Page 52 of Starting a New Life

The door opened, and my friend entered, his curls sticking up in every direction, face adorably rumpled. With him, the heavenly scent of coffee and sugar entered, making my mouth water and my stomach cramp in anticipation.

“Morning,” he mumbled, pushing the door closed with his hip. He had two cups, one in each hand, and gave me a small smile. “Coffee?”

“Yes, please.”

God knew I needed the caffeine.

“Did you sleep well?” Levi asked, then yawned. “Because I, for one, am tired as fuck.”

“I’m not sure I slept at all,” I admitted quietly and took the steaming cup Levi was holding out for me. His magic reached out, crawling up my arm, trying to find a way in, but there was none. I kept up a barrier on my skin, shielding myself from his magic.

“Is the bed that bad?” Levi joked, but I knew he was fishing for information, for explanations, for reasons.

And I owed him, I knew that. I owed him tons of explanations, but even thinking about letting him in made me nauseous.

So instead of saying anything, I took a sip of coffee. My eyes rolled back as the taste of vanilla hit my tongue, a perfect blend of bitter coffee, sweet vanilla, and soothing milk.

“Or is it the fact that you found your mate?”

I flinched and almost dropped the cup.

“What?” I asked voicelessly.

He knew?

Had the Alpha told him?

Why would he do that if he hadn’t even acknowledged it to me?

Levi gave me a smug look. “I know things too. I know you’re Gray’s mate. And I know you’re keeping secrets from me. Secrets that don’t have anything to do with the shifters or your past but with me. Personally.”

I had one last, longing look at the snow-covered ground, then closed the window with a sigh.

“What do you mean?” I asked, even though I knew exactly what he was talking about.

Last night in the cells, when his magic had jump-started me like a damn car. Of course he’d felt that. His mate might be convinced that I’d been the one doing… whatever, but Levi knew the truth.

“You know what I’m talking about,” he said, giving me a pointed look. “And I want answers.”

My skin was crawling, heart hammering in my chest, palms growing sweaty. I quickly put down my cup before it could slip through my fingers and shatter on the hardwood floor.

“Okay,” I said, then swallowed. “I do owe you an explanation.”

Or ten. Probably more.

But I didn’t want anyone listening in, soo… “Give me a minute, please,” I said just as Levi opened his mouth. I closed my eyes, focused on the well inside me and drew from it to build up a shield. I pushed it outwards until it filled the room. It’d stop sound waves from going out, efficiently creating a soundproof bubble around us. A neat trick I’d taught myself a couple of months ago.

Levi stared at me with wide eyes.

“I felt that,” he said. “What did you do?”

“I soundproofed the room. I don’t want people to listen in. I know you think shifters are nice, and maybe your mate is, but what I’m about to tell you… it can change things.”

Levi gave me a pitying look. “I know you had bad experiences with shifters in your past, but this pack, these people, are good. No matter what you tell me, it won’t turn them into monsters.”

I hoped he was right. For him. He was tied to his mate until the end of their lives, unable to leave without ripping his fucking heart out.

“When I first spotted you here, I actually hoped it was a sign this pack was good, you know?” I mused, thinking back to him sitting in the café. The relief I’d felt upon seeing a mage move around freely in a town that was filled to the brim with all kinds of shifters. “I thought that if they had one mage in the pack and weren’t keeping him chained up that…”