Page 23 of Entering a New World

Yes, my wolf supplied, snorting at me. Yeah, I should know better. After all, we could smell a lot better than humans, so I’d be able to smell strong emotions like despair or fear—and there certainly hadn’t been any of those. It wasn’t like I could smell happiness or calmness, more of a lack of negative emotions.

“Yeah.” Gray nodded.

My wolf preened in my chest, and yeah, I felt pretty good, too. It was the first real conversation we’d had with our mate after nearly scaring him to death by turning from wolf into human, yet he had neither been angry nor scared. I’d low-key been expecting one or both of those feelings.

“I’m still afraid the fated mates part might be too much.” I sighed, leaning back in my leather office chair, closing my eyes for a moment. “Even for shifters, it’s a lot to grasp. Like… I knew I had a mate out there, but finding them? Scenting them for the first time, it’s like… being hit by a freight train. Because the magnitude of what having a mate actually means isn’t something you can really understand before it happens to you.”

Gray chuckled. “Is this you overthinking again?”

I shot him a death glare. “No. This is me explaining why I’m scared to tell Levi we’re basically soulmates and destined to fall in love and get mated… married, and shit.”

“He cuddled with you, thinking you were a two-hundred-plus-pound wolf. I’d say he can definitely feel the connection. No one—not even a total city kid—would do something like that without feeling some kind of way towards the wolf.”

I really hoped so, still…

“That doesn’t mean he’s ready to move in with me and start a life together.”

Gray pinched his lips together, toying with one of the small braids woven into his hair. It was decorated with a wooden bead, and I had to hide a smile. It was obvious some of the younger pack members had gotten their hands on Gray again. He always said he didn’t like it, but he adored it when the pups surrounded him and braided his hair. It was one of his ways to bond with the younger generation.

“Maybe your human will surprise you. If he’s not ready to move in with you, he’s welcome to stay in the packhouse for as long as he needs. And if that doesn’t work for him and he wants more space, Mave has a room reserved for him at the Balwood Inn.”

“Thank you.”

Gray just waved his hand at me. “That’s what friends do. Or Alphas do… or whatever. You’re part of my family, and I want you to be happy. Which is why, as your friend, Alpha, and boss, I order you to stop working and get back to your mate. I’m pretty sure he’s awake.”

Nodding, I jumped to my feet, grabbed my phone, and ran towards the door, only stopping to give Gray a side-hug.

“Thank you. For everything.”

Gray was right—Levi was awake.

When I opened the door, I found my mate standing at the window, looking out at the lawn and the vast woods behind it.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” I asked, stepping up next to him.

Levi didn’t turn to me, just nodded. He placed one hand on the windowpane and smiled. “It really is. When I still thought I was here, on the beach, for a photoshoot, I was fascinated by the scenery. The beach, the driftwood, the rocks, the lush forest. It was deeply intimidating and unbelievably beautiful at the same time.”

“I get that. Every day I’m on patrol, I’m reminded of how stunning nature is, and how small we are in comparison.”

Levi’s smile widened. “Yeah. Super small. Which is why my appreciation turned into fear really quickly upon learning I’d be stuck out there for a week. What was beautiful before was suddenly daunting and scary.”

Rubbing my chest, I nodded. I couldn’t imagine how he must’ve felt. I knew bits and pieces, and had smelled the fear coming off of him in waves, but that didn’t mean I really got what it’d been like for him.

After all, nature was a part of me. The woods were my second home. If I wanted or needed to, I could survive out there for weeks or even months without a problem. I’d just turn into my wolf form. Not being able to change wasn’t a concept I could grasp.

We stayed silent for a while, both content to look outside at the trees swaying in the light breeze. The storm had passed, but even the lawn surrounding the packhouse was a testimony of yesterday’s weather. Small branches were strewn everywhere, the lawn was dotted with leaves, and we didn’t usually have random pieces of soggy paper lying around.

“Soo… what are fated mates?” Levi eventually asked. “It sounds like it’s really important.”

I swallowed and cleared my throat to get at least a couple of seconds until I had to answer.

“It is really important,” I answered, taking a deep breath and bracing myself for his reaction. “You know what a soulmate is, right?”

Levi chuckled. “Yeah, I don’t think there’s anyone who doesn’t know what a soulmate is supposed to be. But to be completely upfront with you: I don’t really believe in soulmates. There are eight billion people in the world… thinking that there’s just one person out there for you is kind of depressing, don’t you think? The chances of finding your soulmate would be abysmal, basically condemning you to an unfulfilled life.”

Ouch.

I rubbed my chest. My wolf whimpered, and it felt like he was flattening his ears.

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