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I stare at him for what feels like ages.Why couldn’t he have been born a wolf shifter, so I could just mate with him? It’s rather unfair, really.

Tapping his hand with my other hand, I say, “That’s enough about me. How’s the search for your mates going?”

He pulls back from me and stares out at the horizon. “It’s not.”

My eyebrows shoot up to my hairline. It’s not like him to be so cut off. “What do you mean?”

“It means that I’ve stopped looking and don’t want to talk about it anymore.”

“You don’t get to make me talk about my mate's situation and then close off when I ask about yours. That’s a bit unfair, don’t you think?” My lips purse in anger.

“Fine. I’ve told you before that we have two mates. I mentioned how they are going to be females, but what I didn’t mention is that I’ll have trials to be chosen by them.” My eyebrows shoot up as my eyes bulge.

“Wait, let me finish. The similarities between our kind are that the male feels a draw to each of his females, but they can choose not to accept it. Each month on the full moon, there is a ceremony where each Triad Bond comes forth in front of the Moon Goddess to present their selections. The pillar, which is the male’s role in the Triad bond, then faces several challenges to test if he is ready for the bond. It’s all secretive and each person’s experience is different. We are told not to share the information outside of our packs, not really sure why, but the elders, what we call the heartkeepers, have always warned us against sharing the information.”

My heart swells with love. He feels comfortable enough to share something with me that he isn’t even supposed to. I can’t even imagine having to do all this to be with your mates. “Thank you for sharing with me. Why did you though, if you aren’t supposed to?”

“I trust you, Aspen, and with everything you have shared with me, I couldn’t keep this one any longer. Plus, clearly my mates aren’t in my pack and they aren’t close or I would have felt the pull towards them by now.”

I lean my head on his shoulder as I wrap my arm around his. “Neither of us is having much luck in the mate department. You will find your mates soon. I can feel it.”

We fall into our quiet contentment as we watch the clouds cast shadows over the valley. A quick glance at the sun lets me know that we have been sitting here at least an hour or so. Sometimes I wish we could stay out here until the sun sets, but the numbness in my butt cheeks lets me know that it’s not an option.

Sighing, I push off his shoulder to start packing up our stuff. “At least we have the babies to look forward to.”

He chuckles, “Yeah, isn’t the gender reveal soon? I still don’t quite understand the point of that.”

Standing up, I brush off my butt and hands. “Yes! We finally find out if the babies are boys, girls, or one of each. It’s a very human activity, but remember, it wasn’t that long ago that Nova was human. Silas doesn’t want to take away those things just because he turned her.”

“Fair enough, I suppose.”

As we begin our descent down the mountain, I think about all the things that I have to look forward to and, right now, being anaunt is the most exciting thing coming up. As excited as I am to welcome the new pups into our pack, I can’t help but feel envious of her. I want my own pups to be excited about. Maybe I can just adopt since it doesn’t seem Warrick and I will ever be able to move beyond our pasts.

Chapter 18

Aspen

It’s the day that the entire pack has been waiting for:Gender Reveal Day! The anticipation of what Nova and Silas will be having is something everyone has been gossiping about, even the town folks. I’m pretty sure there is even a bet going on with what everyone thinks they will be. Something I’m sure that Warrick was behind, since that is completely something I could see him doing.

Speaking of him, he hasn’t shown up around town, at least not that I’ve seen, since that night that we don’t talk about.He is obviously here somewhere, but it seems that he is doing everything he can to not cross paths with me. I’m sure that, no matter how hard he tries today, we will cross paths at some point. It’s inevitable, with him being Silas’s best friend and me being Nova’s. Part of me wants to avoid him, but a small part of me wants to inhale his scent for that singular moment of peace it gives. No matter how many times he’s broken my heart, he’s still my mate. There’s things being in his presence will bring me that no one else can. Some days I really hate it, I’ve cried to the goddess asking why. But then I think about those moments in the bookstore when he was telling me about his thoughts, and I can’t help but yearn for more of those.

I slip on my pink, floral mini dress with a sweetheart neckline. With spring finally showing up around here, I am beyond ready to wear the cute dresses that have been hanging in my closet. Sitting down at my vanity, I slip on a rose gold pendant necklace my parents got me for my eighteenth birthday, one of the few good things that came from that night.

As I’m curling my hair, I can’t help but wonder what he is going to look like today. A girl can fantasize in the privacy of her room. One of my favorite things about Warrick is his arms, something I should be able to see today, given that it’s finally warmed up outside.Will he be in his typical Henley and jeans? Or will he dress up, since it is a party, after all? Has he shaved off the beard he grows in the winter or has he finally embraced the bearded life?Sometimes I catch myself wondering what that beard would feel like as his lips moved across mine.

Hiss.With a muttered curse, I yank my finger back from the curling iron.Fuck, that hurt.Shaking my head, I pull myself out of my daydream of Warrick and focus back on finishing getting ready.

I never do heavy makeup, always sticking to the light side of it. Foundation, a hint of blush, nude eyeshadow, and mascara is all that I’ve ever done. I never wanted to take away from my natural beauty and my hazel eyes. The last couple brushes of mascara finish off my makeup and with a final inspection in the mirror, I get up to put on my shoes and grab my purse.

Checking the time on my phone, I realize that I only have ten minutes before I’m supposed to be at the pack house to set everything up. As Nova’s best friend, it’s my job today to ensure that everything runs perfectly. Of course, Nellie, Willow, and Hazel are going to be there as well, but this is our first time ever experiencing something like this. I want it to be perfect and so it will be.

I’m running through the house, grabbing the last of my things when my phone dings.

Nova: You on your way?

Yeah, grabbing the last of my stuff and then I’m on my way.

Don’t be mad, but Warrick is already here.