Chapter 20 #2
“This shit is crazy,” she muttered. “Werewolves exist.” Based on her human upbringing, all she would know about shifters was what the movies showed.
“We prefer shifters. And yes, we’ve been around since the beginning of civilization.”
“Just coexisting?” Her eyes stayed wide.
“Yes, usually, the only humans allowed to know are those who have a fated mate.”
“Wait.” She gawked. “Humans can be a fated mate?”
“Mmmhm, only difference is the bond is delayed between the pair.”
I guided her toward the house I’d only glimpsed in passing. Upon entering, I found it to be an exact replica of the one next door, including the inside. I waved her in, but she hesitated at the threshold.
“Are you sure I should stay?” she murmured. “Your man doesn’t seem too fond of me.”
“He’s not fond of anyone.”
Her lips twitched.
“Um,” she muttered. “I’ll admit, he freaks me the hell out. And he watches you like a hawk. Like he’d kill for you.” Her nose scrunched. “Honestly, I don’t think that man would leave you alone even if you did leave.”
He’d hunt me to the end of the earth, and I wasn’t sure if I hated him for that.
I didn’t bother saying anything to her comment. There wasn’t much to even say other than, “You’re right.” My mate was an asshole to everyone, but I kind of loved how careful he was with me.
I worried my lip as I guided her up the stairs and to the bedroom Lucian mentioned. The door was already open, but I nudged it the rest of the way. Once I turned the light on, I plopped on the edge of the mattress.
“So what’s the story with you and the . . . Alpha,” she snorted. “It’s so weird not using that ironically.”
“Moon, it’s such a long story.”
“Well, we have time,” she quipped and crossed her legs, raising an eyebrow.
“We’re fated mates. In all ways, we’re perfect for each other; the Moon only provides what will be a perfect match.” I pursed my lips, shaking my head. “I thought I’d met him on my first day of my new job.”
“Thought?”
“I met him four years ago.”
Her eyes widened, and a few seconds later, her lips parted. The cogs were turning. She was connecting the dots.
“You got your memory back.” It wasn’t a question, but I still nodded. “Did you take him back? Last we talked, you were trying to get away from him.”
“I don’t know yet, I’m not really thinking about anything other than him recovering.” I licked my lips. “Once he’s okay, I’ll probably leave.” The words flowed without thought. It was what I’d been chanting to myself repeatedly, but I no longer knew if I had the strength.
“Leave him?” She was wide-eyed and gawking. “Back to my prior comment. There is no way that man in there, who would kill for you, would ever let you leave.”
“I wasn’t going to ask his permission,” I drawled, lying back and propping my head on my hand while she turned, crossed her legs, and faced me.
“Oof, have fun spending your life running. He has stalker written all over him.”
I considered that. How I’d never truly be able to move on, how he would always haunt me. Even more than that was Heat Season and the pain of enduring that without him. Undoubtedly, I would fall into his arms in a night of comfort. Our lives would become a roulette of toxic obsession?—
I shook my head. Whoa there. I needed to chill the fuck out. His tenderness in the last few hours had wrecked me, and I hadn’t had time to process it.
“You have a point?—”
A loud ring interrupted me, and she fished her cell phone out. Her eyes widened, and she answered, a grin spreading across her lips.
“Accept call,” she said, pulling the phone away from her ear and putting it on speaker.
“Who is it?” I whispered.
“Verity?”
Tate’s familiar voice came through from the other end. “Tate?” I gasped.
There was silence, and then she said, “No fucking way, you guys are together right now. And you, Joey, how dare you not fucking call?” Verity and I grinned at each other. “I miss you, kid.”
“I miss you.” I grinned so wide it hurt.
“Tell me everything.”
“Before I fill you in, don’t freak out: I told Verity the secret.” There was a sharp inhale and then silence on the other end.
“What are you thinking! You put both of your lives in danger. For fuck’s sake, if any of them get wind of it, they’ll kill both of you. Verity you can’t breathe a word of this.” Her urgent words speared through the room.
“I said don’t freak out.” I frowned.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Don’t be worrying, Tate, you know my mouth is a vault. That’s the last thing we should be talking about. You’re missing the best part,” Verity interrupted me. "Josephine has a man.”
Tate gasped.
“Tell. Me. Everything.” It was poignant to hear Tate’s voice. It sucked that she’d never see the outside of those bars. She’d been sentenced for the crime I would have also committed. If someone raped my sister, I’d kill them, too.
Verity and I grinned at each other. This would take a while.
“I have to pee.” I slid off the bed and left them chattering.
“You two had the oddest relationship, and all the secrets,” Verity’s tsked as I opened the door.
“Luna?”
I almost collided with Bruno’s chest. He startled me so much that my hand landed on him. We both froze, our eyes widening. He staggered back, and at the same time, I yanked my hand away. Thank Moon that wasn’t skin to skin. Lucian would have dragged me to hell.
“Sorry, Luna.”
He ran away. Literally ran away, frightened. I stood there, stunned. After a beat, Verity and I burst into laughter.
“What’s going on?” Tate asked, her voice fizzing in and out.
“Joey almost just got a guy killed,” she snickered. I shook my head at her exaggeration. “I’ll have to send you pictures of Joey’s mansion . . .”
Leaving Verity chatting with Tate, I went to hunt for some blankets.
Since I’d become used to the home, it didn’t seem so ostentatious to me, but it was pretty huge.
Fit for Lucian’s wealth. When I first left prison, everything seemed enormous to me, but Lucian did surround himself in wealth.
I’d tried not to dwell on the differences between my financial position and his because it would send me into a spiral.
But honestly, I was starting to feel better about everything.
Lucian’s stuff was starting to feel like mine.
That came with the other side of the coin, fear of losing this new reality.
And that wasn’t all. Cierra hadn’t been dealt with, and it left me suspended, like things were unfinished. They would continue to be until Cierra was captured and I got justice for my father.