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Tori’s delicate hand wrapped around my bicep. I looked at her and saw her eyes were filled with concern.
“Is everything okay?” she asked.
Tucking some of her hair behind her ear, I gave her a soft smile. I didn’t want to worry her with my concerns. We were in a public place, and if she panicked or struggled with her somewhat feral wolf here, others would notice. Everyone was paying close attention to us since we’d mentioned our wedding date.
I also didn’t want anyone making my mate feel bad or guilty about what she was going through with her inner wolf. I’d like to see them try to handle the feral side of their wolves the way she was able to. She was remarkable and so strong, she put everybody else to shame.
Deciding I’d tell her my worries later when we were in a calmer setting, I cupped her cheeks and leaned in for a kiss. She dropped her hands to my waist and moved into the embrace. Her scent and the little bubble we’d formed for ourselves had my wolf and me in bliss. I hadn’t realized how much I’d craved this, and now that I had it, I didn’t want to let it go.
Tori gave me a little moan, and I had to lift my lips from her. The way we were, we could go from zero to sixty in no time, and that wouldn’t be inappropriate for this setting.
“Unfortunately, there’s business I need to get out of the way while we’re here. Will you be okay if I step away for a bit?”
I hated to ask because I didn’t want to leave her alone in a crowd, especially here in Blackwood Creek, because Tori was right. Sometimes, living here was like living under a microscope, and she had been very vocal in her dislike of that. I hated the idea of leaving her alone to deal with nosy people. She’d get bombarded with questions about the wedding and our plans.
Once again, Tori surprised me by swatting at my chest and laughing. “Ridge, it’s okay. I can handle myself just fine. In fact, I want to head over to Margo and talk to her about Birch. I need to find out if she spoke with him yet.”
Dropping my hands from her cheeks, I wrapped them around her so I could hug her closer while we talked. I hated the pang of jealousy I felt when she’d mentioned Clawson; I didn’t understand why she needed to talk about him. My wolf was only appeased that she’d be discussing Margo’s relationship with the sheriff, not her own.
Even though Clawson would be the first person I’d want near my mate if an issue arose, it didn’t mean I wouldn’t react jealously to his proximity to her. I’d never overcome that jealousy, but as long as I had Tori, I didn’t care.
“Is there a problem with Margo and Clawson?” I asked.
“Not really. I’m mostly after girl talk. For some reason, she doesn’t want to talk to him, but Clawson told me something about Margo being his fated mate or something like that. I’m trying to get the lay of the land, so to speak.”
Nearly choking on air, I tightened my hold on Tori, which she took as me wanting more closeness. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed me. I accepted it as an added bonus, but I was stunned to hear those two words come out of her mouth.
Before I could ask any more questions, she gave me another peck, let me know she’d catch up with me shortly, then strode off to seek out her friend.
My head was spinning. Tori had sounded so nonchalant about the concept of fated mates that I wondered if she had any inkling of how significant they were. If she even grasped what a fated mate represented. Did she suspect that we were fated? My head became a whirlwind of wanting to know what she knew.
Then my head began spinning for a whole other reason. Margo was Clawson’s fated mate? Clawson had never said a word about it. To my understanding, fated mates immediately stuck to one another like glue after the first connection was made. Nothing could keep them apart.
But that certainly wasn’t true for Clawson and Margo. I’d hardly seen them in the same vicinity, and when I did, they rarely spoke. Why weren’t they a couple and mated properly if they were fated? Could fated mates fight off the connection for that long? The two of them had known each other pretty much their entire lives.
Watching Tori get lost in the crowd, I figured I’d have to ask my friend about it later. That was a problem for another time. I had to get down to business and search the town square for the alpha who had snuck into my territory.
Chapter53
Tori
“There she is, the future Mrs. Ridge Blackwood,” Margo squealed when I approached her booth.
“Seriously, Margo, you’ve known we’ve been engaged for a while now.” I stepped around the back to get into the booth with her.
“I heard from one of the Magpies that you two finally set a date.”
Shaking my head, I sighed. “Neither Ridge nor I spoke with a Magpie since we started telling people the date, and we literallyjustdecided on one. How could they already know?”
Margo shrugged, laughing as she sliced into pies and dished them onto paper plates. “This is Blackwood Creek, Tori, and they’re the Magpies. It shouldn’t be a surprise to you at this point.”
Margo had me there. It was what I’d been complaining about to Ridge. Small towns didn’t need newspapers. The residents only had to talk to somebody, and they’d get all the information they needed.
“December fifth, though? That seems rather soon,” Margo remarked.
I threw my hands up in the air and raised my voice. “It’s not a shotgun wedding!”
Margo froze, her eyes wide, then she burst out laughing. She hunched to clutch a stitch in her side as if I’d told the funniest joke in the world.
