Page 11

Chapter

Ten

K NOX

I drew air into my lungs, savoring the honeyed scent of my mate. His breaths were slow and even, and it sounded as if he was sleeping peacefully. I pressed myself against the side of the house, using it as shelter from the wind. It was dark and growing colder with each passing minute.

Inside his bedroom, Danny whimpered. My gut tightened. Was he having a nightmare? My instincts screamed at me to smash the window, leap inside, and comfort him.

Mate in trouble .

Hold mate .

I resisted the urge. Acting on it would only traumatize Danny more than he already was.

A bird cried from the branches of a tree on the edge of the woods. I didn’t recognize the call, but it provided a much-needed distraction. My wolf didn’t understand why we were out here instead of inside with our mate. Every time I laid eyes on the gorgeous bear shifter, it became more difficult to fight the beast within me that wanted to claim him .

When Danny smiled at me across the counter in the bakery and handed me the coffee he’d mocked as being “sludge,” I ached to kiss him. Each time he said something particularly thoughtful or clever in a text message, my teeth descended, preparing to bite him and make him mine.

The constant struggle was tearing me apart, and I’d hardly been sleeping because of it. I couldn’t help but worry that it might tip me over the edge into becoming feral. I’d managed to maintain my sanity when I’d been cast from my pack, but I might not survive being rejected by my mate.

A twig snapped.

I froze, my ears pricked, all senses on high alert.

A scuffle.

Footsteps drew closer.

“It’s just me,” a deep voice murmured.

A figure rounded the corner of the house.

Everett.

He was carrying something. He set a container on the ground a few yards away. I rose to my feet and sniffed. Spicy meat. Potatoes. Something green.

“I figured I’d find you here.” Everett straightened and gestured at the container. “Dinner. From Momma.”

I tilted my head. The Clan Alpha’s wife had saved a meal for me?

“And a blanket.” Everett shook the blanket out and laid it over my back. “I doubt it will do much, but it’s better than nothing.”

He stood there. Not moving. I allowed a shift to roll through me. As my human form emerged, I wrapped the blanket around myself. Not for the sake of modesty, but for warmth. This form wasn’t as well insulated as the other.

“Thank you.”

He shrugged. “I know there’s no talking you out of guard duty, so it’s the least we could do. ”

I eyeballed him. “It’s not as if I could leave my mate unprotected.”

“I know.” He lowered himself to the ground and sat, cross-legged. “I’d do the same, in your place.”

I picked up the container; it was still warm. I cracked open the lid. Focusing on food was easier than making sense of this unexpected gesture of acceptance. Considering how they’d kept their distance, I hadn’t thought Danny’s family approved of me, but perhaps there was some hope.

After all, Everett had the most reason to dislike me. If he could see past that, surely the others would too, in time.

“I’m sure I’m not what you all want for Danny.” There was a knife and fork inside the container, and I used the fork to scoop a fluffy dollop of mashed potatoes into my mouth.

Everett hummed in the back of his throat. “All we want is someone who will love him, protect him, and treat him well. If that’s you, then we don’t care about anything else.”

“If he agrees to be mine, I’ll protect him with my life.” A shiver rippled down my spine. If Danny was awake, he’d be able to hear every word I said, but I had no problem with that. As long as he didn’t think it was creepy that I was staking out his home.

Everett flipped his hood up. “Then we’ll figure the rest out.”

Thank the gods.

“How’s Milo?” I asked, needing to change the subject. I could only handle so much baring of my soul at a time.

Everett chuffed. Or rather, his bear did.

“He’s great. A little sick, but improving. I’ve heard the first trimester is usually the worst for morning sickness.”

“Are you going to find out the gender?” I asked.

“No. We decided we’d like it to be a surprise. Besides, the baby might decide they don’t want to be defined by their biology, so it makes sense not to hinge so much on whatever they’re born with.”

“True.” I liked that perspective. It was different from what I was used to. My father had been backward in many ways, and certainly wouldn’t consider accepting anyone outside of usual gender norms. As it was, he’d struggled with my preference for men over women.

“Do you know if the baby will be a shifter?” I asked.

Everett nodded. “The doctor says they have a shifter’s resting heart rate, and the blood test showed proteins that are present in higher quantities in shifters than non-shifters.” He glanced at me. “Do you want children?”

My breath hitched. “If I have a stable home and a loving mate. I wouldn’t want to raise a baby alone on the road.”

“Hmm.”

I shoveled more potatoes into my mouth and began slicing the meatballs alongside it, then served myself a piece of one.

Everett watched me steadily. “How long will you wait for Danny?”

I almost choked on the meatball. Eyes watering, I forced myself to chew and swallow. My throat ached as the lump of meat traveled down it. I set the cutlery down and bit back my immediate response of “as long as it takes.”

The truth was, I couldn’t wait for Danny forever. Not without endangering him. Eventually, my wolf would surface at the wrong time and I risked claiming him without consent. I refused to do that. Even the thought of it filled me with dread.

Furthermore, I wouldn’t stay somewhere indefinitely if I wasn’t wanted. I’d done that before, and I’d learned my lesson.

“I’m not sure,” I admitted, hoping with all my heart that Danny was dead asleep and not listening to us. The soft rise and fall of his breathing was still even. “A few months, maybe.”

There was only so long I could expose myself to him without risking the wolf inside overcoming my human respect for Danny’s boundaries.