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My heart sped up, thumping painfully in my chest. “I—I don’t . . . I’m not sure what I feel.”
The walls felt like they were closing in on me. The weight of their stares, their scents, the heat of their bodies—it was too much. My wolf butted against my skin, urging me to agree with the males, but my tongue was thick.
“It seems like your wolf’s given you an answer,” Theron said knowingly. “Do you think she’s lying to you?”
“No,” I replied.
I knew my wolf would never do such a thing. I trusted her implicitly but didn’t have faith in anything else. How could I know my reaction wasn’t a temporary response to my first heat? Perhaps I was feeling confusion in the face of biological necessity.
“Then why can’t you believe it? Or do you not want to?” he pressed, his eyes narrowing. “Maybe you don’t want to seem too eager for mates. Is that it? Would it ruin the image of the—”
“Enough!” Silas growled, turning his glare toward Theron. “That isn’t helpful right now.”
Theron looked as if he might argue, but Bowen placed a hand on his chest, and he reluctantly sat back.
Did he think I was a threat?
“This is a lot,” Silas said. His silky tone eased the knot of tension in my chest. “We’re all on edge with everything that’s happened. You don’t have to answer anything that makes you uncomfortable, okay?”
“All right,” I replied, wringing the thin sheet between my fingers.
“What’s important is that you rest and recover your strength. Can we agree to that for now?” Bowen asked.
What other choice did I have? “Yes.”
“Good, we’ll table this for now,” Gentry said. It was suddenly easier for me to breathe. “I’m sure you’re hungry. Let me get you something to eat.”
“What do you like?” Bowen asked, standing with Gentry.
Blinking at how quickly they let my noncommittal answer go, I said, “Anything’s fine.”
“Oh, come on, you have to have a preference, Myla. Really, we’ll get whatever you want.” A playful smile tugged at Bowen’s lips. “How about spaghetti tacos? Or milkshake fries? Fish sticks and peanut butter?”
I scrunched my nose but couldn’t hide my smile. “That sounds horrible.”
“Which one?”
“The fish sticks,” I replied.
He held up his hands. “Okay, no fish sticks. What about a burger? How does that sound?”
“That sounds great. Thanks, Bowen.”
His smile broadened when I used his name, and something shifted within me. His soft, open expression transformed him into someone warm and safe, putting me at ease. Sure, he thought I was his mate, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t a stranger. Why would he be so kind to me?
My wolf rubbed against my skin, letting her contentment spill over me until it melded with mine.
It was alluring, yet dangerous for someone like me to get attached so quickly.
Mate.
That’s what they said I was.
A myth they wanted me to confirm.
Even as I resisted the possibility, a part of me acknowledged the pull. The urge to trust them was overwhelming. It was as if some ancient part of my DNA knew these males.
I prayed they would be different from the pack I escaped.
