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“Thanks for that, by the way,” I say, rolling my eyes. “He told me not to be afraid of him.”
“You never need to be afraid of him. Ethan will be your fiercest protector. What else?”
“We kissed again. Then I passed out.”
“How was it?”
“Chloe—”
“Seriously, Liv. How do you feel about Ethan? Do you still see your future the same way after tonight?”
“I don’t know what to think after tonight. I just found out that the monsters I thought only existed in movies, books, and bad dreams are real, and I’m supposed to be the mate to one of them.” I look up at Chloe and she looks a little hurt. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said it that way, I just?—”
“It’s okay, Liv. I know what you mean, but I do promise you that we aren’t monsters. This is all going to work out. It’s going to be okay.”
“Right now, I’m tired and have a headache. I just want to go to sleep.”
There’s a knock at the door, and Chloe stands. “Perfect timing. That must be Nick.” Chloe goes to the door to get her overnight bag and kisses Nick goodnight. “Here you go. I got you some extra pajamas,” she says, and hands me a set of cotton shorts and a shirt when she comes back in the room.
“Thanks, Chloe.” Taking the clothes, I head to the bathroom to change.
“I’d love to give you a tour of the pack grounds tomorrow, if you’d like?” Chloe calls from the bedroom.
“Sure, why not.” I’m guessing Ethan won’t be letting me sneak away in the morning anyway.
Ethan
All I can do is pace my office as the anxiety rises in my chest. “Did you see her? Is she okay?” I ask Nick when he comes back to my office after delivering an overnight bag to Chloe and Olivia. “I can’t believe I just had to leave her there. Do you know how hard this is? I’m supposed to be protecting her, Nick.”
“She’s fine, and I can only imagine what you’re going through, but you are kind of the source of her stress right now. You showed her your fucking canines, for fuck’s sake. What were you thinking?”
“In hindsight, that was probably a little risky, but she wanted the truth. I gave her the truth. I wasn’t about to give her an out on a technicality.”
Nick laughs and shakes his head. “Aside from the drama of finding out you have a human mate, how are you feeling about all of this?”
“Honestly, I feel more out of control than I’ve ever felt my entire life. I’ve got all these instincts kicking in telling me toclaim her as mine, but I know I’ve got to take things slow. It’s like I’m in a fucking battle with myself. The situation is…delicate.”
Nick shakes his head with a dry laugh. “Delicate is putting it mildly, and you’re right; the mate bond is pushing you forward to claim her as yours. I hate to say it, but your instincts will probably only get stronger the more time you spend with her until she’s officially yours. Things might feel erratic for a while, but you just have to try to stay patient and calm, which may be difficult. It’ll be all good once the mate bond is complete.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“She’s worth it, though, right?” Nick asks, raising his eyebrow.
“So fucking worth it. It’s like I’ve found exactly who I’ve been waiting for. She’s fucking phenomenal, Nick. Not only is she gorgeous, she’s a challenge. She’s not afraid to speak her mind, and it’s a fucking turn-on.”
“You have no idea how glad I am to hear you say you enjoy that personality trait,” Nick says with a laugh. “You’re going to have to remember she’s not used to following the Alpha’s orders.”
I smile as I think about her. “She’s already made it perfectly clear that she’s not willing to roll over and submit. We’ll find our balance.”
“That’s assuming you can actually get her here, and keep her here,” Nick says with a grin.
I raise an eyebrow at him. “Are you doubting my abilities?”
Nick holds his hands up in surrender and laughs. “No. I would never do such a thing.”
“That’s what friends are for, right?” I look at Nick in question.
“You know it, buddy. I’m here for you to help in any way I can.”
