Chapter Ten
Lux
It took everything I had not to bite my mate back.
As it was, he’d totally caught me off guard.
Who knew a human would do that? But he did it like a champ—as if it wasn’t his first time.
Which I knew it was. My mate had waited for me, even if he didn’t know that was what he was doing.
I wish I’d been able to give him the same gift and not been such a horndog when I was in my late teens.
Of course, I wasn’t doing that any longer.
Hadn’t for a few years. It hadn’t taken too long before I recognized the futility of it all.
I always felt empty afterward, no sign of that afterglow everyone talked about.
It was better to be alone than with the wrong person.
No settling. No compromise. If Fate had chosen not to give me a mate or if, goddess forbid, they didn’t want me, then I would go it alone for the rest of my life.
And I’d thought that might be the case until I walked into that motel office…
But I needed to help him with something besides an orgasm just now.
The flattened tire might be fine, but I wanted to get it looked at before I would allow my omega to drive on it again.
Roadside assistance would have come from the same place he’d need to buy a tire anyway, so I was going for the experts.
The car would be all right for the rest of the night, and I wasn’t going to be able to reach the tire guy or the person I really wanted to talk to anyway.
I could have stayed with my mate…but I had things to take care of and a lot of thinking to do.
He’d marked me. How did that even work? I knew of a few alphas who wore their mate’s mark, but I’d always considered it kind of symbolic.
Like—the alpha did the claiming and “let” his omega mark him back because it made him happy.
The second those teeth sank into my shoulder, I knew none of that was true. I might as well have marked him then because I was fairly sure it wouldn’t have made my connection to him any different. He’d claimed me. The omega claimed me. But I couldn’t claim him back until he knew the truth about me.
Most humans didn’t even know we were real and among those who did, how many would be interested in mating with a shifter?
My dad’s mate hadn’t. What if he had? I’d never have existed, or if I did, I wouldn’t know Father.
And he was not only wonderful to Dad but an incredible parent to me and my siblings.
The connection between my mate and me was forged by his claiming, but if I marked him back without his knowing my secret, I feared that might impede on his free will.
So I left. And went home to toss and turn and wish I was lying beside my mate.
Wished I had shown him my fox—something my beast agreed with heartily.
He was sure his handsome self would be the deal closer.
And he could be right. Or…my shift might chase him away and break my heart.
As the sky lightened in the east, I climbed out of bed, giving up on the idea of getting any sleep at all.
I glanced at my phone, where Rain had typed in his number, wanting to chat him up.
Maybe FaceTime. But it was so early, and he might not be awake.
I didn’t know how early he rose, although I wanted to. To know everything about him.
Urging myself to patience, I vowed to let him meet my fox as soon as possible. This morning, I wanted to make sure his transportation was back on track. So, I showered and dressed and climbed into my car and headed for the diner. I wanted one more look at the tire before I called the repair guy.
There were a few people sitting inside, eating, when I arrived, but it was too early for the crowd.
They would be arriving later, but for now, I thought I might be able to have a word with someone before they were too busy to have time for me.
Or use time as an excuse. Before entering, I stopped beside Rain’s car.
I thought so.
The tire that had been so flat the night before was now as round as any of the others. I checked them all for inflation with the little device I kept in my glove compartment and found they were within a quarter pound of pressure of one another. Really?
Time for breakfast and a chat.
I pushed open the door, the chiming bell attracting the attention of everyone there. Gossip fueled the town, but I hadn’t done anything they should wonder about, had I?
“Welcome, Lux. Take any open table.” Layla was refilling coffees, so I took a seat at a table near the kitchen. For convenience.
When she came over and pointed to the upside-down cup in front of me, I turned it over and watched her pour the dark, rich brew. They had the best coffee in town. Strong, just the way I liked it. “What will you be having this morning?”
“Pancakes and a word with Gary if you can convince him to join me here at the table?”
“Any particular reason?” She smirked. “In case he asks?”
“I think he’ll know.” I settled back to sip my coffee and wait.
It took about ten minutes before he showed up, the plate piled with pancakes in hand. “You wanted a chat?” He set the plate on the table and sat down across from me. “What’s up?”
“I think you know.” I was starting to sound like an echo of myself. “What’s the deal?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Eat up while they’re hot.”
“Uh-huh.” I wanted answers, but he was right. Hotcakes were much better hot than cold. Pouring a stream of real maple syrup over the stack, I fixed him with a fierce gaze. “Why did you let the air out of Rain’s tire?”
He had the nerve to look puzzled. “He has a flat? That’s why the car was here when we arrived. Did you get someone to come look at it?”
I shoveled a big bite into my mouth and chewed.
I could press this, make him admit he’d done it so I would have to give Rain a ride, but what would that serve?
Nobody was hurt, and it looked fine now.
“No, it’s miraculously fixed. But I do plan to get it checked before he drives it.
Clearly there is something odd about the tire. ”
He agreed to that. But, like Layla, he was smirking.
After breakfast, I went back home. I had the day off, and it had occurred to me in those wee small nonsleeping hours that I should look into what a human expected from a relationship.
Shifters were known to meet, make and start life together, but humans, so I was given to understand, wanted more.
Which led me to trying something I heard humans loved.
One phone call later, I was a couple of hundred dollars poorer and hoped I was on the right track.