bloom
I pulledinto a gas station on the outskirts of Erren—a rural, laid-back city that had me seriously considering moving. The scenery was beautiful, with towering trees scattered around us and not a two-story building in sight.
Maybe I needed to find a way to mate myself to the Erren Alpha instead of the giant snoring next to me.
I parked at one of the pumps, shut off the car, and grabbed Maverick’s wallet. He stirred as I pulled out two credit cards, looking between the two of them and debating which to go with.
Worst case scenario, the card was declined.
I couldn’t see that happening, given my very involved role at his personal investment firm.
“Does it matter which card I use?” I asked, when he cracked one of his eyes open.
“No. I can get it.” He moved a little in his seat, still trying to wake up.
I wanted to get the trip over with, so I got out and started the pump before sitting back down next to him. The gas station was the address he’d put in the map, so I would have to make sure he was awake long enough to put the pack’s location in before we could leave.
“Sorry. Thanks.” Maverick was rubbing his eyes when I sat back down. His chair was upright, and his coloring was back to normal for the most part. “Didn’t think I’d crash that hard.”
“Since when do you apologize?”
“I sent that bastard a scarf.”
“Harpersent him a scarf. And you don’t need to apologize. You’re only exhausted because of the blood you gave me, and I don’t mind driving,” I said. “But for future references, maybe don’t make bets that affect your health?”
“Immortality’s a long time. Shit like that keeps it lively.” He opened the door. “I’ll drive the rest of the way to the pack’s land. Posturing is a big deal out here. An old-school male Alpha wouldn’t let someone else drive them anywhere.”
“How old are you?”
“I stopped counting after the first century. All werewolves do.”
Damn.
I changed the subject. “The standards are different for a female Alpha?”
He stepped out of the SUV and stretched his gigantic legs a little. “If you’re old-school. It’s cultural, and regional. Most rural packs have different expectations than most urban wolves. My pack is a mix of everything, but the majority aren’t like that.” He closedthe door and walked around the front of the SUV. I slipped out, stepping past him. My side brushed his, and his hand met my lower back lightly, just for a moment.
I took the passenger seat, checking my phone. Harper had wished me luck, and I told her to be careful. Otherwise, I just had a few work messages to respond to. That only took a minute.
When I was done, I glanced over at the pump and frowned. It was done and put back in its place, but Maverick was gone.
Maybe he went inside for a snack or something.
Sure enough, he came back with a full bag a few minutes later. Chips, hot dogs, ice cream—and a cup of coffee that was mostly cream and sugar.
Bless him.
I took the milky caffeine with a genuinethank youand immediately took a long sip.
It wasn’t great. Not even close. But it was a hell of a lot better than nothing.
Maverick handed me a hot dog, then let me pick between two ice cream bars (I went with the taco-shaped one containing vanilla ice cream over the gross-looking cherry bar he obviously wanted) and two bags of chips.
He cracked an energy drink open and tossed the plastic grocery bag on the floor by my feet. I had about three times as much space as I needed, since he was the last person to sit there.
“I remember you calling my vanilla latte poison a few days ago,” I remarked. “Pretty sure those things have a lot more sugar.”
“You’re the one who called it poison. I called it subpar. Which it was, considering your reaction to my blood. Try this.” He held the drink out toward me.
