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I straightened. “Is she okay? Do we need to take her to the hospital?”
Margo smiled at me and waved me off. “No, she’s fine. Just relaxing.”
Deflating a little, I let out a breath of relief.I studied my goofy friend, and as I did, I couldn’t help but picture Clawson and how miserable he’d looked, knowing Margo was angry at him. I couldn’t stop playing over what he’d said and how he’d talked about Margo.
I chewed the inside of my cheek. I didn’t want to stick my nose in Margo’s love life, but I didn’t want either of them to be unhappy. Figuring I could be subtle about it, I said, “Clawson did most of the work getting everyone out of the hunters’ clutches. I mostly drove the getaway car and made sure everyone popped witch pills.”
Margo frowned and moved back behind the desk, but I didn’t miss the blush that tinged her cheeks.
“I don’t think he’d mind if you thanked him, too, Margo. It couldn’t hurt, could it?”
Margo flushed a deeper shade of pink. “I’m sure he knows how heroic he is, and I’m definitely not going to inflate his ego any more than it already is.”
Sighing, I shook my head. This woman was stubborn, which made me laugh a little because I knew all too well that I was possibly even more stubborn than her. Now I felt bad for people who had to deal with me.
Well, I didn’t feel bad enough to change, but bad enough to acknowledge it.
The sheriff’s mention of fated mates nagged at the back of my mind, but I hesitated to bring it up. A mental tug of war battled it out, and finally, my curiosity got the better of me.
“Hey, what are fated mates?”
Margo, hopeless romantic that she was, swooned and clasped her hands over her heart. Her face took on a dreamy look as she gushed, “Fated mates are two halves of the same soul. They’re shifters made to complete each other. Isn’t that romantic?”
She clearly didn’t expect me to answer because she steamrolled along.“Fated mate connections are unmistakable and super powerful. When true fated mates have claimed each other, they can communicate telepathically and sense each other’s feelings. It’s been said that it’s supposed to be like nothing else in the world. Once you have one, you’ll never want for anything, because you’ll have everything you could ever need.”
It sounded a lot like a fairytale to me. Something shifter girls told each other at sleepovers while they did each other’s nails and hair.
“Can you imagine a connection like that?” Margo asked. “A love like that? It’s not very common. I’ve only seen a few fated mates, but watching them has given me so much hope that I might find mine someday. At least, I hope to. It’s a long shot, but it’s possible.”
Margo’s swoony, starry-eyed gaze made her look like a cartoon rabbit. I wanted to laugh, but I refrained because the idea of fated mates obviously meant a lot to her.
Suddenly, Margo gasped, grabbed my shoulders, and shook me.
“Are you asking because that’s what you have with Ridge?” She squealed so loudly, I was surprised she didn’t burst my eardrums.
Desperately wanting to nip that idea in the bud, I said, “If fated mate connections are as unmistakable as you say, then that’s not the case between Ridge and me. I wanted nothing to do with him when we met.”
Margo blanched. “Ridge is the nicest alpha ever. He’s honest and fair, and he’s not lacking in looks, so how is that even possible? Women are always throwing themselves at him and slipping him their numbers.”
She must’ve caught my distaste because she blurted, “You have nothing to worry about. He only has eyes for you and would never do anything to jeopardize what he has with you. Again, nicest alpha ever. You only need to look at him when he watches you. You’re it for him. I know it.”
I didn’t want to hear all that, so I shook my head and got back to the topic at hand. “I technically did like him at first, enough to have a one-night stand.” I chuckled. “But that changed completely by the next morning.”
Snickering, Margo crossed her arms and leaned against the counter. “Hopefully, the sex has gotten better since then if you were so ready to bolt after the first time.”
I groaned. I was done with that part of the conversation and didn’t wish to go deeper into it. After all, I certainly didn’t think poorly of Ridge now. He was the person I felt safest around, the only one with whom I could lower my guard. Because of him, I felt far more important and worthy of good things than I ever had before.
I wanted to repay him for his kindness somehow. The wheels started turning in my head as I tried to come up with something. I didn’t have the funds to give a material gift, but Ridge wasn’t about that, anyway. Why would he be when he had everything he could possibly want?
What could I possibly offer the man? Mentally snapping my fingers, I knew what I’d give him. It was something he’d asked for the morning after we met. He’d be surprised, but deep in the marrow of my bones, I knew it would make him happy.
Even as nervousness sizzled through my veins, I couldn’t help but feel good about it.
Chapter42
Ridge
I parked my car in the garage, thrilled to be home after an exhausting day. As anticipated, the day had been a mess. Patience was something I usually had in spades when dealing with bureaucratic stuff, but now that I had a fated mate who was trying to make her way in the world and accept herself for who she was, she was a constant presence in my mind. All day, my wolf and I had been constantly itching to get to her and be by her side.
