Page 66 of Moonlighting with the Werewolf

A pit opened in my stomach, my attempt to ignore Sam’s comments crashing and burning. Had Conall been purposely keeping this from me? Had I thrown myself fully into our relationship only to discover it had an expiration date?

No way.

What would be Sam’s purpose for spinning lies, though?

When I’d called Conall my boyfriend, he was the one who’d taken it to the next level by referring to himself as my mate. He’d also declared it in front of an entire room of werewolves earlier tonight.

Theyhadall gasped in disbelief, come to think of it. Was that why?

Forget my tome on backwoods survival, which had been rather neglected as of late. Time to revisit the bookstore and find a manual on werewolf hierarchy.

Alphas can’t take human mates.

Ugh, I wasn’t going to let some stranger mess with my head. I trusted Conall. He hadn’t given me a reason not to. I lifted my chin and faked my way into confidence, similar to the way I’d done the night I met my alpha werewolf. “Fortunately for us, your approval—or disapproval, as you’ve made crystal clear—doesn’t matter. I’m his mate, and nothing you do or say will change that.”

“Maybe not anythingIdo, but if the Council finds out, they’ll intervene for sure—I’m surprised they haven’t pushed Conall to pick an acceptable mate already. It’s incredibly indulgent onboth sides.” Sam rubbed his fingers along his jaw, as though the wheels in his brain were spinning hard over how unsuitable I was. “Frank’s gonna shit bricks when he finds out you’re the reason Conall refuses to wed his daughter. How long have you been together?”

I peeled off my gloves, stepped on the trash can lever to open the lid, and tossed them inside. “Oh, it’s been exactly...” I ticked off on my fingers, acting as though I was counting it down for him. “Noneof your business.”

A wolfish grin spread across his face. “I’ll find out anyway.”

“Not from me. I don’t discuss my private life with my patients.” For some reason, I felt it was better if he assumed it’d been a while, but maybe that was more my urge to justify how quickly our relationship had progressed. Had Conall fully considered his choices? Was falling for me going to be a detriment to his people?

Don’t go there. It’s what this guy wants.

I leaned my hip against the counter and changed the subject. “How many of your people were hit with arrows leading up to the big attack?”

“Let me get this straight. You won’t answer my questions, but I’m supposed to answer yours?”

I raised my voice. “Hey, Sasquatch, did you want to come in here and help me coax information out of our uncooperative visitor?”

Hinges creaked, and Sasquatch stepped into the open doorway, his large frame taking up every single inch. He crossed his massive arms and pinned the guy on the exam table in place with a heated glare. Panic rolled across Sam’s features, and even though I probably should’ve been above it, a vindicated swirl went through me.

Take that, dude. That’s what you get for telling me I’m a foolish dalliance after I saved your shoulder.

Sam held up his hands in classic surrender posture. “Okay, fine. I’ll tell you. No reason to bring in that guy,jeez.” He eyed Sasquatch as if he expected my bodyguard to leave, and it was all I could do not to hug the guy for his sober temperament as he remained firmly in place. Sam fidgeted in his seat and cleared his throat. “Let’s see... There were two last week and five this week. One of the girls was barely fourteen.”

“How many pulled through?”

Sam gaped at me as if I’d been dropped on my head. “No one survives having silver injected into their bloodstream. Not pups, not teens, and not even the strongest of our species. If one of those arrows hits you, it’s a death sentence.” He fixated on a spot on the wall. “If you’re lucky, you’ve got two to three days to say goodbye to your loved ones, but it’s time spent in pure agony. After seeing how much they suffered, I started to think they’d be better off if the arrows had killed them on impact.”

The strings in my heart tugged, and I considered informing him I’d found a way. But for some reason, my instincts told me to play it close to my chest. What I needed to do was talk to Conall—about Sam and everything he’d said, and about us.

I quickly swapped my lab coat for Conall’s leather jacket, a little too aware of my braless situation. Not that I really required the support, more like a thicker shirt to hide the evidence of not having any, especially with how nippy it’d likely be outside this time of day. Pun totally intended.

Although the memory of why I didn’t have any underwear was enough to keep me nice and toasty.

On my way out of the office, I snagged Sasquatch’s arm, tugged him into the hall—or more accurately, he indulged me by following—and closed the door behind us. “Did you hear what he told me? About alphas not being permitted to marry humans?” At Sasquatch’s reluctant nod, I added, “Is it true?”

Was that pity on his face? If he finally showed me an emotion and it was fucking pity, I was gonna be so pissed. “It’s true that’s what the Council prefers,” Sasquatch said. “Or, more accurately, demands. As long as I’ve known Conall, he’s always proclaimed that anyone who stands on the sidelines while their kind are being slaughtered don’t get a say in how we live our lives. He’s already made his choice, and it’s you.”

“But what if that results in having a target on his back, all because of me?” The fissure that’d formed in my heart shuddered, unsure whether it was about to split deeper or get the chance to knit together. “No wonder everyone in the room gasped. I’m sure that choice affects them, too.”

“Conall’s already declared you his mate. He won’t change his mind, and he sure as hell won’t take it back. He loves you, and there’s no force more powerful on earth than love.” Sasquatch’s statement came out with an undercurrent of sorrow and conviction borne of experience and grief. He placed his hand on my shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze, the light touch enough to eviscerate my resolve to keep my feelings all walled up until I could reach the confines of my car. “He’d battle to the ends of the earth for you. I’d be by his side the entire time, too, as would most of his pack members.”

Tears stung my eyes, and I swallowed the rising lump in my throat. Meeting Conall had changed me inside and out. He’d given me wings, along with a sense of family I’d desperately needed. Not only did he feel like my family, but I’d grown close to Gina, Elias, and Sasquatch as well. Even Nissa, Tyrese, Gideon, and Diego factored into it. Surely, I could win over the rest of the pack eventually.

But could I handle being responsible for their being in danger?

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