Page 6 of Secret Guardian (Fated Mates Collection #4)

SIX

The sensation of the grass under my paws, wet with the morning dew, is a shock to my system as I prowl around the front yard.

The sun has barely risen, so I’m determined to appreciate this moment of freedom before scattering back inside.

If my neighbors came out and saw me in the yard, I’m sure there would be some panicking.

You are stunning.

Shut up , I tell him.

Are you angry with me?

Yes. You used my phone.

Ah, no, that was your aunt. He tilts his head at me, ears alert.

My eyes go wide. She was there while we…?

No, you were asleep. It was in between the floor and the shower, actually.

Oh my god. If I had hands, I’d cover my face. Circling a spot that seems perfect, I plop down on my haunches and give him the evil eye.

He throws his head back as if he’s laughing, which perturbs me even more.

This isn’t funny, Aarick. My whole life is a lie. And why did I just now change? If I’m a shifter, shouldn’t I have done it before? And who’s that bitch that showed up at my door, calling me a runt?

We should discuss this, for sure, but not like this. He shifts instantly, bare before me, but while he’s attractive as hell, there’s no drive for me to pounce him like before.

Right now, I’m worried about shifting back. What if I mess up, or get stuck like this? I close my eyes.

“Just focus on your muscles, your joints. Think about them changing back to how you feel when you’re human.”

I do as he says, imagining a light illuminating beneath my skin at the places he instructed. It happens slowly at first, my skin pulling and muscles stretching, but then I’m standing before him, human, and naked as well. “Do our clothes just disappear?”

“No, see.” He nods toward my porch, where my clothes are torn to pieces. “If you can undress before shifting, it’s ideal, and cheaper for your wardrobe.”

“Shit. So what if you’re shifting and going somewhere else?”

“You can get a pack to wear around your waist or something like that. It will usually hold up. Or tie something to your leg. But that’s not normally a worry. We don’t travel out of pack territory.”

The sun is completely visible now, the birds chirping loudly. “We better get inside. If anyone sees us standing out here like this, we’ll both be in the back of a cop car.” I rush inside and he follows behind me, shutting the door and locking it.

“Scared of the calico?” I tease him, but there’s some truth to my words.

“No, I think you took care of Addison.” He chuckles. “She wasn’t expecting you to shift.” He sobers then, reminding me of my question earlier.

“Why did I just now shift?” I cross my arms, watching him expectantly.

“Well, that’s a long story, really.”

“I have all day. I don’t work until seven tonight.”

“How about we make some coffee?” he suggests, refusing to meet my eye.

“I don’t have any syrup or creamer, but you’re welcome to coffee. I’m getting dressed first, though.” I head to my bedroom without waiting for an answer, but his footsteps thunder behind me.

“You haven’t looked in your cabinets, have you?”

“My cabinets? No, I woke up yesterday and got ready for work.” The top drawer of my dresser squeaks as it slides open, and I pick out my most comfortable pair of pajamas.

I slide them on without looking up. I don’t feel his gaze on me while I dress, but I don’t want to see him without clothes again.

That’s a lie, though. Because I’ll go in heat again at some point.

“Here.” I grab my robe from the back of the door and hand it to him.

We finally look at each other, and he has a teasing smile. “Oh, can’t resist looking at me?”

“In your dreams.” I scoff. “Now what’s this about my cabinets?”

“Renee did some shopping for you. She picked up all your favorites.”

“Renee doesn’t shop.”

“No, but I asked her to.”

Doubting his claims, I open the top cabinet carefully, and sure enough, there’s my macadamia nut syrup. My stomach swoops at the sight, at the thoughtfulness. My aunt despises grocery shopping, but she went anyway, and he thought to ask her to.

“Okay. Let’s get this coffee going, then you have some answers to give me.”

“Yes, ma’am. Sit down. I’ll make the coffee.” He motions to the small table I got on sale when I moved into this apartment.

“You know, I normally despise listening to men, yet that’s all I seem to do around you.” The seat is cold against my skin, and I wonder if I’ll always run hot now. He moves around the kitchen as if he lives here, and a nagging thought surfaces. “Do you live in these apartments?”

“I do.” He grabs a gallon of filtered water and adds it to the machine, then measures out coffee grounds.

“So what, is this just like, the center for shifters or something?” I joke. But the look he gives me stifles my laughter. “Oh, god. Everyone here?”

“No, but most. Or friends. All of the employees.”

“Even Janice?”

He chuckles. “Yes, even Janice.”

We sit in companionable silence as the coffee brews and he doctors mine up. I’m glad it’s not awkward. Of course, my mind is running a hundred miles a minute at the revelation that I’m surrounded by shifters. “Are all these strays shifters?”

“Usually.” He sets my cup down in front of me before taking the other seat, blowing lightly on his own drink. “So, what do you want to know?” He takes a slow sip, watching me over the rim of his cup.

“I want to know everything.”

My coffee is cold and untouched by the time I’ve learned everything there is to know about his shifter pack.

He’s the rising alpha, as his dad is retiring.

Addison is from a rival pack that wanted to form an alliance.

There was a treaty of some sort, but when someone has a mate, the treaty becomes obsolete, so her people are pissed.

The apartment complex is a safety net for their pack.

Her crossing the line was a breach of territorial agreements.

“There’s so much more to this than I realized.” I shake my head, finally sipping my drink. It still tastes good, even cold.

“It’s just a lot at once. If we’d known you’d go into heat, I could have met you before now. As it was, I didn’t have the chance.”

“Addison called me a runt. Is that why I went into heat later? Or why I didn’t shift?”

“No, the reason is because there was a protection ritual on you.”

“Like a spell?” I wrinkle my nose, not sure how much I buy into that. Then again, I just turned into an animal, so…

“Yes, a spell. My father is the alpha, and he and his wife performed this ritual to cast a shield of sorts over you. You wouldn’t smell of a shifter or change or go into heat until it was time for me to take over as alpha.”

“But you didn’t know it was time?”

“We didn’t. My father’s mate…she was injured, and that changed everything.”

“Your mom?”

“No, my mother wasn’t his mate. She couldn’t have children. But she’s always been very good to me.”

“So what about the night I saved you. She was injured then?”

“Yes, we were attacked by Addison’s pack. They’ve been making attempts for ages to weed you out, to get you ‘out of the way’” He raises his hands to make quotes in the air.

“Oh my god. I’m so sorry, Aarick.”

“It’s okay. It’ll… We’re hoping she gets better soon.”

We stare at each other across the table, the air thick between us as I process the information I’ve been given.

“So what do we do now?” I break the silence after a moment.

“We take over our pack. If you’ll accept me as your mate.”

He clasps his hands together and rests them on the table, watching my face. But I don’t know what to say, what answer to give.

“Aarick, we haven’t even been on a date.”

“Fine, Darian.” He mimics my tone when he says my name. He takes my hand and presses his lips to my skin. “Would you do me the honor of spending the day with me?”

Whatever I thought would happen, this wasn’t it. But he’s so handsome and kind, and I know he can make me come. It can’t hurt to try one date, right?

“Yes. I would love that.”

“Alright.” He glances down at his attire. “Let me run home and get dressed. I’ll be here to pick you up in thirty minutes.”

“But what do I wear?”

“Whatever you want will be perfect.”

“That doesn’t help if I don’t know what your plans are.” I poke him in the chest playfully, and for the first time since my heat ended, a flash of desire runs through me.

But I’m not in heat. So this is just normal wanting.

His eyes flash at me as if he knows, his nostrils flaring, and then I realize he can smell me when I’m aroused. And he knows the smell well.

“That’s not on the agenda today.” I shake my finger at him warningly. “Sorry about that.”

“Never apologize for being aroused. It’s my new favorite scent.” He leans over and kisses my cheek softly. “I’ll be back soon.”

And he’s up and out the door before I realize that he never did verify what I should wear.

I finally settle on a black skirt and a loose flowery top. It’s cute but not super fancy. I slip my feet into black flats and check myself out in the mirror. It’s still amazing how full my figure is now. How shiny my skin is. A knock on the door startles me, and I straighten my hair one last time.

“This will be fine,” I reassure myself out loud. “You’re just going on your first date with your fated mate. No big deal.”

The clicking of the lock as I turn it is like the sound of a brand-new start, a promise of what’s to come.

Aarick stands on the porch with a bouquet of flowers in one hand.

He’s not overly dressed up either, which is a relief.

He’s in jeans and a nice polo. He hands me the flowers and I take them, inhaling deeply.

“These are beautiful. Thank you. Let me get them into some water.”

He follows me into the kitchen, his gaze burning into my skin as I search under the sink for the vase that was here when I moved in. “I’ve never had anyone bring me flowers before a date.”

Aarick starts at this, his head jerking toward me. “Really? That’s…ridiculous.”