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My pulse raced as I took her hand in mine. “I’ll respect your boundaries, but did it ever occur to you that maybe Fate paired us together for a reason? This could be our moment?”
That wrinkle came back between her eyebrows. “You’re saying Fate wants a shifter with witch blood?”
“Maybe someday. We might need to evolve to win the battle coming to Salem.”
She looked down at our joined hands and back up to my face. “Meet me at the fountain in Townhouse Square tonight. Ten o’clock.”
“I’ll be there.”
She stood and took a couple of steps. She turned back, and if I weren’t a werewolf, I never would have heard her. “No kissing.”
I watched her ass the whole way out, then rubbed a hand down my face. What the fuck was I doing?
But I already knew.
I was doing whatever I had to in order to win her trust.
And her heart.
She could have anyone, but I would move mountains for it to be me. She was right that we barely knew each other. Still, every second I spent with her, the connection grew. I got up and took a deep breath before heading back to Lillian’s room. I was going to make this work.
I just didn’t know how yet.
CHAPTER 9
Ruby
Zeke came intoLillian’s room a couple of minutes after I did. The air sizzled as he locked eyes with me. My blood heated.
Oh shit. What were we doing?
I broke the eye contact, hoping no one else noticed the way he was staring at me. Maybe it was his wolf instincts, but I was pretty sure no one had ever looked at me like I was the only thing in this world that they wanted. It was…intense.
And thrilling.
But we weren’t alone in this room. Amelia was perched on a tall stool in the corner of the room with Michaela leaning against the counter beside her. In her early twenties, Michaela was our youngest coven member, and there was something enigmatic about her, almost like her magic was an effervescent sparkle that followed her around.
Her dark-brown eyes popped up from the screen as if she had felt me watching her. “Is everything okay?”
I risked a quick peek over at Zeke. “I just wanted to introduce you guys to Zeke. He’s going to be the new Alpha of the Salem Pack.”
Lillian perked up and took both of Mathias’s hands in hers. “Is this true?”
He nodded. “We’re going to have the ceremony during the new moon.”
Lillian’s smile faded. She looked over at me, having the same reaction as I did. She focused on Mathias again. “We should have the coven there, too, then. We could set wards to protect the pack from any dark magic the Coven of Shadows might cook up.” She paused, and I could tell by the look in her eyes, I wasn’t going to be excited about what came next. Looking right at me, she added. “We could also elevate Ruby as the new high priestess. This circle could be her first meeting as the leader of the coven.”
My eyes widened. “I think we should talk about this later.”
Amelia popped up from her stool. “It’s a good idea. It sends a message that we’re united with the wolf pack in stopping the hunters.”
My gaze locked on Zeke, and something in his eyes soothed the panic rising inside me. He gave me an almost imperceptible nod, as if he believed in me without a single doubt. I squelched the tendrils of dread wisping through my mind and finally nodded slowly.
“Good.” Lillian grinned. “It’s decided, then.”
The doctor came in, interrupting the impromptu meeting and giving me a reprieve from worrying about what would be coming during the new moon. He gave Lillian the all clear to be discharged with instructions to take it easy. They chalked up her cardiac incident to stress.
The others waited outside the room while I helped her get dressed, and the nurse came back with a wheelchair.
