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She blushed.
“What’s the best part of your job?” she asked.
He snorted, giving her a spoonful of Jell-O. “All shifters have sharp senses and extra strength, but an Alpha’s are even sharper and stronger, and our wolves are bigger.”
“Sharper sense?”
“I could smell your perfume in the woods. Peonies. And I can see in the dark, and much further than humans.”
“That’s how you found my keys, in the dark parking lot!”
He nodded. “And I can hear through walls.”
“What?” she asked.
“I heard you call yourself a slut in your car that morning after I stayed over.”
“Oh my God. You heard that?”
“Unfortunately.” He frowned.
She ate two more forkfuls of food.
“Are you done asking questions?” he asked.
“Not even close.” Taking a deep breath, she fixed him with a stare. “What happened? Who were those men? Why did they take me?”
“That’s a long story.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Starting with the differences between bears and shifters, he delved in, not sparing her any of the unsavory details about his grandfather and the history of the Sinclaire pack. If she was deciding whether or not to trust him, she needed every detail unfiltered. She deserved at least that much from him. Finally, he ended with the witch trying to undo the memory spell on Rachel. To clear his entire conscience in one go, he also told her about paying off her car and reiterated that he hired the nurses for Rachel.
When he finished, she was silent for a long time. Her eyes were hard. He braced himself for her rejection—again. But it never came. To his horror, her hazelnut eyes welled with tears, and her lower lips started to tremble.
“Do you want me to leave?” he asked.
“I-I-I.” She blubbered between sobs. “No, don’t leave me again.”
He wanted to point out the reason he’d left her was because she asked him to, but he was too happy to talk.
“First.” She glared at him. “No more secrets. Do you understand me? I get why you didn’t tell me about the wolf thing, but that ends now.”
“I’d have to keep seeing you for that to be relevant.”
“And why wouldn’t you do that?”
He blinked at her. “You can’t mean … After everything I put you through?”
“Put me through? You’ve done so much for me.” Her voice broke. “And I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for everything. I never meant to—”
Moving to the edge of her bed, he cupped the less swollen side of her face. “What did I tell you about apologizing for things that aren’t your fault?”
“I’m sorry. You went through all of that for me and I never even asked. I broke up with you when it was the last thing I wanted to do. Can you ever forgive me?”
The question threw him off guard. He was prepared for her fear, scorn, even disgust, but he’d never expected remorse. What did she possibly have to apologize to him for? He was the one endangering her.
“You have nothing to apologize for.” He brushed away her tears. “I was endangering you by not telling you the truth. And never, never think you need to ask me to protect you. My wolf is naturally very defensive of the people close to my heart. I’ll always be there for you. You’re mine to protect, Clarissa. That is, if you still want me.”
