Page 69 of Entering a New World

I snorted. “I don’t think I could.”

Martin shifted his weight, resting a lot of it on his cane before turning his head back to me. “Don’t make any mistakes, pup, your mate would follow you to the end of this earth. If you wanted him to move, he would.”

I swallowed; the weight of his words, the honesty in them, hitting me full force. Rhett really would move for me. On some level, I’d already known that, but the extent of our bond baffled me time and time again.

Having so much power over someone would take time getting used to.

It was a big responsibility. Something I had to be aware of because the last thing I ever wanted was to hurt him.

“That’s not what I meant,” I told Martin and shook my head. “I meant, I don’t think I could ever steal Rhett away from here because it’d kill him. He loves this place, this pack. He’d be miserable elsewhere.”

Martin nodded in approval, but still raised his eyebrows at me. “Yet you’re still living at the Inn, right? A little bird told me all your belongings were still there.”

Snorting a laugh, I raked my hand through my hair. “A little bird called Mave?”

Martin made a zipping motion in front of his mouth. “I can’t name my sources. Besides, it’s just an observation.”

“But it’s something people noticed?”

Martin shrugged, his eyes tracking a small… holy shit, was that a lion? “Pack’s like family. We’re always up in each other’s business. You’ll have to get used to it. Besides, people care for Rhett.”

I swallowed and nodded, remembering the icy cold that’d spread through my body when Rhett had thought I wasn’t going to live with him. His fear.

I rubbed that spot in my chest where I felt our bond the most. Fuck. I hadn’t realized it was such a big deal. I certainly didn’t want others to believe I was taking Rhett away from the pack. Or that I didn’t take our mating seriously. And, more importantly, I didn’t want Rhett to think that. Not even for a second.

I swallowed a lump in my throat and wrapped my arms around myself as a shiver ran down my spine. The thought of Rhett possibly doubting my commitment to be his mate… it sliced through me like a dagger stabbing me right in the gut.

“I care for Rhett, too,” I told Martin. He was watching me, an unreadable expression on his face, but not a hostile one.

It was the truth. I cared for Rhett, far more than I’d ever thought possible after a few short weeks. He was my mate—and such a good person.

I thought about all the times he’d given me space. All the times he’d reassured me I had options. All the times he’d made sure I was comfortable.

Straightening my shoulders, a plan formed inside my head.

It was time I was the one to reassure my mate and make sure he felt secure in our bond.

And I already knew exactly how to do that.

My heart was beating frantically inside my chest and sweat gathered at my temples. I grabbed the steering wheel tighter, my clammy hands made a little squelching sound around the leather I was holding onto for dear life.

Maybe my plan hadn’t been that great after all.

A giant truck came barreling towards me on the opposite lane, and my nerves spiked, my hands twitching to turn the wheel to avoid crashing into the truck, even though the rational part of me knew I was in my lane and everything would be fine.

The truck passed me with a whoosh, and the street ahead of me was, once again, empty. Void of any cars.

Which was probably for the best.

A quick glance at my phone and my navigation app told me I’d reach the Inn in about two minutes. I honestly couldn’t wait for it, and when I finally pulled into Mave’s driveway and stopped the car right in front of the entrance, a gust of air left my lungs.

Holy shit. I’d actually driven a car. Not just a car, but a ginormous truck. Holy fucking shit.

Resting my forehead on the steering wheel, a mix between a sob and a laugh escaped my throat and tears sprang into my eyes.

I’d done it.

God, I hated driving so much. Like so, so much. As in, this was the first time I’d driven a car ever since I’d gotten my license back when I was sixteen—which was five years ago.

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