Page 24 of Fae Devoted

“Do I what?” Johnnie glanced toward the exit.

“Love Tucker.”

“Of course, I do. He’s a close friend and my pack beta.” And no way in this world was Abby gonna accept that cock and bull story.

“Johnnie…”

“Okay, okay.” She plopped on the cushion next to Abby, ignoring the dampness seeping into her jeans. “I don’t know. Possibly.” She threw her hands up. “Probably. I don’t think Jacob feels the same way I do, though. I mean, I thought he did, but if he did, wouldn’t he have made a move by now?”

“You’re afraid you’ve been friend-zoned because he sent you that smoothie?”

“It’s not just the smoothie…incident. What if Jacob’s wolf doesn’t consider me a prospective truemate?” Johnnie twisted her hands in her lap, denying the urge to touch the phantomMark on her shoulder again. But the ghosts of the past refused to remain silent.

“It’s an impossible situation, Johnnie.” Dylan’s expression and voice were as cold as the December weather. “After so much time together, what happens if the second Mark fails? We walk away with broken hearts or stay together as pseudo-mates and are miserable for the rest of our lives?”

“Give it time,” Abby said, pulling Johnnie away from the painful memories. “It’s only been two days since the majority party.”

“A Ferwyn’s majority isn’t an internal switch that’s flipped when we turn twenty-five. It’s more a guideline with shifters than the set-in-stone date of other magical races.” She took a deep breath and blew it out. “I might have been capable of accepting a Ca’anam bond several weeks ago if not months.”

“But Tucker couldn’t have known if you were ready without advancing the Dance to the last stage.”

“You said Samuel sensed you were his truemate before the first Mating Mark.”

“But he couldn’t be sure. No male can be that early in the Dance.” Abby pursed her lips. “No matter what Samuel claims he knew or didn’t know, he could have been wrong.”

“Uh huh.” Johnnie cocked her head and gave her friend the side-eye. The higher the male’s dominance level, the more intensely they felt therightnesswith their chosen female. Who could be more certain a Mating would be successful than a Clan príoh—even without a second Mark to confirm it? And Jacob’s wolf was nearly as strong as Samuel’s.

“Is stubbornness like flaunting how strong they are a thing with shifters or what?”

Johnnie opened her mouth and then shut it, promptly tongue-tied. It was totally a thing.

“Whatever,” Abby huffed. “What areyourinstincts telling you?”

“Um…” Her instincts couldn’t be trusted anymore.

“What does your gut say?”

“She-wolfs aren’t blind to the initial draw of a potential truemate,” she stalled.

“And?”

“And…” She pushed aside her uncertainty for the moment and told her friend the truth, “I feel this incrediblezingwhen I’m with Jacob.”

“The pull.” Abby nodded. Even non-shifters sensed that special something with a potential Ferwyn mate, even if they chalked it up to insane chemistry.

“But Jacob’s holding back for some reason.” Her gaze landed on her lap again. “Or maybe I’m wrong, and he feels nothing at all.”

“I think,” Abby hesitated, biting her lip again. Never a good sign.

“If you know something, please tell me.”

“I believe Tuckerdoeswant you. The way he looks at you—”

“How does he look at me?” She held her breath.

A soft smile. “Like Samuel looks at me.”

“Yeah?” And there it was again. That little bitch calledhope.