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“Close your eyes,” I said, unsure of what I was doing. What I was capable of.
He did, because I was his friend.
I got to my knees and shuffled toward him.
My heart thundered in my chest.
My skin was sweaty.
The raven fluttered.
I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his.
It was warm and dry and catastrophic.
His lips were slightly chapped. I would never forget that.
I didn’t move. Neither did he.
Just the slightest of kisses on a warm summer day.
I pulled away.
His chest heaved.
His opened his eyes. They were orange.
He said, “Gordo, I—”
His breath was harsh against my face.
I said, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—”
He put his hand over my mouth. My eyes felt like they were bulging.
“You have to mean it,” he said quietly. “You have to be sure.”
I didn’t understand. Mark was my friend, and I—
“Gordo,” he said, eyes still alight. “There’s—I can’t—”
He stood before I could blink. I fell back on my ass.
Then he was gone.
THOMAS FOUND me later. The sky above was streaked orange and pink and red.
He sat beside me.
He said, “I was seventeen when I met a girl who took my breath away.” He was smiling, staring off into the trees.
I waited.
He said, “There was… there wasn’t anything like her. She….” He chuckled as he shook his head. “I knew then. Elizabeth disliked me on sight, and Dad said I needed to respect that. Because women needed to be respected. Always. Regardless of what I thought, I could never force her into anything she didn’t want. And I knew that, of course. Because to even think otherwise was terrible. So I became her friend. Until one day, she smiled at me and I—it was everything. I’d never seen anyone smile at me like that before. She was my….”
“Mate,” I said.
Thomas shrugged. “I never really liked that word. It doesn’t encompass all that she is. She is the best part of me, Gordo. She loves me for who I am. She’s fierce and sharp and doesn’t let me get away with anything. She holds me up. She points out my faults. And honestly, if the world was fair, she would be the next Alpha and not me. She’d be better at it. Better than my father. Better than anyone. I’m very lucky to have her. The day I gave her my stone wolf was the most nerve-racking day of my life.”
