Page 31

Chapter 31

Emmy

S ticking close to Eoghan's neighborhood, I realized how tightly knit everything was. I didn't think there were many outsiders that came around. Walking into the little coffee shop, I felt like I stood out like a sore thumb with everyone staring at me.

I didn't see Scarlett at first, so I ordered an extra-large triple shot vanilla bean latte.

I tried to be casual as I waited for my drink, but I felt like I was out of place.

Thankfully, right as I got my drink, Scarlett Smith walked into the coffee shop and gave me a smile. I waited at the end of the coffee bar since I knew she would be ordering a drink too.

As soon as she was handed her white paper cup with the cardboard sleeve, she smiled. "Let's go to someplace a little bit more private."

That sounded like a wonderful idea since I felt like I was part of the freak show at the coffee shop. "That sounds great."

I followed her out of the café, and we walked towards a hiking path.

After we got to be about a hundred and fifty yards into the path, the ex-broadcaster for the Wild said, "Sorry about everyone around here, especially if they think you're mates. They can be nosy as all hell with anyone new. It will die down, eventually."

I snorted. "It seems like one of those small towns you see in Hallmark movies."

"Pretty much. But after a while, it just becomes everyday gossip. It also doesn't help that pretty much everyone has super hearing and super sniffers. Although some guys are worse than others."

Eoghan's senses were all heightened compared to most humans. Although unless you knew him or knew how much he just relished his quiet time at the end of the night, you wouldn't know. I assumed it was a werewolf thing to have heightened senses, but I didn't even think some would have better skills than others.

"How long until they get bored with Coop and me?"

I hated calling him by his last name, but I knew his friends all call him that instead of Eoghan.

"Probably a year or so. That's if you live around here. Until then, they will be curious if you're mating and if you'll opt to become a shifter too."

Joy. We will be on display for a while.

While Eoghan always said that he could control his wolf and that it was my choice to become like him, I didn't quite believe him. I needed to hear it from someone else. "So you can choose to not be one?"

Scarlett nodded. "Yup. Dez and I made the choice a long time ago that I wouldn't become one. Twenty-some years later, I'm still human and I have no regrets."

I had to ask, "Were there any close calls?"

Scarlett sighed. "Yeah. One time. We got a little crazy with sex one night, and he thought he might have nipped me and totally panicked. Sadly, he freaked out over nothing."

This conversation wasn't exactly putting my concerns at ease. Scarlett must have realized my discomfort. She paused and looked me straight in the eye. It was a calming look where I could see it wasn't anything serious.

"He never broke the skin with that love bite after I bit him first. We both got carried away, but the moment he realized that he might have even hurt me in the slightest, he stopped and ran away." Her eyes went far away for a moment, as if she wasn't saying something. “But the relief in his face when he realized that he didn’t change me, things were good.”

Although hearing that it was something she did first gave me comfort, and I could see it happening.

Plus, it was clear this wasn't a bite out of aggression. It was from passion and love. In the past, if I got nipped during sexy time, I would do it back. Plus, it made sense why Eoghan never tried to nip me.

"How are the full moons with him?"

"Honestly, I hate the full moon since his temper gets short and even more stubborn. Doesn't help that's when he's the most protective of me. Won't let anyone come close to me that night. The worst was when I was pregnant. Both times, he refused to leave the house when he needed to go for a damn run. He was so worried that something might happen to me."

Didn't that sum up my experience with Eoghan thus far? He was both moody and protective. The best part for me was to hear how Dez was always in control.

There was something romantic about how Dez wanted to be there for his wife during pregnancy, even if he was a wolf.

"So, sending him out for a run is a good thing?"

"Damn good. It's something that I can't even try to understand. But I know when he or Jayden shifts into a wolf, it relaxes them nine times out of ten. Although if you asked his old teammates, the only other thing that could relax him more was me."

That was something good to know. I never realized that shifting into a wolf could be a good thing.

Maybe I should ask Eoghan about helping me to do some exposure therapy to his wolf. That way, we could have a healthy relationship that Dez and Scarlet had.

That last comment made me realize that the whole family wasn't a family of werewolves. "Wait, you said Dez and Jayden shift into a wolf. Does that mean that your other son can't do that?"

I never thought about the fact that it was a trait that didn't transfer to all kids. Hell, until Eoghan, I thought you only became a werewolf when you got bitten.

She nodded. "Yeah. We knew there would be a fifty percent chance for each kid to develop into a werewolf if you only have one parent who is a werewolf. Jaxson is going to be human like me his whole life, while Jayden showed signs of being like his father at fifteen. I'm soooo glad that we only had one teenage boy who was a werewolf. I don't think I could have kept up with their appetites if it was both of them."

It sounded so absurd and something a mother would say, which made me burst into a fit of giggles.

Scarlett made me feel much more at ease. "I'm here for you, one way or another. It's clear you and Coop are crazy about each other, regardless if you seal the mating bond or not. It's a lot to take in, but all in all, everyone is great. Just ease in to pack life and find the fit that is right for you."

I would never breach their confidence. That was the most comforting thing. It's not the doom and gloom that Eoghan said it was prior to showing up.

But I was still petrified of wolves. Outside of exposure therapy, I wasn't sure how I could get over that.