“Do you think they really won’t bother us anymore?” I ask, knowing Zane will shoot straight with me.
“No, I don’t.” I sigh. “But that is not something we’re worrying about today. Today is a day to celebrate.” He glances over at me. “You ready to shift for the first time?”
“So ready!”
“I think you’ve been ready to shift since you were like three,” he says with a laugh.
“Pretty much. Will you be there for the pack run?”
He gives me a curious look. “Of course. I wouldn’t miss it.”
“I just didn’t know because of Evie.”
“Oh. She’s coming to the party; she’ll just stay back with whoever stays at the house.”
“And you’re okay with that?” I ask.
He reaches out and tugs my hair, and I smack his hand away. “I will be at the pack run; you won’t be able to see me though.”
“Why not?”
He smirks. “Because I’ll be so far ahead of you.”
I roll my eyes. “Ha, ha.”
When he pulls up in front of the house, he turns off the car. “You think you’ll meet your mate tonight?”
I laugh. “No.”
“You could.”
I level a look at him. “Do you know how many wolves meet their mate on the first night of their shift? Not many.”
He shrugs. “I know I didn’t.”
“Yeah; I’m sure I won’t either.” I pause before I get out of the car. “I just had a thought. What if my mate is human?”
He faces me, leaning against the door. “Would you be okay with that?”
I think about it for a moment. “I mean, yeah. If he’s my mate, then I won’t care, right?”
Zane laughs. “If you’re asking me, then no. You won’t care. I love Evie with every fiber of my being. It doesn’t matter that she’s human; it never has.” I stare at him a moment. “What?”
“I mean, if he’s human, then technically I’ll be stronger than he is. Is that weird? Like if he needs something opened and can’t get it, will he hand it to me?”
Zane laughs. “Don’t look so horrified?”
“I can’t help it; it’s a reasonable response. What if I’m stronger than my mate, Zane?”
“Riley,” he reaches out and puts a hand on my shoulder. “First of all, let’s not worry about something that may not even be an issue. Second, if your mate is indeed human, I promise you, it will be okay.” He releases my shoulder and opens his door. “Besides, wouldn’t it be great if you carriedhimover the threshold once you get married?”
“Zane!” I reach for him, but he jumps out of the truck, laughing. I jump out of the truck and race after him, taking the stairs two at a time; but he’s too fast. I throw open the door he just closed. “Zane!”
“Riley Alyssa, why are you yelling in my house?”
Drat. “I was yelling at Zane.”
My mother arches one eyebrow; I’ve never been able to perfect that move quite the way she has. “Yes, I caught that. Why are you yelling at him and chasing him like you two are three and six instead of eighteen and twenty-one?”
