Worry for Christian briefly overshadows every other emotion. Where is he? What’s happening to him? Is there even a hint of Christian left, or has he been completely consumed by his wolf? Remnants of my dream from a few weeks earlier—or a few nights earlier, if we’re being technical—spring to life. Such a strange dream…
A dream that almost feltreal.
My heart leaps into my throat.
Couldit have been real? Could I have somehow…made contact with Christian? Is that even possible? Now that I’ve had the thought, I can’t think of anything else. It repeatedly stabs at my brain like a flaming sword, demanding my attention.
“Iz?” Emery’s concerned face consumes my vision.
“I just… I’m worried about Christian,” I confess.
And Ashton too, though my emotions for him are far more complex and confusing.
He’s my mate, and sometimes I feel the stirrings of…an emotion. An emotion that isn’t caustic irritation or hatred. But other times, I want nothing more than to punch him in his smug, irritating face. How can I be attracted to such a judgmental, pompous asshole?
“We’ll find Christian. Wewill,” Emery reassures me, though his eyes are guarded.
I know what he’s thinking.
No feral shifter has ever come back to himself.
“We should look for him,” I insist. “We should?—”
“It’s about to be dark, pretty girl,” Em tells me gently. “How about this? Tonight, you spend time with me and Reid. We missed you. A lot.” A hint of red creeps into his cheeks at his confession, but he forges ahead without pausing. “Then tomorrow, before you meet back up with your bio fathers, we can search the woods for Christian. You’re here until Sunday, correct?”
“Yes.” I nod.
“Then we can look Sunday too.” Emery offers me a smile—soft and gentle, two emotions I never would’ve associated with my flirty wolf shifter before. “But it would do Christian no good to have you traipsing through the woods when it’s dark.”
“You’re right. I know you’re right. I just feel so…”
“Useless?” Emery gives me a pointed look.
“Useless,” I agree.
“You? Useless?” Ethan interjects, snorting. “That’s like saying the sun is cold.”
He wraps an arm around my waist and spins me away from Emery until I’m facing him. I instinctively place my hands on his shoulders to steady myself, and a blast of warmth blazes through me.
The smolder in Ethan’s eyes…
God, I can’t think of anything but our time together.
“Go. Have fun with Reid and Em. I promise that we’ll search for Christian tomorrow. Everything else can wait. You deserve to…let go for an hour or two.” Then, with a boldness that surprises me, Ethan ducks his head and brushes his lips against mine. Once. Twice. Three times.
Every touch ignites my nerve endings. After the third kiss, he pulls away but keeps his forehead pressed against mine.
Then, his voice a soft whisper, he says, “I love you.”
I swear my heart dissolves into a puddle of goo at his confession.
I open my mouth, but nothing comes out.
A sad smile unfurls on his lips as he steps away.
“It’s okay,” he tells me, his voice low. “You don’t have to say it back for it to be true for me.”
“Ethan…” I begin helplessly.
