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Violet
This dalliance with Tristan was supposed to be a safe flirtation.
It was safe for so many reasons – this shifter lived a world away from her. He was best friends with his Alpha, and he was living in Alaska. He would leave and she would never see him again. It was as safe as she could imagine.
That was what Violet thought when she agreed to this date. And now he was talking about extending his trip so that he could spend time with her. She was flattered. And part of her desperately wanted him to stay.
She was tempted to tell him no. To send him on his way. To tell him that she wouldn’t be here if he stuck around. But she found that she could not do it; she could not send him away.
It was true – she wanted to see him again. Her wolf agreed wholeheartedly.
“Can I take you out again tomorrow?" he asked. “I know it’s soon, but I will eventually have to go back. I’d like to make the most of our time if possible. Or if you don't have enough free time, I could come visit you at work." He spread his hands out. “This time I won't cause a forest fire."
They both laughed. He drove her back to the campground where he parked his Jeep and walked her to her tent. She had already warned the other two women from her pack that she would be going out with another shifter so that they weren’t alarmed by his presence or scared that a shifter from her old pack had shown up.
That had been an interesting conversation. Her new packmates, for lack of a better word, had squealed and demanded more information. She'd given them as little information as possible.
Outside her tent, Tristan stared at her. He brushed his thumb over her bottom lip. He leaned in, giving her plenty of time to move back.
She must really come across as nervous. Which was accurate – she was nervous. She just wasn't aware she was doing such a bad job of hiding it. She'd always spent so much time trying to hide her emotions as a teenager. But now that she didn't have to hide them on a daily basis, she'd apparently gotten really bad at it.
He kissed her again and then he pressed his lips to her forehead.
"I'll see you tomorrow." He ran his hand down her arm, ending at her fingertips. He gave her hand a squeeze. “Good night.” He turned and walked away, looking back at her several times.
She watched him until he was out of sight. She just stood there, staring after him, not making any move to get into her tent. About a minute into her staring, her pack mate appeared.
"Well? That seems successful," Angelina said.
She found herself feeling protective of the time she and Tristan had shared. She didn't want to talk about it. She didn't want to make it seem silly or unimportant, even though that's exactly what it was supposed to be.
But if she said those things to her friend, it would hurt her feelings. She had to come up with something generic. Something to hide the problematic direction of her own interests.
Or maybe she shouldn't. Maybe she should spill her guts and let her friend tell her what a bad idea falling for this Alaskan wolf shifter really was.
"It was good,” Violet said.
Angelina crossed her arms. "Well, from you, that's practically a raving endorsement."
Violet blushed, glad that Angelina would not be able to see it.
"I caught a glimpse of him,” Angelina said, pretending to fan herself. “He's hot."
Before she could stop it, a growl formed in Violet’s throat. Angelina squealed before putting her hands over her mouth.
Violet waved her arms. “Shhh, you’re going to wake up the humans too."
"I never thought I'd see you get territorial about anything, much less a male. I can't believe it. This is awesome.” Angelina did a little dance.
Violet swatted at her. "Stop it, or I'm not going to tell you anything anymore."
Angelina stopped her dance. "I really am happy for you. Just because you don't want any permanent commitments doesn't mean you can't have some fun."
That reminded her why she liked Angelina's company, even though she drove Violet crazy at times.
Angelina understood Violet’s past. Her own pack had been even more brutal than Violet’s, and Violet hadn't thought that was possible. She’d thought her own pack was the worst in existence. But that wasn't true. Angelina's pack had frequent public executions starting at age fifteen for any member who broke certain rules.
They also sold their omegas to other packs, and the Alpha kept multiple mates, killing them when they displeased him. Torture with silver had become common in Angelina’s pack, and so had withholding food.
After Angelina had told her the details in a halting voice late one night, she'd never spoken of it again. Just like Violet, Angelina never wanted to be a part of the pack again.
But unlike Violet, Angelina wanted a mate. She just said she wasn't ready yet.
Some would say it was fate that brought Violet and Angelina together. Some might say it was chance. It did not matter to Violet either way. She had an ally. And possibly a friend. She didn't always agree with Angelina’s outlook on life, but it was better than being out in the world alone. At least at this point.
"Are you going to see him again?” Angelina asked.
"Yes," Violet said. That was all the information her friend was getting. "I'm going to bed."
She dreamed about Tristan all night long.
