Page 109 of Taken by Moonlight

28

Tuesday morning dawnedbright and clear, but a gloom settled over me as I jumped into the shower and started my regularroutine.

Time to head back into the office and the realworld.

It could have been snowing and windy for all I cared. After I had turned down Dante’s proposal, he had Ryder drive me back to my house. Gabriel and Alex had hugged and kissed me as I left, but Dante hadvanished.

Saying good-bye was the hardest thing I’d ever done, other than burying myparents.

That had been a more permanent good-bye. Yet it felt equally painful, for I knew I could not return here, see the packagain.

Dante had made that painfullyclear.

Felicia had cried, clinging to me. Alex had to pull heraway.

Even now I could hear her sobs ringing in my ears, though Alex assured me she would be allright.

Now, as I lathered the soap in the shower, memories of Dante’s hands stroking my skin surged. The three of them with me in the shower, Alex soaping my hair, Gabriel washing my breasts and what Dante had donebelow…

I longed for them. I missed my boys, my shifters who pleasured me and claimed meutterly.

My boys who had pampered me with kindness and made me feel like a beautifulprincess.

Fierce shifters who would die to protect their people. To protect and cherishme.

But I’d made my choice. It had been an amazing weekend, a fantasywhirlwind.

Time for this human Cinderella to return to the ash heap. Prince Charming wasn’t sweeping me off my feet into a life of luxury. No, Prince Charming was awerewolf.

Threewerewolves.

And as much as I had fallen in love with them, I wasn’t certain if their life was the life forme.

After getting ready for work in record time, I jingled the keys, climbing into my ancient Ford truck. The drive was boring. Once the streets of downtown Cheyenne sparkled with life and everything looked fresh and clean. Now I found myself comparing the city to the wide, open plains of the Bar B Qranch.

The city seemed restrictive. Filled with concrete and people rushing around, busy trying to get from one to the next, all glancing down at their phones as if their cells contained the code to finding winning lotterynumbers.

I thought about the lack of traffic at the ranch. The freedom. The thrill I’d experienced seeing Dante and his pack running wild and free over the plains, bounding into thewoods.

But they were shifters who belonged to that life. I was human, and didnot.

I simply could not see myself fitting in and adjusting to theirworld.

At the office, I clocked in and headed for my cube. Three slate gray partitions, gray file cabinets for drawers, a computer and a desk. Ordinary work station, yet it looked different thismorning.

I could almost envision the invisible chains strapping me to the desk, the golden handcuffs others had mentioned. My handcuffs weren’t made from money, but job benefits, security and thefamiliar.

Friday’s sting of disappointment regarding the lost promotion had gone in the flurry of what transpired over the long weekend. The clear reminder stared me in the face as I opened Outlook to checkemails.

The director wanted to see me at 9a.m.

The clock on my computer read 8:58 a.m. The workday didn’t even start untilnine.

Pushing my chair back from the desk, I uttered a groan. Not a groan like I’d made several times this weekend – from pleasure – but a groan of exasperation over someone making me rush on the morning after a longweekend.

I sent a quick message, explaining I just got to the office and didn’t see his email and would be there soon. Got an instant reply back – Come hereNOW.

Not even giving me a minute to grab a cup of much-neededcoffee.