by L. P. Dover
Do I tell him the truth? I don’t think I’ve fully admitted it to myself. I lift my gaze to the darkening sky, finding strength within the moon and stars. I feel like I can tell Tate anything. He may not be my mate, but there’s a connection between us.
“As I said to you inside, I’d give anything to have your freedom.” I tear my gaze away from the sky to look at him. “With Killian trying to take me, my only option was to get away. Micah would never let me go alone, so I had to think of another plan. You and Chase came to mind. Cedric is a dear friend of mine, and I feel connected to you and Chase as I do with him. He’s a dear friend, and I trust him with my life.”
“And you feel that way with me?” he asks.
I nod. “I do. That’s why I knew this plan would work. Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve wondered about Ian and Colton since I don’t know them that well, but I figured I’d give it a try.”
“What if you don’t like being with them?”
I’ve thought about that, and it worries me. I might be hating my plan once it’s all said and done. “I don’t know,” I answer, really not knowing what I would do. Closing my eyes, I cover my face with my hands. “Okay, fine. You want the full truth?” When I look at him, he nods. I can feel the burn of embarrassment on my cheeks. “I was hoping to find my mate.”
Tate sits back, his gaze serious. “And you thought visiting the other packs would help?”
I shrug. “It’s a start. All I know is that he’s not in the Teton pack. If I don’t get out and meet other people, I’ll never find him.”
He focuses on his spaghetti. “I understand, Faith. You’re not the only one who thinks their mate is somewhere else.”
Silence fills the air as we finish our dinner. I look up at the moon and send up a silent prayer. If I were to pick a mate, I’d want it to be someone like Tate. Even though I feel a connection to him, it’s obvious it’s not going to happen for us. One day, I hope he finds his happiness too.
Chapter 12
Tate
I never thought I’d want someone as bad as I want Faith. Ever since she came to my home, she’s all I’ve been able to think about. What’s fucked up is that I shouldn’t be having these thoughts about her. She’s not my mate. The only time I can think of something else is when I’m working. That’s why I made it a point to get to our job early. Faith is in the nursery, and I’m across the house with Anson, replacing the flooring. It’s been hours, and we’re almost done, which means the second I see Faith, all of the feelings I have for her will hit me once more.
“So … I was thinking.”
I grab up the last of my tools and look over at Anson. “Thinking about what?”
Anson clears his throat and nods toward the door, keeping his voice low. “Let’s go outside.” I walk past him, and he follows me out to the truck. Whatever he has to say, I guess he doesn’t want Faith hearing.
When we get outside, I place all of my tools in the back of the truck. “What’s going on?” I ask.
Anson glances back at the house and then at me. “I think you should tell the pack Faith is here.”
The words hell no are on the tip of my tongue, but I hold them back. A sense of protectiveness overwhelms me, and I can’t shake it. It’s something I’ve never felt before. I don’t want Faith anywhere near the men in our pack.
“We’re trying to keep her hidden,” I say.
Anson nods. “I know, but what if her mate is someone in our pack. This could be their chance to find happiness.”
I shake my head. “She’s been around all of us before. It would’ve happened already.” That’s what pisses me off more than anything. Faith is an amazing woman, and it’s obvious there’s something between us. I know she feels it just as I do. I’ve known plenty of wolves who have fallen in love with humans. Unfortunately, this is a little more complicated than that.
Anson lowers his voice. “That’s not true, and you know it. It can take time.”
Anger wells up in my chest. “I said no. We’re not going to dangle her around like a piece of meat.”
“What if she’s up for it?”
Clenching my teeth, I meet his gaze. I don’t want to get angry, but I know what he wants. He wants to get close to Faith, to see if she could be his. I refuse to share her with anyone. “It’s not going to happen. End of discussion.”
Anson huffs. “Fine. I’m calling it a day.” He storms over to his truck and drives away.
I look over at the nursery window, and I can see Faith inside, smiling as she focuses on the wall. I can’t see what she’s done, but I have no doubt it’s impressive. Now that Anson’s gone, a part of me regrets how I handled our conversation. What he said was right, and I know it. The magic of the moon doesn’t always work instantaneously. My parents grew up together, and their mating signs didn’t appear until they were twenty-three years old. One night they happened to run into each other in the woods after a run, and it just happened. It seems so simple, but it’s not.
Faith moves out of sight, and it’s not long before she comes out the back door. “Hey,” she says, grinning excitedly. Her smile is so damn beautiful. It takes all I have to control my thoughts and emotions around her. I know she can sense my need at times, but it’s only because I lost my focus. It’s so hard to concentrate around her. She walks down the patio stairs and comes over to me. “The nursery’s almost done. I should have it finished tomorrow.”
I lean against my truck. “Great. I’ll have all of my stuff done too. Jason and Anna will be happy to know they can move in a few days early.”
She glances over her shoulder at the house. “I hope Anna likes what I did.”
“I’m sure she will.”
Eyes narrowed, she looks at me. “You haven’t even seen it.”
“True,” I say, laughing, “but I trust you.”
She beams. “You should. I’m not going to disappoint you.”
“I never thought you would.” I nod toward the truck. “Come on, let’s get out of here.” We get in my car and head back to my house. She’s been in my protection for three days, and I’m already dreading her leaving. I don’t know why I feel so protective of Faith when she’s not even mine.
My wolf stirs inside of me, desperate to find his mate.
Why is it we always want something we can’t have?
Chapter 13
Faith
After Tate and I finished dinner, I helped him clean up the kitchen and then retreated to my room to make my daily phone calls. Bailey informed me that Asher has a tooth coming in. I hate I can’t be there to see it. There have been no more sightings of Killian and his men, according to Cedric and Laila. It makes me wonder how long they’re going to search for me. Will they ever give up? The only way for that to happen is for me to find my mate. I’ll be useless to them once I do. My mate and I will be stronger than Killian and his witch once we’re bonded. If Laila hadn’t told us that, I never would’ve known.
Sitting on the bed, I lean against the headboard and scroll to Micah’s name on my phone. I always save him for last since I talk to him the most. I press send, and it rings only once before I hear his voice.
“Hey,” he answers.
“Hey. Did you have a good day?”
He chuckles. “I did. Amelie and I trained this morning. She’s gotten so much stronger. The woman loves to give me hell.”
I burst out laughing. “She’s making up for the hell I’m not there to give you.”
“Yeah, I think you might be right. I like it, though. She has fire.” They would make a perfect match, but they haven’t shown any of the mating signs. I hear a splash outside and walk over to the side window in my room. When I look out, I see Tate swimming around in the pool, his smooth skin glistening in the water. My heart races and my body tightens in all the right places.
“Faith, you still there?”
“Yes.” I quickly move away from the window, hoping like hell Tate didn’t catch me watching him. “Sorry.”
�
�You okay?” he asks.
“I’m fine. Just got a little distracted.” I clear my throat, trying to think of something quick to say. “Tate and I are almost done with the house I was telling you about. The nursery is so cute. I’ll send you pictures when I get done tomorrow.” I look over at the window, wishing I could peek through the curtains.
“Nice. I can’t wait to see it.”
We talk for a few more minutes, and then we say our goodbyes. I set my phone down on the nightstand and slowly creep over to the window. Tate is still in the pool, swimming laps. I have the strongest urge to go down there and join him. But do I? I have a bikini packed with my things, but I feel like I’ll just be adding fuel to the flames. Do I want to stoke the fire? As exciting as it sounds, it’s best I don’t. It’s not fair to either one of us, especially not Tate. The last thing I need to do is flaunt my body in front of him. So instead, I’ll go down there in my denim shorts and paint-covered T-shirt.
Once downstairs, I slip out the back door. Tate is still swimming laps and hasn’t noticed me yet. I stop at the edge of the pool, right by the diving board. Tate swims toward me and stops at the edge, lifting his head out of the water.
He swipes a hand over his face and smiles up at me. “Hey. I didn’t know you were going to come out here.”
I shrug. “I finished my phone calls early. Thought I’d enjoy the night air.” I flourish a hand about the pool. “Do you swim a lot?”
Still looking up at me, he rests his arms over the edge. “All the time. You should jump in.
“That’s okay,” I say, laughing as I glance down at my clothes. “I didn’t bring a swimsuit.” Total lie, but it’s all I can think of to get out of swimming.
A wolfish grin spreads across his face. “Oh, you don’t need a bathing suit.” I don’t have time to react before he grabs my legs and tosses me into the pool. The water muffles my screams.
I surface fast splash him in the face. “You’re such an asshole.”
He splashes me back, and a water war ensues. “You should’ve known better than to stand near the edge.”
Laughing, I charge after him and push him under. He reaches around me and takes me with him. His deep laugh echoes under the water, and I smile. I don’t want to fight against him with his arms around me, but I can’t let him know how good it feels. Pushing him away, I swim over to the edge, and he does the same, only leaving about two feet between us. He looks at me and laughs, and I splash him one more time.
“I’ll pay you back for this,” I tell him.
He winks. “I look forward to it.” We stare at each other for a few seconds, and then his expression turns serious. “There’s something I want to talk to you about.”
My heart stops, and I hold my breath. “What is it?”
His eyes flash to his wolf’s, and when he closes and opens them back up, they’re his usual bright blue. “Anson asked me today if I’d let you spend time with the other males in the pack.”
Taking a deep breath, I let it out slowly. “And what did you say?”
He looks away. “I told him no.”
Heart racing, I freeze. When his eyes meet mine, it’s like he can sense how much I want him. His need washes over me, drawing me closer. “Why did you say no?”
This time, he’s the one who swims closer. We’re now only a foot apart. “I said no because I don’t want to share you. But then, it’s not my place to deny you. If you wish to spend time with my pack, I won’t stop you.” Mouth gaping, I can’t find the words to say. He moves closer, and we’re only a breath apart. I can feel the heat from his lips. “I wish you knew how fucking bad I want you as my mate. Your face is all I see when I close my eyes at night.” I want to kiss him, but he swims away and gets out of the pool. His swim shorts ride low on his hips, and I can’t hide my attraction to him. Even the cool water can’t ease off the heat of my skin. He picks up his towel and runs it over his face. “I can sense what your body does around me. It drives me crazy not to act on it.” Still keeping his back to me, he turns his head to the side but doesn’t fully look at me. “What kind of mate do you want, Faith?”
I don’t want to lie to him. Climbing out of the pool, I walk over to him, but he still keeps his back to me. “If I had my choice, I’d want someone like you.” A few seconds pass, and I resist the urge to touch him. It gets harder and harder the longer I’m around him.
Chapter 14
Faith
I get up early to make breakfast for Tate and me, but he beat me to it. When I walk into the kitchen, there’s a pan of eggs, a plate full of bacon, and a pile of banana pancakes. Tate walks in—looking unbelievably sexy in his jeans and a tight gray T-shirt—and there’s no denying the sexual tension between us, especially after what happened last night.
His eyes meet mine. “Faith, I …”
Before he can finish, the front door opens. “Good morning!” Kami walks in and smiles, her eyes darting back and forth from me to Tate. “It smells amazing in here.”
Tate nods toward the food. “I made plenty. Dig in.”
Her stomach growls. “Don’t mind if I do. I was going to see if you both wanted to go to Granny’s café for breakfast, but it doesn’t look like we need to do that.”
Tate pours himself some coffee. “Nope. You two enjoy it. I’ll be outside making some phone calls.” Then to me, he says, “After you eat, we’ll head to Jason and Anna’s.”
I grab another plate out of the cabinet for Kami. “Sounds good.”
As soon as he walks out, Kami rushes over to me. “What the hell is going on here? There is some serious sexual tension.”
Groaning, I hang my head in my hands. “Tate and I kind of had a moment last night.”
Her mouth drops open. “What kind of moment? Did you two sleep together?”
“No,” I gasp. Then again, the thought has crossed my mind, and I did dream about us having sex last night. I spoon a bundle of eggs onto my plate, along with a couple of pieces of bacon.
Kami does the same but waves her hand in the air for me to continue. “Explain. You can’t leave me like that.”
I pile two pancakes on top of my eggs and sit down at the kitchen table. “I’m starting to have feelings for your brother.”
She sets her plate down and slowly lowers into the seat across from me. “Seriously?” All smiles are gone.
“Yeah,” I reply.
“And let me guess, no mating signs yet?”
I shake my head. “Nope. Do you see the dilemma?”
With a heavy sigh, she takes a bite of her food. “This sucks ass, Faith. You and Tate would be perfect for each other.”
He’s everything I could ever want in a mate. I wish we could make the choice for ourselves. “I guess it’s just not meant to be.”
Kami huffs. “I don’t get it.”
“Don’t get what?” Anson asks as he strolls into the kitchen. I didn’t even hear him walk through the door. As far as second-in-command’s go, he’s similarly built to Tate with his height and muscular body.
Kami bats her eyelashes at him in a sarcastic way. “I don’t get why you think it’s okay to walk in without knocking.”
He drapes his arm over her shoulders and winks at her. “Because I can.”
Kami shakes him off. “Men.”
Anson glances at us both. “Where’s Grayson? He told me to meet him at nine at Jason and Anna’s, but I thought I’d stop by here first.”
Kami snorts. “I wonder why,” she says, mumbling under her breath.
Anson understood her and turned his eyes to me, but I quickly focus on my plate of food, pretending I didn’t hear anything. Tate walks in, and my gaze instantly lifts to him.
“Hey, man,” he says to Anson. “I thought you were meeting us at the house?”
Anson opens his mouth to speak, but Tate’s phone rings, interrupting him. Tate stares down at the screen, his gaze narrowed. “I’ll be right back.” He walks into the living room and answers the phone. A few seconds later, he
comes back and grabs his truck keys off the counter. “It was the lumber warehouse,” he says to Anson. “There was an issue with one of our orders.”
Tate peers down at my plate and over at Kami, clearly in a hurry to leave but too polite to tell me to eat quickly. “Go,” I say. “Anson’s going to the house so he can give me a ride.”
Anson nods. “I’ll be happy to take her.”
Tate’s jaw clenches, but he agrees. “Okay.”
Kami raises her hand. “I’ll go too. I can help Faith finish up the nursery. That way, she’s not spending her entire week with us working.”
Tate shrugs. “I told her we didn’t have to.”
I hold up my hands. “I didn’t want you all putting your lives on hold because I’m here.” To Tate, I wave him toward the door. “Go. We’ll see you soon.”
Turning on his heel, he gives Anson a warning stare, which is definitely an alpha move. His words replay in my head about him not wanting to share me. Shivers run down my skin, and I smile. I find it sexy as hell. Kami grins at me, but we straighten up when Anson turns back to us.
“Guess we’ll go when you two are ready.”
“It won’t take long,” I say, eating a bite of my banana pancake. I’ve never had them before, and it’s delicious.
Kami snickers. “They’re good, aren’t they?”
“Yes,” I gush, savoring the next bite. “I’ll have to tell your brother so.”
Anson sits down beside Kami. “How are you liking it here?” he asks me.
I nod. “I love it. It’s been nice getting away on my own for a change. There’s so much I haven’t seen and so many places I haven’t been.”
“What will you do when it’s safe to go home? Will you go back or head out and explore the world?”
“I don’t know,” I say, glancing down at my food. “I’ll have to figure that out when the time comes. Something tells me I’ll never be safe until I find my mate.” The room falls silent, and I use this time to finish eating. Kami helps me clean the dishes, and when we’re done, she hops into the back seat, leaving me to sit up front with Anson.