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We approached the small wooden dock, and I bent down and dipped my hand in the water.
“It’s warm.”
“Wanna swim?” Finn grinned.
“Nooo,” I shook my head.
Everything about him—his look, his voice, his confidence—was so inviting. I couldn’t believe that I came here to this romantic, detached-from-people place with a dangerous werewolf I barely knew.
I looked into his eyes and his face became serious at once.
“Spencer.” He took my hand. “You don’t need to be afraid of me. I’ll never hurt you.”
I blinked.Was it written on my face?
“I’m not. And I think that’s the problem. Maybe I should’ve been more careful with someone I met only a few days ago and knew nothing about except that he’s a powerful supernatural creature.”
“You want to know me?” He let go of me and sat down on the dock. “Come here,” he tapped the spot next to him.
Of course, the fact that he was a wolf wasn’t the only problem. There was another one. Only a blind person wouldn’t notice how sexy he was, and as hard as I tried to think of him as a friend, I couldn’t ignore the butterflies in my stomach every time he was close. To shut them up, I blabbed the whole ride here. What if his charm clouded my judgment?
No. I know I can trust him.
Whatever he and my mom talked about made Mom trust him enough to tell him the truth about us and agree to stay at his place during my transition. If Mom, who was always so careful, felt safe to open up to him, then I was sure he was trustworthy.
“Let’s talk,” he said as I settled next to him. “There isn’t much to tell about me, and I don’t know where to start, to be honest. How about you ask me questions, and I will answer them as honestly as I can?”
“As honestly as you can? And if you can’t, you’ll lie about the rest, right?”
“No.” He tilted his head, looking at me like I was a three-year-old who needed a detailed explanation. “I’ll just tell you that I’m sorry, but it’s something I can’t talk about,” he said, stretching every word.
“I’m not stupid.” I poked him in the arm, and he grabbed my finger.
“I never said you were,” he chuckled. “You just have trust issues. But that’s a good thing. We should be watchful. We can never let our guard down.” He wrapped his hand around mine and examined my finger. “You didn’t hurt yourself, did you?”
With a teasing smirk, he pressed my palm to his chest. Through his shirt, I felt the heat coming from his body.
Oh shut up,I said in my mind to my rising heartbeat.
“Why? Your arm hurtsthatmuch?” I replied with sarcasm. But I didn’t withdraw my hand. “Here’s my first question. Why are you a lone wolf?”
“I can’t be in a pack. But even if I could, I don’t think I would want to.” He rested my hand on the dock between us. “Every pack has its own rules and traditions, like any other society. But those rules and traditions are very old-fashioned, and there’s no democracy there. All the wolves should obey their alpha, no question asked. For the ones who grew up in that environment, it’s normal. Not for all of them, of course. There is always a rebel or two. The punishments for rule-breaking can be extremely cruel. They wouldn’t hesitate to kill one of their own.” His face grew dark. “Sometimes without trial.”
What the hell?
“I don’t want to be a part of something like that either. But you said youcan’tbe? Why?”
“Sorry, this is one of those things I can’t talk about. Not yet.”
“Hmm,” I pursed my lips. “Okay.” I paused, thinking about which of my million questions to ask next. I decided to go with easy ones to chase away his sudden thoughtfulness. “Does your family live in Asheville too?”
“I don’t have a family. It’s just me.” He shrugged.
Oooh, crap. And I thought I was making things better.
“I’m sorry,” I said quietly. “Why? What happened? You don’t have to answer if—”
“It’s alright, Spencer.” His lips stretched into a mirthless smile. “I never knew my parents, and I saw them only in pictures. They died right after I was born.”
