Sophie attempted to alleviate Tara’s guilt. “I didn’t, and I’m okay.”
“Still. What can I do?” Tara circled through the living room. “Can I get you food? Tea? What do you need?”
First, Sophie had Damon taking care of her and now Tara? “I am absolutely fine. No need to worry. I’m just going to take it easy for a bit.”
“No kidding. I don’t blame you.” Tara looked around. “Well, we can just chill out here. They have Netflix.”
Sophie shook her head. “You’re not going to stay cooped up in here with me. You’ve been here long enough. Go check out the village or something. There’s plenty to see and do besides skiing.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. If I’m feeling better in a few hours, I’ll come join you.”
Tara exhaled. She glanced outdoors. “I was thinking of getting some cross-country skiing in. Are you okay if I go do that for an hour or two?”
“Of course,” Sophie insisted with a wave. “Go. Have fun.”
Tara grinned. “Since you have a hot date night, I should keep my eyes peeled for some hot, single guys who might like my company for dinner.”
After Tara left the condo, Sophie took advantage of the whirlpool tub. She soaked in water as hot as she could stand to soothe her sore muscles and tried to make sense of everything that had happened last night.
Still shaken, she was grateful that Damon had found her, even though the way he had cared for her was unconventional. He brought her to his cabin rather than the lodge, after all. Although she’d woken up terrified to find herself in a strange room with a man she’d only met once, he’d been sweet and alleviated her fears. Anticipation that thrummed under her skin as she pictured seeing him again.
She remained in the bath until the water turned cool. After she dressed in soft flannel pajamas, she curled up on the couch with a hot chocolate and read a mystery for a couple of hours. She picked one up about a murder in the White Mountains, always loving to read books about the places she was visiting.
Tara returned to the condo after lunch. “Cross-country skiing was great. Too bad we’re not staying for longer. It’s so beautiful out there in the woods.”
“No woods for me anytime soon,” Sophie noted in a wry tone.
“I don’t blame you. Still, it seems a shame that we need to go back to work in the real world tomorrow.”
Sophie exhaled. “True. Every time I come up here, I wish I could stay longer. It’s funny because I don’t think I can stand being out of the city for too long, but then I appreciate the more relaxed mindset.”
“Next time, maybe we can come up for longer. Like five days. Or even a week.”
“Sure. That sounds like a good idea.”
Tara cocked her head as she stared at Sophie. “What are you going to wear for dinner tonight? Something sexy, I hope?”
Sophie groaned. “I didn’t bring anything sexy. It wasn’t as if I was expecting to have a date this weekend.”
“Well then, if you’re up for it, we should go shopping in the village.”
“Sure, I haven’t moved in hours, and it’s only a short walk from here. But just a quick outing.”
“We’ll be quick. There are super cute stores where I’m sure you can find something perfect.” Tara scanned Sophie’s outfit. “You weren’t planning on wearing that out today, were you?”
“No, of course not.” She motioned at her clothing. “These are my pajamas.”
Tara covered her heart and laughed. “Oh, good. I thought you were going for some casual mountain look or something.”
After Sophie changed into leggings and a long sweater that Tara approved, they walked from the condo through the village. Besides a number of restaurants, pubs, and even a chocolate haus, there were plenty more shops and boutiques that had popped up since Sophie had last visited the mountain as a teen. The village appeared to flourish, and not with chain stores that appeared everywhere, but with what looked to be mom-and-pop small businesses—shops, cafes, and even a small real estate office for sales and rentals. The scents of food wafted in the crisp mountain air.
In front of a small cupcake shop with a pink awning, they stopped to peer inside. Trays of cupcakes mounded with various colored frosting looked like works of art.
“We have to go in,” Tara insisted.
After she picked out a mint chocolate chip cupcake and Sophie chose a red velvet one, they continued on their way.
In a small boutique that featured women’s clothing, Tara pulled out a soft maroon sweater dress. “This would look great with your coloring.” She handed Sophie the dress. “Go try it on. With a pair of boots, you’ll look sexy as hell.”
While Sophie tried on the dress, she said, “I feel bad leaving you on your own for dinner tonight.”
“Me?” Tara scoffed. “I have no problem going someplace to eat alone. That’s the best way to meet new people.”
“True,” Sophie agreed. “You never have a hard time finding new friends.” She pulled the dress on and examined herself in the mirror. It flattered her breasts and hips rather than accentuating her flaws.
She turned and glanced over her shoulder, expecting to cringe at how her ass looked in it since this dress was not slimming black. To her surprise, it wasn’t bad. She swirled the skirt. The line had a feminine flow.
Sophie opened the door to show Tara. “Well?”
Tara scanned her from head to toe. “The dress looks super hot. But with those boots?” She shook her head. “You need something with heels. You have a hot date tonight.” She gestured with her hands. “So you need to look hot.”
Tara was right. The boots with the fluffy tops were cute and functional, but not sexy. “After skiing, my legs might not be up for sexy boots, but we’ll see.”
At their next stop, she picked up a pair of boots with a wedged heel that was both comfortable and Tara approved.
“Better,” Tara noted. “Every guy in this place is going to be drooling over you tonight.”
Sophie didn’t care about that. She only wanted to impress one guy in particular.
She pictured Damon’s amber eyes. They were so intense and penetrating. She remembered their first encounter at the club and a ripple of excitement shot through her. Anything could happen tonight.
Chapter 6
Damon
Shame weighed Damon’s booted steps through the snow as he responded to Rafe’s call for a pack meeting. No doubt it concerned Damon’s transgression.
Snow had begun to fall during his walk down the mountain. Fresh snowfall was always celebrated by the pack as it meant for good ski conditions, but Damon felt little reason for joy. He arrived at the octagonal lodge where they managed resort operations business and handled pack matters. The meeting space had benches arranged in the same octagonal design as the room. Rafe prowled through the space while the pack’s beta, Grayson, stood at parade rest.
Within a few more minutes, over a dozen members had arrived, most of whom served in some capacity in running operations of the resort as well. Valen, an enforcer who Damon often shared ski patrol shifts with, nodded in welcome.
Despite that, Damon felt the eyes of the pack on him. Had they all heard of the incident? Or was he just imagining their scrutiny?
Rafe stopping pacing and faced the pack. “We’ve had an incident with the Sacco pack. I want you to be on higher alert.”
“What happened?” Sebastian, one of the pack’s healers asked.
Rafe exchanged a glance with Damon, a silent question asking how much he wanted to reveal.
Damon nodded and stepped up. It was his fault, and he had to own up to it. “While on patrol, I tracked a woman who had gone off trail. I feared she might be in trouble.” He snarled. “My wolf thinks she’s our mate.”
“Congratulations,” Victoria, a red-haired shifter in her twenties, said. She stole a glance at Grayson, never hiding her feelings towards him. She wanted to be his mate, but he hadn’t reciprocated her interest.
Damon grunted. “I’d hold off on the congratulations.” He exhaled. “I tracked her into Sacco territory where I found her. Unfortunately, so did the Sacco enforcer, and he lunged at me.” After summarizing the fight, he added, “I know I have endangered the peace between packs and will do whatever it takes to undo that damage—even if that means being banished.” He lowered his head before his pack.
More mumbling ensued. Grayson stepped over and placed a hand on Damon’s shoulder in a brotherly gesture. He exhaled. Grayson was the closest thing to family he had left. He’d cared for Damon since his father had run into the wilderness.
“No one will be asked to leave this pack,” Rafe boomed over the mumbling in the lodge. “We are a pack and we will face pack problems together.”
Grayson added, “We have all heard what happens when wolves find their mates.” He exhaled. “Although I haven’t found mine yet, the drive to protect is supposed to be stronger than any other call.”
Victoria made a small sound of disappointment, which she then tried to cover by clearing her throat.
Damon caught Grayson’s eyes. Thank you.
“We cannot fault a wolf who lives according to our nature,” Rafe added.
While the unmated wolves appeared to stare at Damon perplexed—and perhaps with a bit of judgment—the mated wolves appraised him with a gentler look, as if they understood. Damon was humble and appreciative—especially since his unmated alpha hadn’t banished him for threatening the peace between the packs.
“Where is your mate now?” Rose, a shifter with graying hair in her fifties who ran a cafe in the main lodge and was mated to Sebastian, asked.
“She’s here on the mountain.”
“You’ve accepted your mate, that’s wonderful.” Rosa clasped her hands together and exchanged a warm glance with Sebastian before returning it to Damon. “We all know how reluctant you were.”
His jaw tightened. “We’re not mated. She’s only here for one more night.”
“One night?” Rosa repeated with incredulity. Her expression turned sympathetic.
A wolf rejected by his mate would be lost, tormented. According to pack legends, Damon could be destroyed by finding the other half of his soul—and then losing it.
He gazed out one of the picture windows in the lodge to the snow-covered peak. Would he turn just as mad as his father? Eventually leaving the pack to wander the wilderness alone?
Damon exhaled and dropped his head back. “And she doesn’t know about us. She’s human.”
That revelation hung heavy in the lodge as everyone stared at him.
“You must be careful,” Rafe warned. “We know the dangers of humans knowing of our kind.”
“I will,” Damon promised. “My loyalty remains with the pack.”
“So what happens now?” Sebastian asked Rafe.
“Grayson will set up a meeting with the Sacco pack,” Rafe replied.
Guilt wrapped around Damon like tentacles. This precarious situation was all his fault.
He pictured Sophie lost and wandering in the snow and swallowed. He couldn’t have abandoned the call to go to her. No doubt he would have made the same choice again, even with these consequences.
“We will keep you informed,” Rafe declared and then dismissed them.
Damon acknowledged Rafe and Grayson with a solemn nod before he left the lodge. And after all the tension, he already longed to be near Sophie. Nothing could provide a wolf more comfort than a mate—even if he didn’t want one in his life.
Damon rubbed his temples. No matter what, he was screwed.
At dinner that evening, Damon couldn’t keep his eyes off of Sophie. He’d suggested a Greek restaurant in the village, one owned by the Pappas, a human couple in their fifties who moved to the mountains five years ago. They quickly drew a following, both with locals and visitors. It was one of his favorites places to eat when he went out for a nicer dinner. He typically grabbed a quick après-ski bite at one of the pubs and then let his wolf out to hunt once night fell.
Tonight, he could barely keep his mind on the food as he was far too distracted by the beautiful woman across from him. Her hair fell in soft waves over her shoulders in the sexy dark red dress. Her lips were painted a similar shade, drawing his attention to them.
“How’s your scrod?” he asked.
“Just how I like it,” she replied. “Lots of lemon and the perfect amount of breadcrumbs on top. And these lemony potatoes are delicious.”
“It’s good to see you eat and replenish your energy.” What was with him wanting to dote on her and make sure she was well-fed? He wasn’t her caretaker. “You’re looking refreshed.”
“I had an easy day. Relaxed in the condo with a bath and then went shopping in the village for something to wear tonight. You like?” She motioned to her outfit.
A moan stirred in his chest as he pictured her naked in the bath, but he stopped it from coming out of his mouth. He couldn’t stop his gaze from falling to her full breasts, though. “Very much. You’re gorgeous.”
A shy smile spread across her face before she nodded towards his plate. “What about your steak? I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone eat a steak quite so rare.”
He arched his brows. “That’s what makes it just right.” Like all the wolf shifters he knew, he liked his meat as rare as he could get it, cooked just enough to keep all the flavors from a fresh kill. Not that he would tell her any of this. She was human and wouldn’t understand his way of life.
A twinge of guilt poked at his ribs. She mentioned seeing wolves and had been terrified by the fight. She wondered if she’d imagined the entire thing. He’d skirted the truth.
He was one of the wolves.
It wasn’t something he could reveal to her. His pack had just reminded him of the danger of humans knowing of their existence. And as a pack enforcer, he was responsible for protecting the pack. To put his trust in the wrong person could be disastrous.
If humans came to investigate reports of strange wolves here in the mountain, it could ruin the entire way of life his pack had worked so hard to establish. They had to be careful with whom they trusted.
And humans were at the bottom of that list.
Which was why his mate couldn’t be a human.
But you know she is, his wolf insisted.
Damon suppressed a groan. The draw to her was undeniable. His instincts had gone on hyperdrive since finding her in the mountains. He stabbed a piece of steak and chewed while he wrestled with what to do.
Lying to her made his gut churn. He swallowed the steak and washed it down with a gulp of red wine. What did any of it matter? She was leaving tomorrow. The briefest encounters with her had proven him right—mates were nothing but trouble. They were the source of anguish. A wolf was better off living a solitary life on his own. She’d leave town tomorrow, and he’d have to deal with the consequences of angering the Sacco pack.
“You’re quiet all of a sudden.” Sophie’s voice pulled him out of his introspection. “What are you thinking about?”
You. And all the reasons why I can’t have you.
“How we found each other again here on the mountain. It’s almost like it’s—” He smashed his lips together before he uttered nonsense.
“Fate?” she supplied.
“Yes.” He shook his head. “But I don’t believe in that. Do you?”
“No.” She cocked her head. “Although of all the people to have found me, it does seem to be more than a coincidence that it was you.”
She stared at him from across the table and he couldn’t look away. Locked in her gaze, he swore that nothing would tear him away from her.
Can’t you sense how right it is? His wolf insisted. It’s obvious—she’s the one for us. You can’t let her go!
She broke eye contact and let out a small laugh. “But that’s all it is, a coincidence. Since I’ve been here, it’s been one strange thing after another. As if this mountain has some strange magic that drifts
over it like falling snowflakes.”
His voice caught in his throat before he could answer. How could a human be so close to the truth? Magic suffused the area. The shifters and other supernaturals who lived here used spells to protect those within. Damon peered closer at her. Maybe she wasn’t human after all.
He inhaled her scent. No, definitely human. But sniffing her was like infusing him with euphoria.
He reached across the table and took her hands.. “Maybe that’s what’s connecting us.”
Her eyes widened. “Magic?”
“Yes.”
She laughed. “That’s a good line, but no, I don’t believe that.”
He furrowed his brows. “You don’t feel anything between us?”
“I do,” she admitted.
“Then what do you think it is?” Why was he saying these things? He should just keep his lips closed, and after dinner, they’d each go on their way.
She bit her lip as she appeared to consider his question. “What drew us together the night at the club—physical attraction.”
Ah yes, sensual tension hovered between them for sure, but it seemed as if it were more than that. Was it simply the fates pulling at his strings and messing with his life? Although conversation continued without any awkward silences throughout dinner, during which time he’d learned more about her and her work as a graphic designer, he wrestled with more questions about their inexplicable connection.
After dinner, he held her hand and walked her back to her condo. The feel of her warm hand in his convinced him that whatever was between them was indeed magical—and just as impossible to understand. It just was.
Outside the front door of the mountain villas suites, Sophie thanked him for dinner. He stared into her eyes, reluctant to let her go. He couldn’t let her go. If he did, this might be the last time he saw her.
Make her stay, his wolf insisted.
I can’t ‘make’ her do anything.
You can’t let her leave us!
The Reluctant Wolf and His Fated Mate: A Howls Romance (White Mountain Shifters Book 1) Page 5