Page 3 of Binding His Fated Mates

I gave the smallest of shrugs in return. I had no idea why Tamrand didn’t want us talking to Sally about the supernatural world. It was actually a little strange that he hadn’t told Sally all of this himself. I was sure she must’ve asked.

Right then, a group of people walked in.

Sally shot Tamrand a tight look, then nodded at us, before going to help the new patrons.

Tamrand stalked back into the kitchen without another word.

“Weird guy,” Lacey commented, popping a fry into her mouth and chewing.

“Definitely.”

* * *

On the drive back to the commune, Lacey was quiet for about three minutes. Which, for her, was basically a lifetime.

“So,” she said, her blue eyes fixed on the road ahead. The windows were down and the midsummer wind bounced and tossed her blond ponytail across her shoulder. “What was that all about?”

“What was all what about?”

She frowned. “Daniel, I’m your best friend. Talk to me. Because that was… weird. You don’t usually push people like that.”

“Oh.” I shifted uncomfortably in the passenger seat. “I—uh—I heard her heart beating. It was going really fast. I knew she wasn’t okay.”

Lacey tore her gaze from the road to fix me with a wide-eyed stare. “You did what?”

“Please don’t murder me with your driving. You’d probably live through it if we drove off the side of the mountain. I wouldn’t.”

She huffed but dutifully returned her eyes to the road. Her grip tightened on the steering wheel. “That kind of hearing isn’t witchcraft, right? It sounds like a wolf thing.”

“It’s definitely not a warlock thing,” I confirmed. “I’ve been hearing things like that—”

“Like heartbeats.”

“Yeah. Since the initiation ceremony. There’s other stuff, too, I guess.”

“What kinds of things?”

“It’s not that big of a deal.”

She pursed her lips, giving me a look that could’ve peeled paint before turning her attention back to the road. “Daniel, the initiation was supposed to be symbolic, a way for us to show you that you were really one of us. Like a marriage ceremony.” She sounded exasperated with me. “But if it’s literally altering your senses, that’s the opposite of ‘no big deal.’ What else has been happening?”

I sighed, wondering if there was a way to change the subject. Probably not.

“There’s other stuff—small things, mostly. Smells are a little sharper. And I can see better in the dark.” Actually, my night vision had improved so dramatically that I could see almost as well in total darkness as I could during the day. I added, “Nothing crazy.”

“Okay, so you suddenly have werewolf senses and you thought it wasn’t something you ought to mention?”

“It’s not a—”

“If you say ‘it’s not a big deal’ one more time, I swear I really am going to drive us both off a cliff.”

Not exactly an empty threat, given that we were high up in the Cascade Mountains.

“Fine. If we’re stuck on this, it’s pretty obvious, right? I mean, no non-wolf has ever joined the pack through initiation before. Obviously, the ceremony wasn’t entirely symbolic, and this is a side effect.”

“Right.” She pursed her lips, considering my words. “The initiation ceremony must’ve forged a magical bond that literally connects you with the pack.”

She seemed calmer, at least. I didn’t like the idea of her—or anyone—making a fuss over me. It was never necessary.