Maddox knew he’d go to hell for manipulating his mate, but it was worth it. All’s fair in love and war and fated mates. Every bonded shifter knew that.
It was difficult to give her the puppy dog eyes when he was wearing mirrored sunglasses. The shades had been a given, a necessary prop for his ruse since any Ant would recognize he was a shifter by the way his eyes changed when his beast was coming to the forefront. So he had to wear them, though the way he stuck his lip out just enough to form a pout gave him a similar advantage.
His mate had a soft heart; he knew that from all of the watching he had done. And he might be a right bastard for using that to his advantage, but Maddox was going to take any help that he could get.
He’d apologize when she was his. Until then, anything was game.
She smiled, and if it was less than enthusiastic, he didn’t care. ‘Yeah. Sure. I don’t have to be back at the office for another twenty minutes.”
She worked within walking distance of the coffee shop she habitually visited on her afternoon break. In the last few weeks, she never deviated from her schedule. She was at work by nine, took a lunch break at one, was back in the office by two, and set out for home by six. Evangeline worked five days a week, off on the weekends, and spent most of her free time by herself.
As soon as she let him, Maddox was going to change that.
Careful not to grab her and tuck her close, he followed her to the line. He was grateful for the seven people ahead of him because, by the time it was her turn to order the drink, he had her name—“Oh, it’s Evangeline”—and had offered his in return.
It was a start.
His plan was to begin slowly, make contact, maybe meet Evangeline at the coffee shop in a day or two and pretend it was another coincidental meeting. He could tell her he loved the fancy drink order, offer to buy her one.
Baby steps, Colt told him one night when he was ready to fight the wards to get to his mate.
Take it easy. Make her comfortable.
Make her his.
One fucking step at a time.
Getting coffee… isn’t that what humans did on dates?
It seemed like a baby step to him. Today, get her attention when it came to nearly bumping into her as he burst through the front door. Tomorrow, maybe he could tell her the drink was good and ask for a second recommendation.
Whatever it took.
Only it seemed as if someone was looking out for him.
Instead of asking for Maddox’s payment, the female barista automatically put in Evangeline’s; as a frequent customer, it seemed as if the coffee shop had hers stored.
That wasn’t part of the plan. Coming up with a reason to talk to her, that was what this was about, not scamming her out of six dollars.
While waiting for his drink to be made, he pulled his phone out. “Let me repay you. I’ll send it straight to your account.”
Evangeline waved her hand. “Don’t worry about it. My treat.”
It struck him then. Be sneaky. Be smart.
Be ruthless.
His eyes brightened behind his shades. If she could’ve seen their glowing depths, he had no doubt Evangeline would’ve dropped her coffee and dashed straight for the door. “Then let me repay the favor instead. You come here often?”
“Now and then.”
She was hesitant. He didn’t blame her. That would change eventually, but for now… “I’ll be here tomorrow. Same time, okay? If I see you, I’ll get your coffee, then we’ll be square.”
It wasn’t about paying her back, not really; once Evangeline was his mate for real, Maddox would give her everything he had without her even asking for it. But he thought he had a good handle on this woman by now. She wouldn’t want him to be bothered by being in her debt.
“My lunch break starts at one,” she said with a shrug. She was smiling, though, and that smile? It nearly brought Maddox to his knees. “I can be here by ten after.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
5
They met for coffee the next day, just like they agreed. It was a Friday, and staying away from Evangeline—well, staying out of her sight, was more like it—during the weekend that followed was hell on Maddox.
He beat her to the coffee shop on Monday. Fuck baby steps, he decided when his aching cock kept him up all Sunday night. He needed to see her, talk to her, scent her. And when Evangeline’s forest green eyes lit up when she found him sitting at the same table they used on Friday, his heart nearly stopped.
They met every day that week for coffee. On Friday, Maddox invited her out to dinner on Saturday night. Evangeline accepted.
By Sunday, they were dating.
He took it slow because he knew he had to. She was still skittish, and even when she eventually referred to herself as his girlfriend, Maddox knew that she had no clue that she was so much more than that. Apart from stolen kisses that led to some pretty heavy petting, they never went any further—and Maddox was just happy to be allowed to hold her close.
Mating, he realized, could wait until she actually knew she was his mate. Besides, his cock might be impatient, and his wolf desperate to claim, but Maddox had grown to learn a lot about his Evangeline. Pushing her before she was ready would be the quickest way to sever their fledgling bond.
His wolf understood. Except for the few times he let loose in the forest, running off the edge of his impatience and his unending sexual hunger for her, his wolf allowed itself to stay tightly under Maddox’s control. Like the man, it understood what they could lose if Evangeline chose to walk away from them both.
Once he held his shift in check, every part of him committed to playing a part, Maddox gave up on the sunglasses when they were indoors, letting Evangeline see the affection he felt for her in the depths of his golden gaze. Outside, he’d never be able to hide the way they shifted in the direct light, but he figured he was safe inside.
And he was. Evangeline told him his eyes were gorgeous the first time she saw them. That was all. If she recognized them as a shifter’s eyes, she never said, and Maddox patted himself on the back for continuing to fool her.
Until one evening.
It was their two month anniversary, counting from the day Evangeline “accidentally” bought his coffee. They had been exclusive from that day—Maddox made sure of it on both of their ends—until their coupledom was just an accepted fact of life.
He knew he was being pushier than he should’ve been, his human act failing at times, and maybe his possessive nature needed to be checked once or twice where Evangeline was involved, but she was happy and, in turn, that made him ecstatic.
They were walking along a busy row of shops in Wolf’s Creek, the Para-human town where Maddox had his home. To Colton’s relief, once Maddox and Evangeline got together, they spent their time between Maddox’s rustic home and Evangeline’s cozy place. Within the first few weeks of making it official, she had him coded to her wards. Desperate to add another layer of protection for his mate, Maddox hired Cilla to set up a set of wards on his house.
Everything was going smoothly. He took her out to eat, choosing a strictly human place so that he didn’t risk running into a packmate, just in case. Even though Colt thought his brother was being ridiculous, he passed along Maddox’s message that—until Evangeline was fully bonded and claimed—he didn’t want any of his packmates interfering with his courtship.
He’d challenge any idiot that got in his way. The threat of that alone kept the other shifters out of his hair while allowing him to continue passing as a human in front of his oblivious mate.
Terrence backed his son’s choice, too, throwing the Alpha’s weight behind Maddox. According to Colt, it was because their mother told him to—Sarah really wanted her boys to settle down with their mates—and that was totally fine by Maddox.
Whatever it took. So long as he had his mate at the end of it all, it would be worth whatever it took.
After their dinner, it was still early. The summer sun hung high in th
e sky, shining down on them as they strolled down a less busy side street.
Evangeline seemed to notice the gleam at the same time as Maddox did.
“It’s really bright out here.” She lifted her hand, shielding her gaze. “Do you have an extra pair of sunglasses I can borrow, honey?”
Maddox froze. “Um. No. Just mine.”
“Can I use them?”
He could deny her nothing. But outside… it would be almost impossible to hide the way the sun reflected off his golden eyes, making them appear more amber than anything.
It was a hallmark of a shifter, just like how purple eyes were a tell-tale sign of someone being a witch. Unlike a witch, though, he couldn’t hide them with magic. If she looked close enough, she would definitely be able to tell.
Even so, there was still no other choice for him.
Maddox removed the sunglasses. He held them out to her.
She didn’t take them.
Instead, she let out a soft breath. Her stare was locked on his face, searching for something. He knew in an instant that she had found it.
A triumphant whisper as Evangeline murmured, “I knew it.”
Maddox closed his eyes. Sighed. “What gave me away?” When Evangeline chuckled softly, almost in amazement, he opened one eye, peeking over at her. “What?”
“Oh, Mad, honey. You can’t be serious.”
He absolutely was. “I acted human whenever I was around you, sometimes even when I went home, even if I saw a packmate in the area. I wore sunglasses at night and had my neighbors wondering if I had somehow turned into a Nightwalker. My brother thinks I lost my mind. My Alpha is humoring me. I was so careful… how did you know?”
“I’ll give you points for trying, but it was kinda easy. I mean, you tracked me down at my apartment, showing up before I even told you where I lived. Then you didn’t even realize how much of a stalker that would’ve made you if I hadn’t already guessed that you were a shifter. You’re kinda hairy sometimes, babe. And then there’s the way you sniff me whenever I move next to you—”
So maybe he hadn’t pulled off pretending to be a human as well as he thought he had. Still, he had to try to salvage this any way he could. She seemed like she was cool with it, but he hadn’t planned on her discovering his deception until she already loved him too much to leave.
“I do not,” he retorted without much heat. Because, well, he probably did. Who could blame him? She smelled so damn good!
She nodded. “Except you totally do. Hey, don’t worry about it, it’s fine. Honest. Sure, the first couple of times, I began to freak out that I forgot to put deodorant on or something, but you always smiled when your nostrils stopped flaring so I figured I was good enough—”
Maddox went predator-still.
Good enough? That wasn’t good enough. She knew he was a shifter? Then he would finally let himself be a shifter.
And a shifter male would never, ever let his mate think she was anything less than perfect.
“Your scent is intoxicating,” he said, half growl, and half purr. “I’ve never breathed in anything better in my life. I guess I couldn’t help it. I’m addicted to you, Evangeline.”
She grinned shyly. “I… I liked it, once I got used to it. You made it easy, too. I heard so many stories about what happens when a Para decides to go after a human. It always made it seem like we never got the choice, but then you came and you tried so hard to… I don’t know. Give me a choice, I guess. Make it seem like we’re on an even foot.”
He let his gaze flare golden. Good thing she was admitting that she knew. No way he could hide it now. “We’re not, though.”
Uh-oh. Letting the wolf peek through might not have been the best idea. Either that, or there was something in the way he snapped so suddenly because Evangeline immediately took a step away.
Maddox wanted to grab her. He held himself back, careful to stay in control. If she got scared, it would fucking kill him and his wolf. “I’m sorry about that, but it’s true.”
She shook her head, long dark hair cascading down her back. “What’s true?”
“You’re so much better than me,” Maddox said honestly. “Not because you’re human and I’m a shifter. Nothing ridiculous like that. But because you’re you, you’re Evangeline, and I couldn’t have gotten any luckier than to get to know you. We’re in this together, you and me. And, okay, maybe I didn’t do the best job pretending to be a human. I just hated the fear scent—”
“Fear scent?”
Whoops. Not what he meant to say. “Forget it.”
A tiny wrinkle formed in Evangeline’s brow. “Are you talking about that day in the park? Because, except for how you caught me off guard, I don’t think I’ve ever been afraid of you.”
“Wait—you knew?” Maddox spent weeks pretending to be human because he was afraid his true identity would send her bolting and, all along… “You knew that was me?”
“I guessed,” Evangeline admitted. “You seemed so familiar the first time we met after that, but it took me a minute to put two and two together. You gotta admit, you’re a memorable guy, Maddox. I thought it might’ve been you.”
“So you knew I was a shifter all along?”
“Not until your eyes just prove it. I mean, I guessed, but I didn’t know for sure. Now I do.”
Maddox was waiting for the other shoe to drop. When it didn’t, he prodded her. “And?”
“And what?”
His heart thumped frantically against his ribcage. It took every ounce of strength he had to keep his voice calm as he said, “Does it change anything? You know, between us?”
“Is it supposed to?”
“I don’t know.”
“Be serious, Mad. You being a shifter doesn’t change a thing for me. Look, I had a witch for a friend when I was growing up. I work with a Dayborn vamp. Kyle’s got the cubicle next to mine. So my boyfriend is a shifter--”
“A wolf,” he found himself supplying.
“—a wolf shifter,” Evangeline amended. “That doesn’t change how I feel about you.”
The relief slamming into Maddox nearly had him dropping to his knees. It didn’t matter. She didn’t care. He spent all that time pretending to be something he wasn’t and all for nothing, because Evangeline accepted him for what he was.
At that thought, Maddox gulped. Good feeling? Gone.
Just because Evangeline didn’t care that he was a Para, that didn’t mean anything when his paranormal status wasn’t the only thing he’d been keeping from her.
And it had everything to do with how casually she called him her boyfriend.
Boyfriend. Not mate.
Because she didn’t know.
“You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say thing. But, well, there’s something else you gotta know, now that you know the truth.”
Her bright green eyes dimmed suddenly. The humor fled, leaving only wariness in its wake, almost as if she’d been expecting him to say something like that.
“And what’s that?” she asked.
“What’s what?”
“The truth. What’s the truth?” She bit her bottom lip. “There’s a reason you hid being a shifter, isn’t there?”
Of course there was. When she seemed so pleased to call him out on it, he thought she understood.
Then she said boyfriend like that, as if that was all Maddox was…
“Yes. There was.”
Evangeline gulped. “You don’t already have a mate or anything, do you?”
Wait a second—
“Of course.” When she flinched, understanding slammed into him like a brick upside the head. She didn’t know, because he never told him, and still she thought—“It’s you, baby. Shit, Evangeline, it’s you. You’re my mate.”
Her bottom lip dropped just enough to illustrate her surprise. She swallowed roughly, her green eyes going dark with some sort of emotion. “Me? Are you sure?”
Was she kidding?
“Of course I am. Y
ou’re not just my girlfriend. You’re so much more than that. My mate. My partner. My life. And I’m a fucking idiot for not telling you before now.”
“Really? You’re not just saying that?”
Evangeline suspected he was a shifter. How did it never occur to her that the reason he was so careful to hide it was because he was afraid to let her discover she was his fated mate before he had her as insanely in love with him as he was with her?
So desperate not to screw this up, he made the biggest mistake he could. Instead of letting her come to terms with the truth of their reality, he kept it hidden, convinced he was doing the right thing for her.
At the same time, as he pursued her without telling her the truth, his mate must have imagined that she was nothing but a good time.
What the hell was wrong with him?
Maddox longed to dip his head, kiss her worries away, especially since it was all of his fault. He moved toward her, pain shooting through him when she stepped back again.
“Wait. I… I never thought—”
His voice went gruff. “Are you mad? Disappointed?”
“That you lied to me?”
She had a point. “Not that. You have every right to be pissed that I lied to you. It was fucking stupid and, I promise, I’m already regretting it. Are you mad that you’re my mate?”
“I—no. I’m not. I had actually hoped… but then you never gave me any sign that it was so serious.”
She had no idea how serious it was.
“Serious? A mate is forever. You can’t get more serious than that. Promise.”
The words just slipped out. One he growled them, Maddox braced himself for her response, each second feeling like an eternity as his gorgeous Evangeline looked up at him, stunned.
Now probably wasn’t the best time to elaborate on what it really meant to be a shifter’s mate—but too bad. He was standing on the precipice of something important. He could feel it all the way to his bones.
This moment would make or break his and Evangeline’s bond. He knew it. And he was still willing to do whatever he had to in order to make it indestructible.
Mates: Prequel (Claws Clause Book 0) Page 4