by B. L. Dawn
Dear Destiny, what should she do? Not only was she worried that she would totally fuck up what they had going on at this very moment, but this was a screwed up situation. Sometimes both mates, female and male, knew they were meant to be together instantly. Sometimes mates fought against their connection. But she, once again, had to be different. If Luke was her true mate, and it sure felt that way, then she had to use her masculine side to connect them. That’s fucked up, Destiny. Thanks a lot.
Tatum ran her hand down her face as worry crept into her heart and threatened to send her into a panic. Getting caught in the action by Luke, Tatum straightened her shoulders, changed the subject, and discussed with Luke what they would be working on today.
While there, Tatum asked Adina to paint one wall in each house. Adina agreed, and Leo said he would help her. The design was sure to be similar to white lace over a pale-blue sky.
“I’m going to number these houses.” Tatum chuckled to Luke. “I have no idea how to explain which house is which.”
“Good idea.” Luke picked up a package of sandpaper and smiled over at her. “Thanks for last night.”
“No problem. I sleep better with you holding me too.” She winked at him. “Tell ya what, we can sleep in the same bed until one of us finds our true mate.”
A low growl emanated from Luke as his brows furrowed. “I guess it’s a deal.”
Why is he so upset? Is it because he doesn’t want us to find true mates, or is that just wishful thinking?
Tatum cocked an eyebrow. “Why did you growl?”
Luke turned away from her. “I didn’t.”
Tatum made up her mind. She needed to talk with Luke about their connection and take care of this situation once and for all. But not tonight. She needed one more night with him. Then she would do it. Before sending herself into a nervous breakdown, she needed to make sure Green Lagoon was finished.
By the end of the day, they had finished two more houses. At the end of the eighth day, the last two houses were drying. The paintings on the walls were complete, and males took turns cutting down trees for firewood. They constructed a firepit with tan pavers in the old garden, and tree stumps surrounded the pit for seating.
Luke and Tatum worked together to string vintage-style solar-powered lights from one house to another. They added batteries to the lanterns and placed one in each bedroom, living room, and even the outhouse. Ground solar lights decorated the front of Enoch’s porch. After eating dinner, the males washed off in the water that flowed out from the lagoon, and the females went to wash after the males were clean.
It had been a busy day, and they were relieved when nightfall came. As the sun lowered, they sat around Enoch’s porch, looking out over the village. The swaying lights twinkled as the wind blew, casting shimmering reflections on the glowing houses. Crisp, clean air drifted through the village, and a silent sense of pride swelled in her heart.
Sam leaned against the railing. “I can’t wait for Enoch to visit this place. Jenny would like it here now.”
“I love it.” Lilly sighed. “I know this is for meetings, but is there any way to show the other pack members? They need to know what this place looks like.”
Tatum pulled out her phone and took pictures. “I’ll show them these.” Tatum was quiet for a moment. “You know…once you guys start driving, you can come and go as you please. The more often we’re here, the better protected it will be.”
Lilly inhaled sharply. “What if I stay for a week or two?”
Oliver’s brows furrowed as he crossed the porch. “If you’re staying, I’m staying with you. No one needs to be out here alone.”
Tatum’s eyebrows rose. Talk about wanting alone time to get your lovemaking on. She had no idea Oliver had something this serious with Lilly.
“If you guys want to, that’s fine. I can bring more food in a couple of weeks, and I can bring Oliver’s guitar. Tomorrow, while I’m taking more pictures, can someone collect the washable materials and put them in the back of my car? Oh, but leave a set for Oliver and Lilly. They can share a bed until I get back with clean sheets.”
Everyone nodded, still staring out over the land.
The progressive clinks of rain landing on the lights had Tatum yawning. “Well, it’s time for me to turn in.”
They all said goodnight and made their way back to their beds around the village. Luke and Tatum went inside one of the little houses. Lying in bed, they listened to the rain. Tatum was glad that the barrels would be full of water this time next week.
Luke’s arm slid around her waist and tucked her into his stomach. His leg slid in between hers.
Tatum rolled around to face him and placed a small kiss on his lips. “I need to stop doing that.” She smiled as she teased him.
Luke had his eyes closed, but a smile spread across his face. She kissed him again, moving her hand to his cheek. He gently removed it from his face and pulled his face away from hers. The rejection hurt big time.
“What’s wrong?” Tatum’s brows pinched together. It was a stupid question.
“I just want to hold you. I don’t need you to come on to me and not let me mate with you. I don’t want you to push me away. I just want to hold you and be close to you.”
Tatum nodded, but she was confused. Why would Luke feel so compelled to be around her unless they were true mates? He said he knew they weren’t, but she needed to understand why. Luke had his eyes closed and was lying facing her.
“Luke?”
“What?”
“Tell me how you’re so sure.”
“Sure about what?”
“Explain to me how you know for sure that we’re not true mates. I need to know because I feel like you’re mine. I think about you non-stop. I love it when you’re around me. I can’t sleep when you’re away. So…how? How are you so sure?”
Luke opened his tear-rimmed eyes.
“Tell me,” Tatum begged.
Luke shook his head in disappointment. “The first night I wanted to be with you…the night we raced?”
“Yeah?”
“A female came to me that night.”
Tatum stared at him in confusion. She must have been hearing him wrong. Her eyes began to water. “In your bedroom?”
Luke nodded, his voice a whisper, “I mated with her.”
Tatum’s chin trembled. How was that possible? Why would he do that? He said he would be patient with her. They must not be true mates.
Tatum’s heart broke into a million pieces. “That doesn’t happen with shifters who are true mates, does it?”
Luke lowered his eyes and shook his head. “Cade said it didn’t.”
Tatum’s breath became erratic, and she tried to calm herself. Fucking Cade, she thought. A crazed laugh escaped her mouth as tears escaped her eyes. “How many times have you mated with her?” she asked, her voice cracking.
Luke sat up, tears falling down his face. “I didn’t want you to know. That’s why I was embarrassed. It didn’t mean anything. But when you ask me how many times I’ve been with her, it isn’t a fair question. We’ve known each other for a long time.”
Tatum’s body started to shake. The shaking was hard to control. There were more questions she wanted to ask. But she needed more time, and she didn’t know how long she could control the hurt that she was feeling.
She sat up, and the bed started to vibrate under her. Tatum clawed her way backwards off the bed as images of Luke holding another female in his arms ran through her head. Luke was being gentle with this mystery female while he slid in and out of her, and it made Tatum want to throw up. Swallowing back the vomit in her throat, Tatum knew she needed to control herself, or she was going to hurt him. No. No. She was going to fucking kill him.
One more question. Just one more, Tatum thought. “Who?” Her voice changed into an animalistic grumble. Oh shit. She was losing it.
Luke stared at her with his eyes wide, and his mouth opened
. “It’s not like that. It was a misunderstanding. She just wanted to make me feel good.”
Tatum pinned him with her eyes. “WHO?” she demanded, and the question took power and control over him. She could feel it with her beta status over him.
“Don’t hurt her. She didn’t know.”
Tatum stomped her foot and swore the whole Earth moved under her.
Luke’s body jerked, and the response pushed out of his mouth, “Lilly.”
Tatum’s teeth elongated from her mouth. Burning heat rippled across her skin as everything went red.
Luke looked scared, like he had never seen anything scarier in his life. His skin was pale, and his features pulled back.
He jumped up, grabbing for her.
“Don’t touch me.” She growled, her voice entirely lost somewhere between that of a human and a wolf. “Don’t ever touch me again.”
“Tate, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again. I love you. I would never—”
“You did, though. You were mine then. You are mine now. Dammit! And you still did it.”
A bolt of energy shot around them, and it connected their wolves, uniting them together in an unmistakable bond.
Luke’s body quaked in front of her. He held out his hands like a prayer. “It was a misunderstanding. We’re intended mates. Can’t you feel it now? Let me try to explain what happened.”
Tatum slung her head back with her eyes closed so tightly together they stung to be released. Her chin wobbled like it was going to dislodge. She tried to push the rage down, but it kept boiling to the surface. Hurting him or Lilly was out of the question. But the pain…the damn pain was so great she wasn’t sure if she was going to be able to hold back.
Luke stepped closer. “Listen, Tate. Calm down. We can be together now.”
Tatum shook her head. She needed to get the hell out of there. How could he hurt her like this? He didn’t love her. Not the way he should have loved his intended mate.
Her teeth ached to bite him and rip away his skin, but she was barely able to hold herself back. She looked at the door, needing to run. She felt the rage building energy inside her.
The minute her foot rose and lowered to the ground again, she was in the woods running. The speed was something she knew well—something she feared. Another difference between her and other shifters.
It took her years to find the control she had over her emotions. At one time she had been able to control her speed, and her furious anger. But now she let it pour out of her. If not, Luke and Lilly would die. The distance she put between them all would save their lives.
Luke shifted and ran after her. Her scent mixed with sulfur was the only thing he had to go on. There was a broad flaming purple line that traveled through the village and into the woods, but then there was nothing, like she had vanished into the night.
He would never let her leave him. They belonged together. She belonged to him. And he didn’t give a fuck what he had to do to prove himself to her, but it was going to happen.
Luke wished he would have realized that being true mates didn’t mean you couldn’t mate with someone else. It meant you didn’t want to. The thought of mating with someone else repulsed intended mates.
That night of the race wasn’t even his fucking decision. He had been embarrassed. Embarrassed at what happened that night and embarrassed that he didn’t know the truth about true mates.
Cade planted the idea in his mind that if he mated with Lilly, that meant Tatum didn’t belong to him, but he had never wanted to mate with Lilly. He didn’t even know what the fuck he was doing when it happened, and it left him confused. Luke thought back to that night.
After the race, the kissing, and the talking, Luke was longing to be with Tatum. He went to his room and sat on the bed. It was a relief not to face Cade. It allowed Luke to spend time with Tatum in peace. She was everything he would ever want in a true mate. Plus, she had never been with another male.
But were they true mates? Their wolves hadn’t connected yet, but maybe it would happen later. Tatum pushed him away when he wanted to mate with her. And Cade made a good point about her not being interested in him. She smelled aroused, but maybe not enough to be with him. Did she not feel anything between them?
Maybe Cade was right about him just thinking with his dick. Destiny knew it was rock hard right now, and in truth, he had been getting bored with Lilly.
But Tatum was so amazing. Her rich, intense, sweet, tangy arousal had him coming in his pants.“Calm down, fella.”
Damn, she had him feeling horny as hell. Luke crawled in his bed and lay back, crossing his arms behind his head. He imagined Tatum’s hands moving down his chest as she removed his pants. She grinned, and his cock twitched. Her hands were soft and needy. She climbed over him, sliding him inside. Grabbing his hands, she rubbed them over her soft breasts. Moaning escaped her when he rolled her nipples between his fingers. They hardened for him.
Liquid poured from her middle as she moved up and down. She rode him hard, her muscles glistening from sweat. Luke began to come, and he grabbed her hips.
Luke jerked awake, with Lilly riding him. He was coming and couldn’t stop it. He pushed her off, and she rolled to the ground.
Luke jumped up and put his pants on. “What the fuck, Lilly?”
Lilly froze. “What? Did I hurt you?”
Luke looked at her like she had lost her fucking mind. But then he noticed her worried expression. With a sigh, he walked over and helped her to her feet.
“I was sleeping, Lilly.”
Lilly’s eyebrows pinched in the middle. “I’m sorry, I came to check on you, and I wanted to cheer you up. I knew it would be hard on you after Cade left.”
Luke shook his head and sighed. “I wasn’t in the mood to mate.”
Lilly eyed his bulging pants. “Sorry. I thought you were. I just wanted you to feel better.”
Luke sat back down on his bed, feeling stupid. “I know, and I appreciate your concern. But…nothing. Just go, okay? I’m fine.”
Lilly nodded, fidgeting with her fingers. “I really am sorry. If you need me or anything, just let me know.” Lilly picked up her clothes off the ground and hurried out the door.
Luke groaned into the empty room, feeling the emptiness closing in on him. “Fuck.” He pulled his hand down his face and shook his head. Dammit. Cade was fucking right. He wasn’t Tatum’s true mate. Luke had been balls deep inside Lilly, and he was still erect after coming inside her.
Luke’s stomach rolled with nausea. Had he wanted to be truly mated so badly that he would see it in any new female he met? He probably would. Maybe Tatum would still be interested in just a fun time? They were shifters, after all. She said she wanted to go slow. He could go slow. Maybe one day, she might want to mate with him.
Luke curled up on the bed, pulling an extra pillow into his body. He frowned as the empty dark room threatened to swallow him whole.
Luke ran for hours and never caught more than a faint whiff of her scent trail, but he wasn’t giving up. Something was special about her. He wasn’t sure what it was, but no one he ever knew transformed like she had. No one moved as fast as she could. And only Enoch’s voice had ever sounded so beastly.
Luke replayed the image of Tatum in his mind, again and again, trying to figure out how it had all happened.
Tatum’s eyes were glowing. It was as if a light were behind her beautiful blue and brown eyes, but soon both eyes turned red and had flashes of lights behind them, like lightning. Sharp teeth pushed their way through her mouth like she was about to shift, but she didn’t. She appeared deadly, her skin turning red.
He had never seen anyone’s features change like that. Even with this new knowledge and seeing the changes happening to her, he was only scared of losing her forever.
The bed shook, and then she jumped off. Her sulfur smell told Luke that she was beyond pissed, and he wished he hadn’t been the cause of her anger.
&n
bsp; He tried to reach out for her.
“Don’t touch me.”
Luke pulled his hand back. Her voice was deep and threatening, sounding more like a beast.
He was going to lose her. Her eyes told him everything he needed to know. If he could redo the whole night with Lilly, he would have.
“Tate, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again. I love you. I would never—”
“You did though. You were mine. You are mine. And you still did it.”
A connection was made. Their fucking true mating connection. She made it happen.
Holy fuck. He had been wrong this whole time. They were true mates. Happiness overtook him as he found hope for their future together. Luke began to plead with her, holding his hands up to beg her to listen to him. “It was a misunderstanding. We’re intended mates. Can’t you feel it now? Let me try to explain what happened.”
She paused for a moment with her eyes closed, and Luke jumped to his feet. He needed to hold her. Her whole body was shaking.
“Listen, Tate. Calm down. We can be together now.”
She shook her head and was gone—literally gone. One second, she was standing there, and the next, the door hit the wall, and she vanished.
Chapter 30
Shrill screaming rang in her ears as she ran. A bright light pulsed in front of her, turning the blurred trees into white pillars—an inanimate frozen scene as she felt her body calming. Chanting female voices filled her ears as her anger drifted away.
Walking through the woods and breathing in the fresh scent of dewy leaves and bark with the occasional smell of wild berries, Tatum found herself confused, moving through the trees in a fog that was clearly all in her mind. She should still be angry, but she was just numb. There was nothing. There was no anger, no sadness, just nothing. Well, maybe regret.
Images of Lilly and Luke together were fading away as if unimportant. She talked herself through the reasons she shouldn’t hate Lilly. The most important reason was that Lilly was a regular shifter female, doing what normal shifter females did. Oliver was nothing special to her. He was just another way to get off, the same with Luke. It made Tatum want to vomit knowing Lilly had mated with Luke. But Lilly was a nice female.