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“Cruel,” she said, her eyes narrowing as she eyed the carton. “A true future alpha would share his bounty with the needy.”

“The needy?” I laughed as I popped another fry into my mouth and chewed it slowly. “Sloane, you’re a latent shifter. Your body isn’t burning through energy trying to maintain a wolf form or preparing for a full-moon run. Your metabolism doesn’t need ten thousand calories a day to stay functional like mine does.”

She narrowed her eyes. “So, this is biological discrimination?”

“I prefer to call it resource preservation,” I corrected, holding the carton higher. “Though if you ask nicely enough, I might grant an exception to supernatural law.”

She stared at me, then placed one hand against my shoulder and reached across my body.

I should have moved. Instead, every part of me became aware of her.

Her palm rested on my hoodie. The rogue strands of hair that had escaped her bun brushed against my jaw. She smelled of pine and clean fabric. Beneath those layers was something that belonged only to her, warm and faintly sweet.

She froze when she noticed how close we had become.

I was still holding the fry carton in the air.

Her eyes lifted to mine.

Neither of us said anything.

The teasing disappeared, leaving the clearing too quiet and the distance between us too small. I could hear her heartbeat. It had sped up, though not from the brief struggle over food. Mine had done the same.

Sloane’s fingers curled slightly into the fabric.

I lowered the carton. “You can have a fry,” I said.

Her gaze moved to my mouth. “I’m not sure this is about the fries anymore.”

“No?”

She shook her head once.

My wolf pushed close beneath my skin, aware of her warmth and scent and the fact that we were alone under an open sky. I kept myself still. The last thing I wanted was to crowd her or make a move before she was certain.

Sloane had spent years pulling away from people. I could wait a few seconds for her to choose whether to move toward me.

“I’ve wanted to do this since the reunion,” I admitted.

Her breath caught. “Do what?”

I leaned closer, stopping before our lips touched. “I think you know.”

Her eyes closed for one brief second before opening again.

I could feel the heat of her breath. One movement would have closed the remaining distance. My hand came up slowly and rested against her waist, giving her time to move away.

She didn’t.

For one suspended moment, I thought she would kiss me. Then something changed. Her body tensed beneath my hand. The warmth in her face remained, but fear moved in behind it. She pulled back abruptly and removed her hand from my shoulder.

“I should go.” She straightened away from the post and brushed off her jeans.

I let my hand fall. “Okay.”

She looked toward the path, then back at me. “It’s late. I didn’t plan to stay this long.”

I glanced toward the sky. It was late, though not much later than when we began walking.