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With a nod, I silently followed him down the stairs.
The two of us entered the woods, passing our usual training area. The sun was low and long shadows made the woods darker and more intimidating than usual. I moved a little closer to him as my mind took me back to the night I was attacked. Luke’s fingers brushed against mine, as if he wanted to take my hand, but then they moved away.
My face heated, and frustration twisted into fury. This was ridiculous. We were adults. “What the fuck is going on with you?” I stopped walking and turned to him, my hands on my hips. “We were getting along. You clearly wanted to get to know me better, then you pulled away.”
“Look, it’s nothing personal,” he said.
“Not personal? That’s bullshit,” I said. “Just tell me if you don’t like me. It’s fine. I can handle it.”
“It’s not that.” He ran a hand through his hair. “It’s complicated, okay?”
“You have a girlfriend?” I asked.
“No.”
“A wife?”
“No.”
“Then what is it?” I demanded.
“I don’t know what’s real.” He blew out a long breath.
That shut me up. Why hadn’t I thought of that? “Because of the life bond.”
“I’m sorry,” he said.
I felt like I’d been punched in the gut. The worst part was that he had a point. I’d felt drawn to him, overwhelmingly attracted to him, despite the fact that he’d kidnapped me. What if it was the life bond connecting us? Would we still want each other without it?
“Thank you for telling me,” I said.
“I don’t want to take advantage of you,” he said. “I’d never want to do that.”
My heart felt like it was shattering. For once, I might have actually found a decent guy, but he wastoogood. He was holding back in the off chance that our feelings would fade once the life bond was severed.
Voices and movement sounded ahead, and I welcomed the distraction. At this point, everyone in the pack knew who I was, but I still hadn’t spoken to any outside of the group who frequented Luke’s house.
My stomach tightened, and nervous flutters rose in my chest. I avoided pack gatherings with the shifters I’d known my whole life. This was a bunch of strangers. “Why did I agree to this?”
“Because you owe it to your wolf to run with others. At least every so often. Trust me, it’s good for you,” he said.
Luke was greeted like an old friend by every shifter we passed. It was so different than the way the pack was around my dad. Sure, I got the sense that this pack respected Luke in the way they parted for him to give him space, or how they hesitated before offering a hand to shake, but it wasn’t the same. It was a heartbeat of holding back based on his status before their whole demeanor changed and they became old friends.
Around my dad, it was groveling and tense body position, and guilty expressions if they had been mid-whisper when their alpha approached.
I hung back, keeping a healthy distance between Luke and myself. But eventually, Patricia, the sweet server from the cafe, noticed me and pulled me into the group.
The next thing I knew, I was being introduced to tons of shifters. High-fives, handshakes, and hugs. It was overwhelming, but my heart expanded and their genuine warmth was contagious. They were kind and friendly, often making jokes about how they wondered when I’d stop pretending they were all invisible. It showed me that they had truly given me space, waiting for me to initiate contact. That all went out the window on full moon night, though.
I mean, we were all about to be naked together, so I saw their point. Showing up to a pack event, with the alpha, probably placed me as one of them.
“Luke asked me to teach him how to make a caramel latte,” Patricia said.
“Oh?”
“He said you told him his coffee sucks.” She laughed.
“I never said that. At least not out loud.” Had I?
