VIOLET

I laughed nervously, looking between Jayce and alpha of the Timber Rock pack. Eddie, who they had introduced as the ex-Sheriff of the main town had excused himself earlier to check out a few leads in town. Jayce’s cousin, Treyton, never came back in the house, so I assumed he had dipped earlier too.

“Okay, so you’re saying that you’re going to make me stay here until this…bite has completely healed?” I asked.

“No, Ms. West, we won’t make you do anything you don’t want. However, for your safety, I believe that you will,” Draven, Jayce’s alpha said.

“But I have a life. I can’t just cut off all communication with my family for that long,” I argued.

“Well, isn’t that what you planned to do, Ms. West? Jayce told me all about your plan to run away from your future husband,” Draven countered.

My mouthed dropped as I shot Jayce a disturbed look.

“I was taking a vacation. There is no future husband. That wedding has been called off,” I corrected.

“Called off my who?” Draven asked.

“Me.” Not that it was any of his business about my personal relationship.

“Well then, why don’t you extend your vacation right here for the time being? You won’t have to worry. We’ll protect you like one of our own.” Draven exclaimed.

“I wasn’t planning on staying here…” I glanced at Jayce who looked worried.

“A lesser wolf bit you,” Draven noted. “The bite is already healing, yes?”

I nodded. “But it still hurts,” I said, rubbing the spot on my right shoulder.

Draven looked between Jayce and I. “There are a couple of things we can do about the pain, but mostly you’ll just have to ride it out. We don’t carry diseases or anything like that. My concern is the essence of the wolf lingering inside of you since he bit through the flesh. Even though this wolf is dead, his essence can be tracked, particularly by those who he shares a bond with. Hopefully, the remaining essence will disappear just as quickly as the bite has healed.”

“What’s this essence you’re talking about?” I asked.

“It’s a temporary marking. A long time ago, we used it during mating hunts to claim females of breeding age. We no longer entertain those practices. Our females breed willingly.” Draven cleared his throat. “Of course, when I say we, I mean the Timber Rock wolves—my pack. I can’t speak for other packs. The wolf who bit you isn’t from my pack.”

“Jayce told me that.”

“Then you know we’re not like them. You won’t try to run?”

“Run?” I shook my head. “I wasn’t in a rush to get back to my city. In fact, I had just left. I needed space and time to think.”

“Then you want to stay?” Draven asked.

“I was on my way to a friend’s house. I was almost there before I was attacked. Jayce was there for me. That wasn’t by accident. By fate, maybe. But not by accident. I’ll stay. If that’s what it takes to keep those rogues from following me when I leave, I’ll do it. And especially if it means I get to help with ensuring that this doesn’t happen to other women.”

Draven rose. “We’re doing everything we can to make sure that it doesn’t. I understand that you and my cousin have more in common than you think. That helps things a great deal. I’ll leave you both to it and I’ll be in touch tomorrow.”

When the Draven was gone, I was full of questions, but I couldn’t seem to get his last statement out of my head.

“What did your alpha mean about us having more in common than I think?”

He leaned in toward me where we were sitting on the sofa and stretched his arm across my lap, revealing a mark on the back of his left hand. A sun. Just like the one on my wrist.

I gasped and held my wrist next to his hand. “How did I not see this before?”

“It’s always been there. Like I told you, this isn’t just a birthmark. It’s something under the skin and is only likely to appear when in the presence of one’s mate.”

“Oh my God. This is all true?”

He nodded.

I exhaled deeply and ran my fingers through my hair. “I’m just at a loss for words right now. Just recently, I got solid concrete evidence that wolf shifters exist and live like humans and now I’m finding that I literally have a true mate and that we’re fated. This is like a fairytale. I’m seriously contemplating the fact that I fell and bumped my head on a rock or have died and gone to heaven.”

Jayce chuckled. “It’s kind of surreal to me too. Not all of my kind are destined to find their true mates, but when it happens, it’s a big deal.”

I nodded. “This is a big deal. It explains why I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you.”

“The feeling is very mutual.”

“I guess I’m just a little overwhelmed,” I exclaimed.

My hands must have been shaking because he took both of them in his and rubbed. “We don’t have to do anything right away. If you need space and time to clear your head, I’ll give you that.”

“Okay,” I said, my voice almost a whisper. “I just think so much has happened…and I just…”

He cupped my chin gently with his hand. “I get it. Trust me. I’m here for you either way.”

“Thank you for everything. I really pressed my luck coming out here, but I’m glad you were there.”

He grinned. “That’s what mates are for.”