“What?”
A familiar tightening in my chest.“Cats and dogs don’t mix.It’s nature’s law.”
She nods slowly.“I see...”She pauses.“Don’t you think times might change for shifters as well as humans?”
“What do you mean?”
“Tolerance, acceptance.Love is love and all that.”
I shake my head and continue walking.“I can’t take the risk of them finding out, I was alpha and our clans are rivals.”
“But you’re not alpha now.”
“No, but...”
“You aren’t embarrassed of him or your love for him, are you?”
“What?No, I just...”Do I still love him?Of course I do.
“We just can’t be, and I’d appreciate it if you kept his name out of any conversations in the den.”I speak a little sharper than intended.
“Of course.”She reaches for my hand.“I understand, and it’s not my secret to tell.”
I’m grateful for her words as I turn a round iron handle on a squat wooden door.It creaks open to the darkness beyond.“You first.”
She steps in and uses her phone to illuminate the way.We only have to walk around the first bend, and candles set in small alcoves fill the darkness with a buttery light.
“What is this place?”she asks, slipping her phone away.
“This first section is a web of tunnels that take us deep under the city.From there we can move around as wolves without fear of being seen.”
She nods and then pauses as a wolf passes from left to right ahead of us.He doesn’t even turn our way.
“And it’s also our headquarters.Take a left here.”
The thick guttural scent of wolves fills the air and comforts me.I pick up on Fraser’s smell and follow it to his lair.It’s a round room with a curved ceiling.In the center is a mahogany table with six chairs.The walls are lined with books, many of them mine, and a double bed with thick blankets is tucked into the corner.A plate of raw meat is on the table along with a jug of water.
“Elias.”Fraser stands and sets down a silver tankard.
He’s as tall as me, younger by ten years, and his hair is dirty blond with curls at his nape.
“Fraser.”I nod and step up to the table.I pop a sliver of meat into my mouth.It’s beef.
He raises his eyebrows but doesn’t comment that I’ve taken his food.It’s not worth the aggravation for him.“You do indeed have a woman.”He sniffs the air.“Where did you find her?”
“She found me.”I reach for her hand and squeeze it.“This is Maisey Shaw.”
Maisey smiles.“It’s nice to meet you.”
Fraser narrows his eyes.“Have you been in a wolves’ den before?”
“No, can’t say I have.”
“You’re not shocked?”
“Perhaps I would be if it had been glittering with gold and full of fine artwork.But dark tunnels, cave-like rooms, raw meat, that’s not shocking when applied to wolves.”
Fraser chuckles.“She’s quite the find.”He pulls out a seat.“Do take the weight off your legs, Maisey.”
