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It would. I pictured her beside me, with her perpetual smile and that petite frame topped by her blaring neon-pink pixie cut. A pang of homesickness hitme.
As soon as I can figure out a way to make it work, I’m coming back to visit. Or maybe I can arrange for you to visit me wherever I end up. These “estates” the alphas have areamazing.
Like I said before, if you want to set me up with a quartet of shifter dudes of my own—any time, feelfree!
I’ll keep that inmind.
She sent a kissy face emoji.I’ve got to jet for work. Knock ‘em dead at that dinner tonight. Just not literally, obviously, MissDragon.
I tucked the phone away and turned back toward the ocean. So much of my life was up in the air right now, but it was nice imagining some future time when I could just hang out with my bestie in a place like this, no worrying about sudden rogue attacks or faeconspiracies.
The door to the terrace sighed open behind me. Nate’s brawny form pushed past it. He was looking even more fine than usual in the formal suit he’d put on, which hugged his muscular body to incredible effect. My breath might have caught a little, taking himin.
His gaze settled on me, and he gave me a smile that looked almost shy. His eyes roved over my body as he walked up to me, but the glint in them was appreciative, not leering. Apparently I was having an effecttoo.
“That is some dress,” he said. “Although it’s got to be the woman in it who really makesit.”
I smiled back, the compliment warming me. “I like it a lot too. Never been much for dressing up, but I’m starting to think maybe I could get used toit.”
“I’d be totally fine with that.” He propped himself against the railing next to me, his gaze turning searching. “Aaron told me I’d probably find you out herealone.”
My hackles rose, just slightly. “You know you don’t have to worry about me being on my own for a few minutes, right? Because I’m completely fine. Just enjoying theview.”
Nate held up his hands. “That’s not what I meant. I promise. I didn’t come looking for you because I was worried. It’s...” He ducked his head, the sunlight gleaming off his thick chestnut hair. He was so tall and powerfully built, it still amazed me how gentle he could comeacross.
“I realized, after what you said the other day when we were fighting off the rogues, that there’s something I should probably tell you,” he said after a moment, rubbing the back of his neck. “It doesn’texcusehow I’ve acted, but I think it’ll explain it a little. And... it’s an important part of who I am. I’d like you to really knowme.”
The warmth I’d felt earlier spread through my entire body. I stepped closer, touching his elbow. “I’d like that too. Sorry if I got a bit snappish justnow.”
“It’s fine. I understand why.” His smile turned crooked. He took my hand in his, smoothing his thumb over my knuckles. The contact sent a pleasant shiver up myarm.
“You know that the tragedy with your mother and the former alphas happened when we were all pretty young,” he said. “I mean, I was the oldest of the four of us, and I was only twelve. And then there was a lot of uncertainty because we didn’t know where your mother or you were, or what would happen to our usual way oflife...”
“Yeah,” I said softly. “That must have been tough. Having all that responsibility and no clearpath.”
He nodded. “I had good guidance from my advisors. My kin—we’re a little scattered because we’re the shifters who don’t fit into any of the larger kin groups, but maybe it’s because of that we’ve never been all that competitive. We mostly just want someone leading the way and letting everyone else mind their own business. So I haven’t come under exactly the same pressure as the other guys to stay alpha. But I wasn’t always sure what I should be doing as alphaeither.”
“Of course. That makessense.”
“Well... When I was seventeen, and starting to take on more and more of the alpha duties on my own, I got to know another bear shifter whose family worked for the estate. We got along well—she was someone I could just relax with when I had time to myself, someone I could talk to about the decisions I was having tomake.”
A prickle ran down my back at the “she.” My sense of the mate-bond between us twinged. “And then?” I said, managing to keep my voice steady. I’d known not all of the alphas would have waited for me in body as well as in soul. But I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear about any earlier diversionseither.
Nate hesitated. He had to know how hard it was for me to even think about him with someone else. “For a few years, we weren’t anything more than friends. Then after a while, I realized I was falling in love with her. And she admitted she felt the same way. I’d always thought I would wait for the dragon shifter I was meant to be with,but—”
Tears welled in my eyes before the emotion even hit me. I choked on my breath, the thought of Nate—ofmymate—choosing someone else wrenching throughme.
West had mentioned the idea that he might forsake our mate-bond before, but only vaguely. The idea of this specific woman nearly tearing Nate away from me—I hadn’t expected it to hit me this hard, but I could barely standit.
“Ren!” Nate said. He brought his hands to my face, cupping it as he leaned close. I closed my eyes against the tears. “I’m sorry,” he said, his voice low and ragged. “I’mhere. I wouldn’t have ever brought it up if I didn’t think I had to for us to move forward. I was tempted, and I was unsure, but in the end I chose you. I stopped seeing her—Ihaven’tseen her in seven years. I knew that no matter how right things felt with her, being with you would be even moreright.”
I inhaled sharply, trying to get my reaction under control. “I’m not upset,” I managed. “Not on purpose, anyway. I just—the feelings just came overme—”
“It’s okay. I can’t imagine how I’d feel ifyoutalked about wanting to leave us for some other guy.” He stroked his hand over my hair and kissed my forehead. I leaned into him, soaking up the heat of his body and the strength of his arms as they came aroundme.
“The reason I wanted to tell you,” he went on, “is to show you that you’ve always been my first priority. Even when I didn’t know you yet, and I had temptation right in front of me. I am so incredibly happy to have finally found you that... I think I’ve been a little terrified of losing you before we even have the chance to really be together. And I let that fear talk me into being over-protective. Iknowyou’re strong. Iknowyou’ve got more power in you than any of us. I have to trust in that and not let my worries get in theway.”
I hugged him back, nestling my head against his shoulder. “Thank you,” I said. “I can see why you’d feel that way. As long as you’retryingnot to act onit...”
