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“Finding your mate seems to go beyond desire, need, and want. It’s about compatibility, a deep connection, and maybe, pure base instinct,” Perdy concluded with a strained laugh, her eyes tight.
She was sure Perdy hadn’t noticed Apollo’s hand twitching toward her. Perdy tried not to look at him. She missed his affectionate gestures. There was only one thing she saw in Apollo: his harsh, unforgiving side.
Harper tilted her head to observe Apollo moving slowly. It was a deliberate move that might have been mistaken for him just getting comfortable. Apollo shuffled closer to Perdy to offer what comfort he could.
When Apollo caught her watching him, she looked away, but not before noticing a tight frown on his face.
Jeez…he needed to relax.
Perhaps he needed a mate. While she found Apollo with a mate to be laughable since he’d need a strong female to handle him and persuade him to think logically, it would be interesting. The challenge of mating or getting close to Apollo hadn’t yet been accepted by any Number.
Jennifer and Apollo had a close relationship that the adoption of Perdy had threatened. In light of the fact that Apollo still hadn’t reconciled with Perdy and that, from what Isla had stated, he had insulted her to the point where Perdy had struck him, the tension between friends was to be expected.
Perdy was defensive no matter what he did, and she barely glanced at him.
Since he arrived on Moon, he had solely focused on his people and territory. When his people had recovered enough to begin discussing the location of their new home and where that would be, there was an almost laser-like focus about Apollo, and it needed to be broken.
There was no doubt that Apollo’s mate would have to be strong-willed and stubborn.
What a shame they couldn’t clone Clara. That was the type of female he needed. Apollo seemed stuck in his own world, and she chuckled at the thought of anyone attempting to reach him.
When the discussion about the repercussions began, she swallowed hard, shaking her head and focusing on Nick, dreading the expression on his face. There was no sign of anger on his face, but that didn’t mean anything. It was difficult for her to relax until she knew what he was thinking.
There was no sign of anger on his face, nevertheless, his silence spoke volumes. The tension was palpable, yet he remained calm and collected, leaving her to wonder what was going through his mind.
“Nick, are you alright?” she asked from the corner of her mouth.
“It could have been much worse,” he said. He had his mouth tightly closed. She could tell he was trying to remain composed, but the tension was evident in his voice.
“I need a drink,” he said. Everyone eyes shot to the table. She felt a lump rise in her throat. He looked unseeing at the cold drinks on the table. “A hot drink downstairs…I’ll be back in a minute.”
She shivered as she watched him walk away, the chill in the air reflecting the chill in her heart. He was running away - not just downstairs for a hot drink.
“I wouldn’t worry,” Perdy’s voice came from behind her.
“Why shouldn’t I? How soon should I be concerned? He is running, and he has every right to do so. It is somehow my fault that I altered my mate’s lifespan without him knowing, and I hadn’t even told him he was my mate.”
“You didn’t know. Besides, he’ll be fine once he takes it in,” Perdy replied confidently.
“Will he?”
“Absolutely.”
“How do you know that?” Harper asked.
The wrinkles on Perdy’s nose and the contorted lines on her face reflected her annoyance as she tapped her head. Perdy smiled tightly. “Believe me, I know,” she said. “I saw him getting all dressed up recently. It’s good to know it was for his mate now. It almost worried me for a moment that I would have to pull you away from the unfortunate female he was seeing.”
She blinked. She looked at Perdy. She had never even considered the possibility that Perdy was aware of the extent of her relationship with Nick. Had Perdy known for a long time? Perdy nodded briefly in answer to her silent question.
“We were keeping things quiet,” she replied, catching Drey listening in on their conversation like the nosy Alpha he was. Looking after her like always.
“I can’t understand why you didn’t tell anyone. Did you worry about him?”
“Who, Nick? No way, he isn’t like that,” she replied, instinctively reaching for a bottle of water in an effort to steady herself and think through her words. “He was quiet and came into what I would call my shop, but it’s simply the garden area where I sell.”
She bit her lip and thought. “I can’t keep calling it my shop, even jokingly. I’ll be opening one soon.” She ducked her head, her smile stretching wide. “Anyway, Nick…he…he kept coming back.”
Perdy nudged her. “I’m really glad to hear that.”
