Page 77 of Starting a New Life

“We’ll, uh, get out of your hair,” Connie said quickly, biting his bottom lip. “We’ll just…” He got up, quickly starting to put away the board game, emptying the desk. “Here, uhm, you can put the tray down. Wow, that smells good, right, Nick? Maybe we should get dinner too?”

Nick stared at his friend, then at me.

“Dinner sounds good,” he agreed, albeit more slowly, his demeanour telling me he wasn’t sold on the idea.

“You can stay,” I offered, even though I really wanted time with my mate.

“Oh no, it’s okay, Alpha,” Connie said, grabbing his friend by the arm. “We don’t want to intrude. We can come back tomorrow, right, Nix?”

I watched my mate for signs of annoyance or fear, but the smile he wore was a tender one mixed with tidbits of sorrow. “Of course.” He studied them for a moment. “Remember what we talked about?”

They both rolled their eyes in unison but nodded. “Yes. We’ll spend time with the other wolves. Promise.”

“Goodnight, Alpha. Night, Nix,” Connie said.

“What he said,” Nick called from the hallway, shutting the door behind him and his friend.

I snorted a laugh and placed the tray on the desk where Connie had cleared a spot for me. It was pretty cluttered, though mostly with books and games I knew were pack property.

I felt Nix come up behind me, and a second later, he touched my forearm, sending sparks over my skin, electricity lighting up my whole body.

“Thanks for bringing dinner,” he said quietly. I turned around and looked at him, taking in the way he breathed a sigh of relief at not having to go down and face the rest of the pack. I felt a pang in my chest, but I didn’t comment on it, keeping Jasper’s words in mind. Patience.

“Of course. I thought we could eat together?”

Nix nodded. “I’d like that.”

His hand caressed my forearm when he walked past, as if he couldn’t help himself but had to touch me. The feeling was very much mutual. If I could do what I wanted, I’d pull him into my arms and not let go for the remainder of the evening. As it was, I took the chair Nick had occupied and handed Nix a plate after he’d sat on the windowsill much like Connie had done. Then again, there was only one chair in the room. The guest rooms weren’t really equipped for three or four people setting up camp in them.

“Do I need to bring additional chairs?” I asked, though I wasn’t sure where I’d put them. A second one might work, but there wasn’t enough space for more.

Nix laughed, cocking his head at me. “That depends… do you need another chair? Because I’m perfectly happy with my windowsill. I like looking outside. It’s peaceful.” His smile turned wistful, maybe even melancholic. “Looking at the forest makes me feel free, you know?”

That I did. “Yes. For a shifter like me, there’s nothing that feels more freeing than running through the forest.”

Nix nodded.

“When I had to flee…” he started, voice stilted. “Our coven house was in the middle of the forest. If it hadn’t been for that, I wouldn’t have made it out. They’d spelled the surroundings. Everything was pitch black, but that ended up being my advantage, you know. Ever since, the woods have made me feel safe.”

“Because you can hide in them?”

“I guess so,” Nix said, furrowing his brow. “There are countless escape routes available at all times, so staying in the woods was practical. But it’s more than that. The wind rustling through the trees, the birds singing, rabbits running through the underbrush… everything feels alive. Free.”

I swallowed against the lump in my throat, fighting the urge to reach out. But why? He was my mate. And he was sad.

Carefully, I took his hand, watching for signs of distress, but there were none. He didn’t even flinch like he usually did, didn’t tense for even a second. I brushed my thumb over his skin, felt for his warmth, and enjoyed the sparks running up my arm.

“Is that why you sit outside whenever you go downstairs?” I probed. I didn’t want to ruin things, but I wanted to understand.

“Kinda? It’s also more peaceful. Your pack is… loud. And having wolves come at me from all directions is hard.”

“They’re not coming at you.”

Nix swallowed, running a hand through his hair. “See, logically, I know that. But whenever one of your shifters walks past me from behind, I can’t help but expect an attack. It’s exhausting. When I’m outside, there are fewer people walking by. There’s an escape route right in front of me. Makes it easier.”

And also more secluded.

I didn’t tell him that, though; instead, I nodded, trying to work through what he was saying without attacking him for not trying more. Because he was. Nick and Connie were shifters too. And he’d let them into his room.