9. Adan
NINE
ADAN
He doesn’t know about me! My wolf was impatient to get on with the business of mating.
If Braylon had caught me in my fur, that wouldn’t have broken the rules of not showing him my beast before mating. He’d stumbled upon us. How was I to know he was there?
But the answer to that question was, as a shifter, I could scent him. Excellency wouldn’t accept that it was an accident. And while my shifter senses were intact and my reflexes were sharp, my mate’s scent had affected them. I didn’t pick up his scent fast enough in the forest, and on the train, I’d wobbled and fumbled as his aroma befuddled my brain.
After dinner, I made an excuse, saying I’d left something in the car, and phoned Horatio, my Alpha. He didn’t take any shit and would give me a straight answer. Maybe one I didn’t want to hear.
“Yes.” He expected callers to get straight to the point and not waste his time with greetings.
“Alpha, it’s Adan. I have a problem.”
“If it’s a rash, get some cream.”
I rushed on, explaining how I met my mate and what Excellency had said.
“I don’t see the dilemma. Do as he says.”
“But—”
Alpha sighed. “No buts, Adan. You’re a smart guy. I’m sure you can find a way to let him know who you really are without breaking your word to Excellency.”
I told him about the mishap in the woods.
“Sharpen your senses.”
How was I supposed to do that? They wobbled a little when Braylon was near.
“It sounds as though he is your true mate. Only that person can affect your senses.” He ended the call.
That didn’t help. My heart, my head, and my wolf told me he was my one and only. There were no whetstones for sharpening my smell and hearing.
I strolled into the house, passing the den where Braylon’s aunt and uncle were watching TV. My mate was on the deck, and there was a teapot and plate of cookies on the table and two mugs
“Are you sleepy?”
I perked up. He was asking if I wanted to go to bed. With him, I assumed. There was no one else I wanted to sleep with.
“Not at all.”
“Let’s go for a walk.” He shoved the rest of the cookie in his mouth and pocketed a second. “Not in the woods, though.”
Rosedale was a small town, so wandering at night wasn’t a big deal. And my wolf would scare any bad guys away.
We wandered along the road and headed for Main Street.
“You said you’d been here before when we were on the train.”
I explained that my college roommate came from here. We’d lost touch, and as he was a squirrel shifter, he wasn’t part of my pack.
People were out walking their dogs and first one, then a second, and a third raced toward me, barking. Braylon took a step back, and I pushed him behind me.
“It’s okay. They’re just curious.” The dogs surrounded me, sniffing my feet and legs as their human owners came puffing up, apologizing. I allowed my beast to shine in my eyes and each of the animals lay down, resting their head on my feet.
“That’s weird. Jumbo has never done that before,” one of the owners noted. The others agreed.
“Are you what they call a dog whisperer?” one of the humans asked.
“No, not really, but dogs like me.” I shrugged. “What can I say?”
Though I couldn’t expect my human mate who knew nothing of shifters to put me being naked in the woods plus being good with dogs and having it equal me being a shifter. But if little by little I gave him hints, perhaps it wouldn’t be so much of a shock when I revealed my beast.
The owners took their respective dogs and continued their walk.
“That was cool, though a little scary at first. Do you have a dog of your own?”
“No.” If I had a mate and kids, a dog would complete the family, but being out of the house all day and having to shift at night didn’t leave much time for a pet.
“Adan!” a familiar voice shouted from the other side of the street.
“Joey?” It was my college roommate. He grabbed me in a bear hug and asked what I was doing here.
“Visiting friends.” I introduced him to Braylon.
“Friend? Are you sure?” He shoulder-bumped me and smirked. He sent me a look because he must have scented Braylon was human. “Oh. Ohhhh. He doesn’t… right. Got it.” He saluted and asked how long I was here and said that we had to have lunch or dinner before I left.
Wanting to spend my time with my mate, I hesitated, and he must have understood because he said he’d be in Fairview next month.
“Sounds good.”
“Are you a CFA too?” my mate asked Joey
“Too? No, I'm a teacher.” He turned to me. “I didn’t pick you as a numbers guy.”
“No, he’s a Clothes Free Advocate.” My mate grinned, perhaps proud he’d remembered the term.
“A what now?” Joey rubbed his jaw. “Clothes free… is that what I think it is?”
“Braylon caught me with my pants down in the woods this morning.”
Joey doubled over with laughter. “You do have a problem, and I’m happy to be your wingman anytime you need me.” He took off with thumb up and little finger extended signifying “Call me.”
“Fancy a piece of pie?” I was eager to move on from this morning’s adventure and Joey being my possible sidekick, and we were standing outside a café with a sign saying they made the best pies.
“Sure. Don’t tell Uncle Saul because he fancies himself as the best pie maker in the state.”
We sat at a table in the corner and scanned the menu. I was babbling about which pie I wanted and hoping Braylon was going to overlook what Joey had said. We agreed to share a slice of strawberry rhubarb pie, and I braced myself for an inquisition.
“Joey was your roommate?”
“Yeah. I didn’t know he was back here. Pure coincidence.”
Braylon glanced at the other diners. “Is everything all right?” He leaned forward. “Tell me to shut up if I’m being too nosy?—”
I cut him off. “I want you to know everything about me because the connection we have is special.”
Was I trying to get him warm and gooey inside so he’d stop asking questions and perhaps play footsie under the table? I was.
“Awww. Me too.” He didn’t play with my foot, but he took my hand and we sat not speaking until the server bought our pie.
“Mmmm.” Braylon licked ice cream from around his mouth. “This is so good. We should have ordered a slice each.”
He should be licking me, not food, though if he dribbled ice cream on my chest and lapped it up, I’d be into that.
“But…” He stabbed his fork in the air. “You didn’t answer me.”
I’d forgotten the question but was certain it had to do with Joey.
“Remind me again. This pie is pure bliss, it's pushed all other thoughts out of my head.”
“I get the feeling you’re avoiding my question.”
He was right, but if I agreed, he’d be hurt and rightfully so. If I fibbed, he’d be upset because it was obvious that I was lying. Neither option was palatable.
“I don’t want to.” Leaving it at that was the best I could do. It was an honest statement. Adding excuse after excuse would make the situation worse.
“But there’s a reason you can’t.”
Another statement.
I had to set his mind at rest about one thing. “I’m not in a relationship, and there is no ex threatening to tell all my secrets or stalking me.”
He raised a brow and stabbed the pie with his fork. “You have secrets?”
“Doesn’t everyone?” I shrugged. “I’m not hiding from the police, I’m not part of the mafia, and I think I’m an okay guy.”
Braylon pushed the plate away. “Will you tell me eventually?”
“Absolutely. I want to.” I wished I could waltz him out the door and shift. Excellency wouldn’t know. But he’d proven he had eyes everywhere.
Hmmm, what if I put my beast at the forefront of my gaze? Excellency had told me not to shift. That wasn’t shifting.
Let me. I can do this .
I gave my sight to my wolf, and Braylon studied me.
“In this light your eyes are darker. They’re really beautiful. There’s something wild in them.”
“Hold that thought.”
“For how long?”
“A few days. Until I leave Tuesday?” In a human dating timeline, three days was nothing. But I couldn’t return home without having mated Braylon.
“I’ll hold you to that.”