Page 31 of The Way We Were(wolf)

“You did not.”

“Huh.” She shrugged and then rose to her feet.

“Where did you find this rope?” he grunted as he worked to get free, but the rope was so thick he could barely get his palm around it.

“From that box.” She pointed to the compartment on the four-wheeler. “My uncle must use it for hunting or something. I dunno.”

He wanted to be mad at her, but frankly, he was impressed. And seeing this side of her…he kinda liked it. This was the Lucy he’d hoped to see, the fearless heroine he knew she could be. She stood like a warrior, her hands on her hips, bathed in the single beam of moonlight that shone on her.Moonlight…wait!Okay, he was back to being mad because he needed to get the heck out of this booby trap and into the woods.

“Lucy, you’ve gotta let me go. I… This is for your own good. You need to let me outta here.” He rolled back and forth, pulling his arms and legs in opposite directions, attempting to break free. Any minute now, he was going to have the strength to snap this rope like a twig. The teeth to shred it like parmesan at Olive Garden. And then, there’d be nothing to keep him from doing the same to Lucy.

“I don’t need a lecture on what’s good for me.” She walked a lazy circle around him, kicking stray pinecones with her boot as they got in the way. “You’re the one who helped me see that. I know what’s good for me. It’syou, silly.”

“I won’t be good for you in a couple minutes.” At least, he assumed it would be a couple minutes. He was actually surprised—and thankful—he hadn’t already shifted. He’d never been so thankful for a cloudy night.

“And do you know what I think?” she asked, ignoring his last comment. “I thinkI’mgood foryou.”

“I agree. One hundred percent. You’re the best thing I’ve ever had in my life.”

“Then why would you push me away?!” If he thought his roar earlier was loud, it had nothing on Lucy’s scream. “Eric, talk to me. Whatever is going on, let me help you.” She crouched near his head, her soft hand cradling his jaw as the pad of her thumb caressed his cheek. “You have to know I’m here for you—through anything. So, whatever it is…let me help you like you helped me. That’s what you do when you love someone.”

Eric’s head dropped to the ground, crunching leaves with the plop. There they were, the words he’d hoped to hear from her…until a couple nights ago, when he’d realized he had to leave. Because love wasn’t enough.

“You can’t love me.”

“That’s not true,” she said matter-of-factly. “I mean, I already do.”

The rhyme took him back to the time they first met, and his chest ached with the memory. They’d never have the chance to make new ones. “No, Lucy. You can’t love me because I’m not who you think I am.”

“Again, not true.”

He rolled his head to the side, once again watching the moonlight dance on her soft skin. “Lucy, I’m a—”

“Werewolf,” she said with a shrug. “I know.”

He blinked slowly once. And then again. Mostly to keep his eyes from bugging out of his head. And to give him a second to process what the blazes Lucy had said.

“You know?!”

“Yeah.” She waved her hand in the air.

“But…how?” He thought he’d done a pretty good job hiding it, but maybe Nathan was right that he’d be the one to rat them out.If only Nathan could see me now, in all my hogtied glory.

“It’s not your fault,” she blurted. “I didn’t put the pieces together until a few minutes ago. But as soon as I did, I just knew I had to follow you.”

“Most people would have stayed away from me once they knew.”

“But I’m not most people.”

“No,” he whispered, reaching a hand to touch her face, pulling his other hand and both feet with it. “You’re definitely not.”

“Besides, I read enough stories about your type…from your super-speed to your super-healing…it hit me like a bolt of lightning.”

“I thought you read love stories.”

“I do,” she said with a nod. “Paranormallove stories.”

Well, that would have been helpful to know a few weeks ago.

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