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It’s about a ten-minute walk to get to Lindsey’s cabin from here, and it’s even longer when taking a more secluded path. We both remain quiet—aware that a few of the shifters like to roam in the early mornings. We take a collective deep breath as we reach her cabin, her fingers unlacing from mine, and I realize she was just as scared as I was. I never thought Lindsey was scared of anything, but lying to an Alpha is risky for any shifter.
She locks the door behind us and makes sure all her curtains are closed. I’m surprised to see a pile of nineties movies, popcorn, wine, and yes, an empty container of moose track ice cream, sitting on a pile of blankets on the floor.
She winks. “I’m a good liar.”
Coffee wafts through the air and I gratefully watch as Lindsey pours us both a cup. Taking a seat next to her at the kitchen table, I know I’m going to have to tell her something, because unlike her, I’m not a good liar.
“Spill,” she commands.
“Well,” I say, deciding to go with the truth, “I was at Moonlit last night.” That alone is enough to cause her jaw to drop.
“Addy! You didn’t? Wait—was that your first time?”
Blushing, I begin to nod, and immediately realize she means my first time at the bar. “No,” I correct myself. “Not really. I’ve gone in a few times. Just to get out, you know? But there is this guy and we, well, we went to a motel…”
“Adeline, do you mean to tell me you hooked up with this ‘guy’?”
I nod, surprised a flush doesn’t crawl up my neck.
Lindsey leans forward, eyes alight with curiosity. “How much did you hook up? I know you said you went to a motel, but did you… Did you two…you know?”
“Have sex?” I say boldly. “It’s not a dirty word, Linds. Yes, I had sex and it just so happened to be glorious.”
She nearly spits out her coffee. “Okay, who are you and what did you do with sweet little Addy who can barely hold her head high when asked her name?”
I giggle. “I don’t know, actually, I just felt like I wanted to be different. More like you, in a way. I am always on such a short leash and heck, I guess I just wanted to have some fun.”
“He was your first time,” she notes, putting together the pieces as she taps her lips with her fingertips. “How long have you two been seeing each other? That must’ve been hard to hide from everyone.”
“We haven’t,” I admit.
“You absolute dog, Addy! Are you truly telling me you had a one-night stand with—wait, is this person even in our pack?”
I shake my head. “He’s not one of us.”
Looking stunned, Lindsey sips her coffee, and I realize I’ve neglected mine. I grab the honey and cream she placed beside me and fill the cup, stirring it around until she says something. Except it seems I’ve silenced her.
“So?” I whisper, sipping my coffee, looking up at her over the steam.
“So…” she pauses, a wicked smile playing across her lips. “Tell me everything!”
And so I do. We move to the living room, and as a nineties movie plays in the background—so I have one less lie to tell my parents—I spill every last detail. I tell her about his hot green eyes. The way he couldn’t seem to keep his hands off me. The way I loved every second of it.
Somewhere in the middle, we end up wrapped in blankets, eating freshly popped popcorn, acting just the way two women would during a girl’s night. Giggling and reliving what's fast become the best night of my life, I even tell Lindsey about Lawrence. She assures me she’s had entire conversations with my brother when he’s drunk, and he’s had no recollection of it the following day.
For a moment, the image of Luke’s furious face before he drove off rises in my mind, but I push it away. He can’t have looked like that at me after what we shared. It’s impossible for those two emotions to coexist even within the same state.
“When he left, he promised he’d see me around,” I swoon, but a knowing look in Lindsey’s eyes has me stopping. I bite my lip, deciding not to defend myself.
Sure, I know that men whisper all kinds of promises to get in a girl’s pants, but this was different. Luke was different. I try to tell Lindsey as much but she’s already turning down the TV volume and yawning as she gestures to the clock. I nod, acknowledging we both definitely need some sleep. She slinks off to her room, while I try to make myself comfortable on the couch.
I open up my phone, smiling at the goofy text I sent from Luke’s phone to mine. I didn’t get a chance to apologize for my brother’s behavior and while I know I shouldn’t text him so soon, and if anything maybe I should let him text me first, I can’t just not apologize. I keep it short and simple, and the moment I hit send my heart starts fluttering again.
When I finally do fall asleep, I swear I can feel Luke’s arms wrapped around me. As if his spirit is holding me still.
Chapter5
Luke
