They’re perfect together, truly each other’s missing half.Seeing them together has me yearning for that too, but I know the chances of me also having a shifter fated mate are slim to none.
But it doesn’t stop me from wishing that this man could be mine.
“So, I don’t have to explain shifters and fated mates to you?”Cooper asks.
I shake my head.“Nope, I’m all caught up.You’re clearly a wolf shifter, and you’re part of the pack here.”
He nods, looking slightly relieved.“That’s right.Born and raised.”
I take another sip of water to soothe my dry throat.“Well, I should get going.It was nice meeting you, Cooper.”
“Wait!You’re leaving?Already?”He looks worried.
I smile.“It’s getting late.I don’t want Taylor to worry.”
“Well, um…”
“Yes?”
“We need to talk.”
I tense at his words.
He notices instantly.“It’s nothing bad.”
Cooper steps forward, closing the distance between us.He reaches out toward me, then curls his fingers into his hand, as if he’s never had practice with reassuring someone.
I bite back a smile.It’s cute that he wants to ease my worries but doesn’t quite know how.“Okay, what are we talking about?”
He takes a deep breath.“We’re fated mates.”
I gape up at him.My knees grow weak.
Cooper moves, catching me before I can fall for the second time that night.
3
Cooper
My mate hasn’t saida word for over a minute.She almost fainted when I told her we were fated mates.I stand here, holding her against me, and wonder what the heck I should do now.
She’s not happy to be our mate,my wolf howls.
I swallow hard, ashamed and embarrassed.She doesn’t know us.Once we show her we can take care of her and make her happy, she’ll be glad we’re fated mates.
He doesn’t seem to believe me, and I don’t blame him.I can barely believe it myself.
“I know this is sudden for you, but you’ve seen how it works.It will be the same between us as it is for your sister and Reyes,” I say in a rush, desperate to make her see that this is a good thing.“I’ll be good to you.No one will treat you better than me and my wolf.No one.I swear I?—”
“Cooper, stop,” she cuts me off.“I know you’ll treat me right.I don’t doubt that or you.I’m just shocked.I never imagined I would be fated to a shifter too.”
I can still feel the tension in her body.She’s on edge, worried about something.If it’s not being mated to me, what could it be?
I don’t know how to handle this situation.I’ve never given much thought to comforting someone.Dating and girls haven’t been on my mind because they’re not how shifters do things.I haven’t needed to worry about all this until now, and I’m out of my depth.
I decide to trust my gut.Before I can overthink it, I lift Landry into my arms, carry her to the couch, and sit down with her in my lap.I rock us gently, forward and back, my hand flexing against her hip.
“What’s upsetting you, mate?”I ask softly.
