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12
“How long have you known?” My voice was breathy, coming out as a whisper.
“I suspected during our full moon shift, but I didn’t know for sure until just now,” he confessed.
“But Tyler…” I knew you could have another chance at a mate if your mate was dead, but it seemed impossible for me to have found a second when so few wolves even found their first.
“He’s gone,” Alec said.
I knew there were unfinished thoughts in that statement. Alec’s mate was also gone. He’d loved deeply and lost tragically. If anyone deserved another chance at happiness, it was him.
Alec caressed the side of my face gently with his thumb. His touch was a balm, soothing and comfortable. I never wanted him to stop.
“What does this mean?” I asked.
“It means that if you’ll have me, we can complete the bond,” he said.
“But we’ve already had sex,” I said.
“You were fated for someone else then,” he said.
“I hate to interrupt the moment,” Sheila cut in, “but did I just overhear that correctly? You two are feeling a mating bond?”
“Damn, some shifters have all the luck,” Kyle said.
“No kidding,” Sheila added.
“Congrats, you two,” Malcom said. “But you’re going to have to hold off on completing that bond for a bit.”
“Why?” I asked. Now that I had the chance to explore what a mating bond with someone I cared about felt like, I wasn’t sure I wanted to wait. Plus, my body was already scaling up the lust. I was finding it difficult not to drag Alec to a more secluded place and take him right now.
“He’s right,” Alec said. “After what you’ve been through, I want you to have time to sort this out. Plus, there’s the matter of your dad and your pack.”
I nodded, not thrilled with the idea of waiting, but agreeing that it was the right thing. After everything with Tyler, did I really want to be bonded to anyone?
“We should go back,” I said. “It’s getting dark.”
The walk back to Star’s was quiet and it gave me time to think. The bond between Alec and I was new, and it wasn’t as intense yet as it had been with Tyler. I knew that would change over time, but I had no idea what would happen if we completed the bond. I wanted my freedom. Would being with Alec make me feel trapped all over again?
The sun had set by the time we returned to Star’s house. A rectangle of light illuminated the front door, creating a silhouette of a waiting spectator. I wasn’t thrilled that we had an audience for our return. Especially since I was pretty sure it wasn’t Star.
Spencer was standing in the doorway sipping a cup of coffee. “I guess you gave up on doing the whole night?”
“The need passed,” Malcom said.
“He’s dead, then?” Spencer asked.
“He is,” Malcom confirmed.
“Good. I need your head in the game,” he said.
“Can we not right now?” Things couldn’t just be complicated one at a time, could they? I finally have the mating bond cleared up with Tyler, and now I have a new bond, that I might actually want. Instead of getting to figure that out, I had to deal with taking down the shifter king.
“I’m going to take a shower and put clothes on.” I walked past Spencer and made my way to one of the bathrooms. Malcom was right, now wasn’t the time to figure out my feelings with Alec.
While I washed the dirt out of my hair and soaped up the wounds that had yet to heal, I considered the conversation with Alec. Unlike Tyler, he’d given me the choice.
I froze as doubt crept into my mind. He was giving me an out. Did that mean he wanted out? As quickly as it came, the thought fled. I knew that wasn’t true. Alec wanted to be with me as much as I wanted to be with him. I’d spent so many years doubting myself and my abilities. I was used to disappointment and second-guessing. That wasn’t who I was anymore. I was going to be an alpha, a leader. I had the ability and I deserved happiness.
