy to focus on, and with Rainier here, that info would get back to him fast.
