Chapter 7
SEVEN
Nori
Somehow, I’m not surprised when I wake up the next morning to find Tucker fast asleep on the floor of my cell. I’m still trying to wrap my brain around all of this shifter and fated mate business, but I can’t deny that some of what he said at least is true, which means that it probably all is.
If he really knew that I was meant to be his when he first smelled me, then that explains why he was acting so strange, and why he arrested me for speeding instead of giving me a ticket. If we’re really fated mates, then that explains why he was obsessed with me from the second that he saw me.
I can wrap my head around all of that, around his feelings. It’s mine that are giving me the trouble.
If I’m really meant only for him, then is that why I’ve never been attracted to anyone besides Tucker? Is that why I had such strong feelings for him too, when I first saw him?
This all feels like it’s going so fast, but if I’m honest with myself, my body agrees with him. It’s my head and my heart that are holding me back.
I flashback to when he shifted for me. I had been shocked and scared shitless when the wolf was in front of me, but part of me was also strangely calm. It was like I knew that I would be okay.
The wolf was so much bigger than I expected, and it left me with a million questions. Ones that I should probably ask before tomorrow when I need to decide if I want him to mark me and make me his.
Tucker starts to stir, and I sit up on my cot.
“Morning,” I say, and he smiles.
“Morning,” he croaks, wincing as he sits up.
“What are you in for?” I joke, and he grins.
“I couldn’t leave my mate alone.”
“So, then, last night…” I say, trailing off, and he nods.
“I slept in here last night, too,” he confirms.
“So, if we’re mates, do you just never leave my side?” I ask him, and he shakes his head.
“No, I mean, my wolf and I would like that, but we won’t suffocate you. Once we’re mated, and you’re mine, then there won’t be this frantic need inside of me to claim you. It will ease.”
I nod, chewing on my bottom lip and he pushes to his feet.
“Does that mean that you’re agreeing to be mine?” He asks hopefully and I shake my head.
“I’m still thinking. I have so many questions.”
“I’ll answer all of them. Let me go grab us some breakfast first.”
I nod and he heads out of the cell, hesitating at the door. I can see that he’s torn about keeping me locked up, that he hates doing it, but he can’t risk me leaving. A weird part of me kind of gets it.
The door rattles as he slides it closed and then he’s clearing his throat.
“What are you hungry for?”
“Something light. I’d kill for a smoothie right now.”
“I can do that. What kind?”
“Strawberry? I’m not that picky.”
“Is that what you usually have for breakfast?” He asks, and I nod.
“Yeah, my mom was obsessed with fruit. She always had to have a smoothie or a smoothie bowl every morning, and I always joined her.”
I smile wistfully as I think about our quiet mornings together.
“She loved acai bowls too. Or if we could find them, she’d get papayas and cut up some strawberries, throw some blueberries and granola in, and then cover it with whipped cream. She called it her papaya passion,” I say with a laugh.
“You miss her.”
It’s a statement, not a question, but I still answer.
“So much. She was all that I had. Now…”
“I’m sorry, Nori.”
My throat feels like it’s on fire as I try to hold back the tears, so I just nod.
“I’ll be right back.”
He heads out, and I take a few moments to compose myself. Normally, I hate talking about my mom. After she died, I just kind of shut down, but with Tucker, remembering her was actually nice. Sure, it made me sad, but it also made me smile as I remembered all of the small details about her and our life together.
I stand, stretching, and Tucker comes rushing back in, his arms full of bags and two smoothies.
“Hold on, and I’ll let you out. We can eat at my desk,” he says as he sets everything down.
I raise an eyebrow but don’t comment as he heads over and unlocks my cell.
“I got you strawberries and cream,” he says, passing me one of the smoothies. “Or there’s a kiwi strawberry one here, too.”
“Thanks.”
He nods, digging around in the plastic bags on his desk.
“Then there’s these,” he says, holding up three papayas.
I blink at the fruit and then to the nervous look on his face. I’m not sure what to say or how I’m feeling right now, and I search for the words to explain that.
Instead, what ends up coming out is, “they’re not ripe.”
He deflates instantly, and I feel guilty.
“Ripe ones won’t be this green. And they’ll be softer,” I explain. “But thank you. That was really sweet of you.”
“Well, we can eat them in a few days when they’re ripe, then?”
“Yeah.”
There’s a moment that passes between us, and I can tell that we’re both wondering if I’ll still be here in a few days when the papayas are good to eat.
We both sit down, and he grabs his own smoothie, taking a sip.
“Is Nori a family name?” He asks me, and I shake my head.
“No, that was all my mom. She loved the names Nora and Evie and decided to just smash them together.”
“It’s cute. I like it.”
“Thanks. What about Tucker?”
“Nah, as far as I can tell, my parents just liked the name.”
“Tell me more about shifters and fated mates,” I say, and he seems encouraged by my interest.
He tells me about the first time that he shifted, growing up in his old pack, and how he came to join the one here.
“I didn’t realize that you could leave one pack and join another so easily,” I comment, and he shrugs.
“They’re not that exclusive. Or most of them aren’t anyway. There are a few more remote ones that are wary of outsiders, but for the most part, it’s just like moving. It probably helps that all shifters follow the same rules. Don’t shift in front of humans, don’t talk about shifting or shifters to anyone that doesn’t need to know, be discrete, that kind of stuff.”
“What if I had talked about shifters to other people? Would you be kicked out?” I ask, and he shakes his head.
“Probably not, though no one in town would be happy with me.”
“You really never wanted anyone before me?” I blurt out, and he shakes his head.
“No, that’s not how things work for shifters. We will always only love or want our fated mate.”
“What if I died before we met?”
“Then I would have never found my fated mate, and I would have died alone.”
“That’s so sad,” I say softly, and he nods.
He tells me more about what being my mate feels like for him, what to expect tomorrow on the full moon, and more about his time as sheriff here in Twisted Oak.
Before I know it, a few hours have gone by, and my stomach growls.
“I’ll grab us lunch!” He says, shooting to his feet so fast that he knocks over his chair. “What would you like?”
I can’t lie, I love how attentive he is, how obsessed he is with meeting every single one of my needs or wants. How much he seems to need and crave me being happy.
“How about a burger?”
“You got it. Be right back!”
He races out the door, and I watch him go. I could get used to this. To being pampered and spoiled. To being taken care of by someone again. Hell, it’s nice just opening up to someone and sharing a piece of myself with them.
I can’t deny that I’m attracted to him. I want him. I have since I first laid eyes on him.
So, what’s stopping me from saying yes to him and being his? I think.
Time.
The answer is there so fast. It’s true. I’m used to human love lives. To people dating for months or years before they tie themselves to each other. All of this seems too fast.
It feels right, though.
It does, but what happens if this feeling fades? I doubt that shifters do divorce.
I mull over my thoughts, trying to decide if I should listen to my head or my body and heart. Tucker walks back in a few minutes later with a greasy paper bag in his hands, and he grins at me, brightening as soon as he sees me. He looks so happy, and I find myself smiling back as he takes a seat across from me and passes me a burger and some fries.
It takes me a few minutes to realize that he didn’t put me back in the cell.
And that I never once thought about leaving.