Page 62 of Alpha Fate

Gage’s eyes go from cold to frigid. “Yes. That. When were you going to tell me about it?”

“I just… I just needed time to figure it out.”

“What’s to figure out? You had a mate. Then you came here and decided to forget about him. Though I guess that’s just until you find your pack again, right? Then it’ll be situation normal? And I’ll be the fool who entertained you for a while.”

Oh, God. He’s hurting.

I’m such an idiot.

“I’m so sorry, Gage. But you have to believe that I would never do that to you. And it wasn’t like that.”

“What was it like, then?” He’s still not softening.

“My parents chose someone for me. From a good family. A good match for our line.” This is all coming back to me as I speak; I’m not even sure what I’m about to say next. “Our pack is small. We have to be careful who we mate with. Inbreeding is a real issue. Cole was…a safe option.”

“Oh, so you chose a safe option. I suppose you decided to try something new with me, huh? A quick change of pace.”

He’s right. There’s nothing safe about Gage Heller. I’m sensing that now. The edge to him feels like a powder keg that could explode at any second.

“I didn’t choose him, Gage. My family did. I was just…doing my duty.” I feel it so strongly. The sense of obligation. I hadn’t wanted it, but I’d loved them too much to go against their wishes. “We tested for compatibility, and it looked like a good match. Our elders set a date. That’s all there was to it. I had no feelings for him.”

“So, you tested for compatibility… You’re telling me you fucked him?”

I flinch. “That’s how it’s done.” I’m starting to get annoyed at how unreasonable he’s being. “Are you going to hold that against me? For being with someone before I met you?” I raise an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you never fucked anyone before we met?” I hate how bitter my words feel on my tongue, but it’s an ugly game he started.

His shoulders sag slightly. “Goddammit.” He rakes a hand through his hair, one hand on his hip as he looks down at me. “You’re right.”

“You know I am. Cole and I never sealed the bond, Gage. Not officially and not in the true sense. We never got that far. It was something everyone else wanted…but not me. Sure, I would have made the best of it; it’s what our kind do. Sometimes, we’re lucky, like my parents. I think that’s how I was hoping things would turn out for me.” I’m babbling, but I can’t stop myself.

“Sounds like a pretty dismal choice.” He drops his hand. I can feel the fight leaving him.

“More than a dismal choice. A lifetime of settling for…mediocrity.” I crane my neck back to fix my eyes on him, pinning him with an intensity that’s surging in me now. “It’s nothing like what I feel for you, Gage. There’s nothing mediocre about what’s going on between us.”

He heaves a breath and then turns away, walking across the room. I see him roll his shoulders, then turn back to face me. There’s something resolute in his expression now. As if he’s come to some decision.

“Okay,” he says.

“Okay? What do you mean?”

“I mean, okay, I understand.”

Relief hits me hard enough for my breath to rush out. “You do?”

“I’d be an asshole if I didn’t.” His mouth twists wryly. “Our pack also struggles with finding mates. Slim pickings are the order of the day. When new prospects arrive, we leap at the opportunity.”

“Wait. Is that what you’ve been doing with me? Leaping at the opportunity?” Now it’s my turn to be pissy.

“Of course not. But I know what it feels like to be limited in your choices. Having to do the right thing to make it work. I’d always thought I’d go through life without a mate. Plenty of wolves do that. I was just lucky enough to find you.”

“To settle on?”

“No. Not to settle on, Savannah. You’re ‘the one’. The one I’ve been waiting for. I don’t want to wait any longer. I want to make this real. As soon as possible.”

“You mean right now?” I stare at him. I’d come here to try to settle things between us, and now it seems he’s ready to jump straight to the next level. Whatever that may be.

Though I have a sneaking suspicion.

“Nothing has to happen that you don’t want, Savannah,” he says.

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