Page 11 of The Dancer

With a bow of his head and slumped shoulders, he walks away. My carefree brother will blame himself for what happened today, even though he was clearly taken for a fool. He is much harsher on himself than his outward appearance betrays. I will be having words with Tyler later. He needs to make better decisions. He’s only eighteen and being led in the wrong direction already.

“Linda, let’s head home. I don’t want any other incidents,” Quinn says before removing her hand from my head.

My wolf prowls after her, tracking her every step until we reach the front door of the house she is currently staying in.

“I would tell you to go home, but I know you’ll be creeping outside my window later tonight. I need some time, Elias.” Quinn says nothing else before entering the building and closing the door in my face.

I want to howl at the injustice. How can I have found my fated mate after all these years of waiting, and I can’t have her?She doesn’t even feel the same pull toward me that I feel for her.

My wolf doesn’t allow me to shift back to my human form. I know he is agitated and frustrated, just like I am. Turning toward the woods, I let my frustration out, allowing my wolf to run. My paws hit the dirt, fresh air filling my lungs, and the sounds of nature filter into my ears. The last vestiges of the setting sun barely make it through the leaves of the overhead trees. I run and run for hours until my muscles ache and my wolf is tired before we turn around and head back to the pack. The sky is inky back, dotted with millions of stars.

I know I should head to my own house and give Quinn the space she so desperately craves, but my feet still carry me toward her bedroom window. Surprise hits me when I notice the window is open, the pane pushed to the top. It is hot and humid at this time of year, and I know that is the reason my mate has the window open. She is probably hoping a breeze will blow in and cool her heated skin.

But I am not going to let an opportunity go to waste. My wolf vaults through the window before landing on the carpet inside her room. Taking a moment, I orient myself. Quinn is lying on the covers in a pair of white sleep shorts and a baby-pink strappy top. I breathe in her scent before lying down beside her bed on the floor, content to simply be close to her.

Chapter Nine

Quinn

I’ve been awake for five minutes, a stupid smile spread across my face. On the floor beside my bed is the most enormous black wolf I have ever seen, snoring loudly, lying on his back. I felt the mate bond yesterday when I touched Elias, but I’m still unsure how to proceed.

Elias makes me feel safe, protected, and special.

I want to take the chance and jump at what he is offering, but my fear still holds me back. Slipping my hand off the edge of the bed, I run my nails along his stomach to his chest. His eyes flutter open, and I momentarily lose myself in the amber pools.

“You broke into my room,” I say in a whisper. The wolf huffs, and I smile. “Can I talk to you?”

Elias’s wolf rolls over to his stomach before I see the shimmer of his change fall over him. It takes moments before Elias crouches before me in his human form. His skin is a tan, golden brown. The ink he has on his arms that entranced me mere days ago extends up his arms and meets on his back between his shoulder blades.

He stares at me with lust and hope scrolled across his features.

“Morning.” His voice is deep and gravelly, and I wonder if that is how it always sounds in the morning. “I didn’t break in. You left the window open.”

I want to laugh at the fact he feels the need to point that out. But we need to have a more serious conversation. Slipping from the bed, I grab a towel hanging from my door and hand it to him.

“Please cover yourself,” I murmur, not looking at him.

I am already on edge and aroused simply because he is here. Having to look at him naked is liable to have me spreadingmy legs like a bitch in heat. His footsteps draw closer before he takes the towel. The rustle of fabric has me wanting to turn back to him, but I remain, firmly facing the door.

“I’m decent. Sort of,” he rasps in my ear.

The heat of his body behind mine has me wanting to push my ass back against his groin. I know he is aroused. There was no way to keep his erection hidden from sight before I looked away. I slip away, sit on the edge of the bed, and stare up at him.

“I felt the mate bond yesterday.”

Shock crosses his features before he falls to his knees before me. He says nothing, he simply lays his head in my lap. This massive man. One of the most powerful Alphas in the world on his knees. For me.

I thread my fingers through his hair, playing with the length, waiting for him to say something. We stay like that for long minutes before he finally pulls away.

“What does that mean?” he asks. “I don’t want to pressure you, but I am losing my ever-loving mind having to be apart from you.”

“I know this isn’t what you had in mind when you found your mate, neither did I. But I can’t just jump into this. I have some issues trusting men, and my mind and soul are at war right now.”

“Did someone hurt you?”

The flash of yellow in his eyes has me cupping his face in my hands. The man may be protective of me already, but his beast is downright homicidal.

“No.” I shake my head vehemently. “But my mom…”

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