Page 46 of What a Wolf's Heart Decides

“Whoa. You okay?”

“Yeah.” She studied the toe of her left boot, which was scuffed. Inside, her toes throbbed, and she wiggled them around. “Just wasn’t paying attention.”

“I’ll have to take better care of you. I can’t take you back to Bard injured.”

She looked up, and he was staring down at her. There had been humor in his words, but also something else.

Something softer and more intimate.

Warmth drifted through her, and it wasn’t from the sun.

Danger . . . It would be easy to forget why he wanted her in Elder Lake. Maybe if she hadn’t talked to Glenna, she could even convince herself his interest was genuine.

But it would be a lie. There were a couple highly skilled Trackers at the Lodge—wolves Max used to conduct trials and interrogations whenever a wolf broke the law or got into trouble. As part of her training, she once observed as they questioned a pack member accused of murder. Despite a wealth of circumstantial evidence, neither Tracker could pick up the scent of a lie when they spoke to the accused. When she asked the lead Tracker about it later, he sighed and said, “The most convincing lies are the ones we tell ourselves.”

Ben gazed down at her, the blue sky behind him turning his eyes the same shade.

Could she lie to herself enough to give him a chance?

She broke eye contact and stepped back. “We should get going.” She gestured down the trail.

“Um . . . yeah.” He cleared his throat. “Sure. This way.”

They walked in silence for what felt like forever, the only sounds their breaths and the occasional scrape of a boot on the ground. As the trail steepened, more snow covered the path. A few times, she skirted a deeper patch to avoid getting her boots and pants wet. She was so focused on her footing, she was almost surprised when Ben put out an arm.

“Here. Look.”

She followed the direction he pointed—

—and sucked in a sharp breath. “It’s . . .”

“Stunning, isn’t it?” Satisfaction and pride threaded his tone.

Yeah. He had every right to those emotions, because the swath of land spread before them was breathtaking. A narrow green valley stretched between two mountains, the land dotted with pine trees and snow. Mountains ran the length of either side, their slopes so laden with snow they seemed to groan. It was as if a giant had walked through the mountains, then bent down and scooped out a long trough of rock and ice, leaving a lush furrow. It was like something out of a fairy tale.

Her gaze went to a small cliff that jutted from the nearest mountainside into the valley. “If I owned this land, I’d put a castle right there.”

Ben replied, a smile in his voice, “I’ll tell my dad to get busy building one.”

She jerked her head toward him. “You mean—”

“This is my family’s land.” His eyes were steady as he turned toward her. “I wanted to show you why you should stay.”

The air between them seemed to grow thicker. She swallowed.

Eyes locked on hers, he spoke in a low voice. “I’ve hurt you, and I’m deeply sorry.”

Oh no. This was getting out of hand. “Ben—”

“I owe you an apology, Haley. So does my mom, but she’s too stubborn to admit it.” He drew in a deep breath. “She’s an Alpha’s daughter.” He let out a soft, humorless laugh. “If werewolf society wasn’t stuck in the dark ages, she would have followed in his footsteps.”

He was sincere in his apology. Haley didn’t have a Tracker’s ability to sniff out lies, but his words had the ring of truth. She gave a small laugh of her own. “She managed to be intimidating while holding a stack of pancakes. I’d say that’s pretty impressive.”

His smile eased some of the tension. Then he sobered. “Everyone assumed she would make a powerful match. But against all expectations, she fell in love with my dad and moved to the most isolated, powerless pack in the country.” He looked across the valley, his gaze distant.

“Do they . . . love each other?” It felt like a weird question to ask. The lux catena was supposed to guarantee mates cared for each other. At least that’s what she’d been told as a child. Then she’d met Sophie, who had fled an arranged marriage to be with Remy. Judging from the things Sophie said about her ex-husband, not even a metaphysical bond could have made her love that creep. Although, Sophie had run away from him before they completed their bond.

Before he could force it, more like. Sophie didn’t talk about it much, but Remy had filled in the gaps.

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