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Oaklee sighed. “He’s still a dick, but I don’t see him as my father anymore. I never really did, but when I lived with him… I guess it just slammed that fact home. He might have been the guy to provide the sperm that brought me into existence, but that’s as far as his fatherly influence went.”
Oaklee pursed her lips. “He used to tell his friends they could do whatever they wanted to me if they could catch me.”
“What?!” I roared. “Do you mean—”
“Yeah,” Oaklee cut me off. “They didn’t, though. Obviously. I hadn’t shifted yet, but even before I became a fox, I knew how to hide, and before I came of age and started shifting, I guess my scent and—” She cut herself off. “They couldn’t find me. It pissed them off. It amused my dad. Because they couldn’t get to me, it became this game where they would arrive at random, and the games would be on.” She scowled bitterly. “My dad used to call it fox hunting.”
“You’re a fox,” I said.
It was a cruel joke, one that could potentially have ruined Oaklee forever.
Oaklee looked at me with wide eyes. She hadn’t meant to tell me that deep, dark part of her past. I hadn’t known a lot of foxes in my life—they usually kept to themselves. Not only physically, but emotionally, too. They were one of the scarcer shifters out there. The only thing scarcer than a fox I knew about was a rabbit shifter, but I’d only ever heard of them, I’d never even seen one.
“It’s okay, you know,” I said.
“Is it?” she asked.
Usually, shifters were all predators, and the fox, small and lithe, was already at the bottom of the food chain.
“It is. Trust me, I know all about the difficulties that can come with shifters and the assholes they can be. You’re safe with me. I’ll never let anything happen to you again, and if anyone tries to harm you…” I clenched my jaw and balled my hands into fists so tightly, my knuckles turned white. Just thinking about someone hurting Oaklee was enough to turn me into a raging monster, all humanity gone.
Delaney had struggled with being different more than anyone—the only thing worse than a shifter who wasn’t as physically powerful as the rest of us was a shifter who couldn’t shift at all. It had meant she’d had a lot of emotional things to work through, too. I hadn’t known how bad it had been. Now, I had a newfound respect for shifters like that who had to survive against all odds, who had to fend for themselves when the system was against them, and deal with the emotional fallout without anyone to help them through it.
Yeah, shifters had fucked up social systems just like humans did. We just liked to think we were superior because we lived longer, but longevity made for a lot more space to cultivate being a dick.
Shifters could be assholes, and it sounded like Oaklee’s father’s friends in particular were right up there along with the rest of the low-life pieces of shit who believed they were the only shifters to make the world go round.
“I didn’t mean to hide what I am from you,” Oaklee said softly. She put her hand on my arm, and warmth bled from her skin to mine. I drank it in, relishing in the feel of her warmth and her power that came in pulses in equal measure.
“I already knew,” I said. “It’s not a big deal.”
She didn’t look like she believed me, so I pushed on.
“I care about you,” I said. “A lot. I’m pretty sure you can tell how much, at this point.”
A smile played around Oaklee’s lips, and her cheeks turned pink. She took a sip of water as if she had to cool herself down.
“Yeah, these feelings back and forth aren’t what I expected.”
I leaned toward her and cupped her cheek. “No matter what, I’ve got your back. There’s nothing you can do or tell me that will change that. I’m falling for who you are—everything about you—not just pieces.”
Oaklee frowned. “You don’t know anything about me.”
“I don’t have to,” I said. “We have time to learn about each other, to get to know every part of who we are. All I know is that you’re my fated mate, and I will fight for you and stand by your side no matter what.”
“No matter what,” she whispered.
I kissed her, and the kiss was warm and sensual. I loved the feel of her lips on mine, the way she melted when I kissed her. When we were together, the whole world fell away, and I could forget about everyone and everything. Nothing existed but Oaklee and me.
“I have to tell you something,” Oaklee whispered.
“Move in with me,” I blurted out.
“What?”
“We’re meant to be together—there’s no denying that. Why wait? Why go through the motions when we know how this is going to end?”
Oaklee watched me with wide eyes, the gold almost glowing with the fox’s power. Somehow, knowing that small part about her made me feel even closer to her.
