I watched her walk inside and shut the door before I started my truck to leave. It had been hard talking about Natalie with her, as I hadn’t thought about her in a long time. I hoped that Lauren would see that if I could trust again after the heartache I endured, that she could also learn to trust again. I had looked for Natalie for about a year after she disappeared, never losing hope that I would find her until one day I woke up and realized she didn’t want to be found.

    I pulled into my driveway, tired and emotionally exhausted. I wanted so badly for her to choose me and keep me alive, but I knew I couldn’t force her to make that choice. It had to be her choice and no one else’s. I wanted to live a long life with a mate and have kids to pass the family history down to, and even make one of them clan leader one day. I wasn’t sure if that was going to happen though, and I wouldn’t blame her if she decided to leave the island and run like Natalie had. Everything I had told her about my people had sounded crazy to me, and I was one of them, so I knew how crazy it had to sound to her. Even though she had told me that she was okay with everything, I had started to doubt if she was or not. Natalie had said the same thing and she left in the middle of the night on the day we were to be mated together.

    I didn’t know if my heart would be able to go through that again, and I was sure if that were to happen, I’d go feral and need to be killed. I flopped my tired body onto my bed and drifted off into a fitful sleep, Natalie invading my dreams for the first time in a very long time. I was dreaming of the day she disappeared when I was startled from my sleep by an urgent pounding on my door. It jolted me awake, and I rolled off the bed onto the floor.

    “Ow! Shit! Hold your horses, I’m coming, sheesh!” I yelled as I made my way to the door, eager to stop the pounding.

    I opened the door to find Rory and Amanda, the relative Natalie had been visiting when we met. I stood there with the door open, in shock at seeing her again, and forgot the manners my mother had instilled in me when I was a child. Rory cleared his throat and brought me from my reverie.

    “Oh, hey, Rory. Amanda, it’s been awhile. How have you been? Please come inside. Pardon my manners, I seem to have forgotten them.” I said as I stepped aside to let them in.

    “It’s okay, Dane, I know you’re shocked at seeing me again, but I came here because I have news that I thought you might want to know,” she said as she took a seat beside me, putting her hand on my arm.

    “What is it, Amanda? Are you all right?” I asked, concern filling my mind.

    Amanda nodded and took my hand in hers, and I knew it was something bad. It had to be bad for her to be holding onto me like this. Deep inside, I already knew what she was going to tell me, but I needed to hear it from her before I made any conclusions.

    “Dane, Natalie has been found,” she said, watching me closely.

    My heart began to pound, and my head began to swim. I didn’t know whether to be happy or to cry. She seemed to notice my distress and rubbed my arm trying her best to soothe me. My mind was reeling, and I had so many questions that I knew Amanda would answer once I pulled myself back together. I could feel my dragon rolling and clawing, needing release, but now was not the time for that. I nodded my head and motioned for her to continue, still at a loss for words.

    “A few weeks ago, authorities found skeletal remains near the river near a small town in Georgia. They sent them off for testing and were able to identify them as Natalie. She didn’t disappear on you, Dane; she was taken from the island and killed.” Her voice hitched on the last word, and I took her into my arms.

    My emotions were scattered all over the place, and my mind was racing. How could I have been so stupid to think she would just up and leave me that way? I should have looked harder. I shouldn’t have stopped. Maybe if I had done more to find her, she could’ve been found alive, and we would be mated. A strangled sob escaped my throat as the reality of what Amanda told me hit home. We held each other as we both sobbed, grieving the person we both had loved. As we pulled away from the embrace and wiped the tears from our face, Lauren came running in from outside. She ran to me, grabbing me up in an embrace.

    “Oh, Dane, I am so very sorry. Rory told me everything on the way over here. I’m here if you need me, anything at all,” she said as she pulled away from me, noticing Amanda for the first time.

    “Thank you, Lauren; this is Amanda. She is the relative of Natalie’s that she was visiting at the time she disappeared,” I replied as I motioned for Lauren to sit beside me on the couch.

    Lauren gave Amanda her condolences, and the three of us talked for a while before Lauren had to leave to get back to work. Once Lauren left, Amanda smiled her devious smile and giggled at me.

    “What are you giggling at? Did I say something funny and not realize it?” I asked, playfully shoving her arm.

    “You have a mate! That makes me so happy. Nat would be happy for you too. She wouldn’t want you to spend your life alone and end up feral. I was actually afraid I would find you had gone feral, but I am glad you haven’t.” She replied as she punched my arm.

    “She’s not my mate…yet. I have been after that girl since the moment she arrived on this island, months ago now. She had her heart broken by some guy that didn’t deserve a girl like her, and now she won’t let anyone in. I have tried everything I know to get her to open up to me. Every time I think she’s close to letting me in, she shuts down again. I don’t know what to do, Amanda. My time is getting short; I can feel it.” I said as my statement was punctuated by a growl from my dragon that was trying to escape.

    I fought to push him down and not let him out. I didn’t want Amanda to be hurt or my home to be destroyed. Amanda watched me with concern in her eyes, and she patted my arm as we sat in silence for a while. Rory had gone to check the patrol at the dock to make sure Bradley hadn’t tried to get across, so Amanda and I were alone. I had always found her attractive, but she had mated with Rory’s brother, Isaac, the year before I met Natalie. She kept staring at me, her eyes filled with worry. I didn’t want her to worry, but I knew she was going to because that’s the type of person she was.

    “I can tell that girl cares for you, Dane. I know it’s a scary thing given your situation, but you just need to give her time to come to grips with the fact that she does love you she’s just trying to deny it,” she said as she stood up from the couch.

    I nodded my head and hugged her tight. My head was reeling from the events of the morning, and I couldn’t get my brain to process it. I still had so many unanswered questions, but I wasn’t sure I wanted the answers. The need for the truth far outweighed the dread I felt at knowing, so I decided to ask the questions.

    “Amanda, how did they know the remains they found could even be hers? She isn’t the only missing person in this area.” I was nervous to hear her response, but I took a deep breath and waited.

    “The officers that responded to the call about the remains had a list of missing persons with them, and as they read through it, they noticed Natalie’s and saw that the clothes that were laying by the body matched the clothes listed on the bulletin. They called the medical examiner and deemed the area a crime scene even though there was no way to know if she died there. When they got her back to the lab, they were able to extract a DNA sample that matched one that she had given a while before as part of a college class in case anything like this were to happen. When the match happened, they called for her dental records and used them to make sure it was definitely her,” she replied, patting my shoulder as I began to fall apart again.

    The guilt I felt swallowed me, and I became angry with myself as I thought about it. I had to push the thoughts away so I didn’t shift. Now was not the time to give in to my primal needs. I thanked Amanda for the information and asked her to let me know anything else that they might find out. My thoughts consumed me, and I wondered what had happened in her final moments. I went back to my room and curled into a ball on the bed, letting the floodgates open, and my tears come out.

    I woke up a while later and guessed that I had cried myself to sleep. I got up and dressed, heading to the job I was supposed to be working on. I worked half-heartedly until the end of the day, and I headed home. When I got there, Lauren and Rory were waiting for me on the porch. Lauren had a basket in her hand, and I was curious to know what was inside.

    “Hey, guys, what are you doing here?” I asked, curiosity taking over.

    “We came to check on you, and Lauren brought you dinner,” Rory said, stepping back from the door so I could unlock it.

    I opened the door and let them inside, grateful for their company. I didn’t know if I would have been able to be alone after the news I had gotten.

    “I hope you’re hungry, Dane; I brought a lot. You can always have leftovers if you don’t eat it all,” Lauren said as she pulled food items from her basket.

    I was overwhelmed with love and gratitude for these two people who took time out of their day to check on me. It was nice to have people looking after me for a change. I hadn’t realized how tired I was from always being the one to look after others until that very moment.

    “Thank you so much, Lauren, this looks great. Will you stay and have dinner with me? Rory, you can stay too if you want. I’m just not sure I need to be alone right now.” My voice cracked as I realized how fragile I really was.

    The two of them sat with me and ate, and we chatted about normal everyday things. It got my mind off Natalie for a while, and it was a wonderful feeling. After we finished eating, Rory left to take care of some business, so Lauren started cleaning up the dinner mess.

    “Lauren, you don’t have to do that. I can clean it up. I appreciate you bringing dinner over; here it means a lot to me,” I said as I moved to take a plate from her hand.

    The closeness of our bodies sent electrical charges through the atmosphere and into our bodies. I tried to resist taking her into my arms, but I couldn’t. I grabbed her to me and pressed my lips to hers in a soft, warm kiss. I wanted her to know that I would wait for her as long as I could, and I wasn’t going anywhere. She returned the kiss, deepening it, taking me by surprise. I backed her against the counter and wrapped my arms around her waist, lifting her to the counter. As her ass rested on the countertop, she wrapped her legs around my waist, and I could feel the heat pouring from the core of her body. I was tempted to touch it but knew we couldn’t take this too far. I was holding to my word, and I hoped that I would one day soon get to take her as my wife.

    As I felt my body responding to her kisses, I pulled back and put some distance between us. She sighed, and I knew she was disappointed. I was too. I used all my will power to stop myself from taking her on the counter.

    “I’m sorry, I keep getting carried away when I kiss you. You’re just so damn beautiful, I can’t help it. I want you to be my mate so bad, Lauren. I respect that you need time to figure things out, and I am not trying to push you into it. I just want you to know how I feel. You mean everything to me,” I said as I moved closer to her and placed a chaste kiss on her lips.

    I moved aside so she could get off the counter and we went on cleaning the kitchen together. As we were finishing the dishes, her phone rang. I listened as she answered it and she sounded concerned and upset all at once. I continued putting away the dishes, trying not to eavesdrop, when she came back into the room. It looked like she had been crying.

    “I’m sorry, Dane, I must go. My mother has been in an accident and is in the hospital. I need to go make sure she’s okay.” Her voice broke with emotion on the last word.

    “Oh no! Do you want me to go with you? What if it’s a trick of Bradley’s? You need someone with you who can protect you,” I said moving to grab my truck keys.

    “Slow down, Superman; you can’t go with me. What if it is Bradley’s doing and he shows up? What are you going to do? Shift in downtown Atlanta in the hospital? You can’t do that. I’ll be fine, I promise. If he does show up, I’ll have the hospital security throw him out,” she replied as she headed for the door.

    I knew I couldn’t let her go alone and my dragon all but came roaring out as I ran for the door, stopping her before she could open it.

    “Lauren, I can’t let you go alone. It isn’t safe, especially if Bradley is involved in any way. Please, let me go with you,” I finished, hoping it didn’t sound too much like begging.

    I knew it didn’t matter what I said because she shook her head, told me she’d be fine, and closed the door behind her. I knew she was used to having her independence, but this time it wasn’t practical. I smelled Bradley all over this situation, and I didn’t want him getting to her too. I knew what I needed to do, but I knew if I followed her too closely, she’d catch me, and I couldn’t let that happen. I waited an hour to give her time to get on the road, and I left trailing behind her several miles. I wasn’t going to let anything happen to her. I would keep her safe even if it killed me.