Page 12 of Fated to the Wolf Prince

“Ahh, well, I guess he couldn’t excuse just a handful of you, then, could he?”

“No, he wouldn’t. He wants us all mated and making little wolf pups.”

I chuckled at the thought and couldn’t help my gaze wandering over to Gracelyn, the heavily pregnant she-wolf. I couldn’t imagine myself mated, let alone pregnant and beaming.One problem at a time, Brielle.

“So, tell me about yourself. How was the trip?” Gael broke the ice, and I was grateful that I didn’t have to think too hard.

“It was good, but long. I enjoy flying for the most part, but Leigh’s a big chicken, so she tries her best to stay tipsy.”

His eyebrows shot up, and he glanced a few seats over, where Leigh was leaning forward, showing off her cleavage in a low-cut tank top to a shaggy-haired, blond wolf. They’d make very blond babies together who could be on surfer magazines.

He snorted, and I realized belatedly that I’d said the last bit out loud. “Sorry. What about you? Are you local, or…?”

He nodded. “Yes, we’ve lived here for two years. Mostly it’s quiet. We’ve been trying to build good pack infrastructure, so we started with the lodge and clearing some nice hiking trails. We’ve also got some wolves in community-outreach positions, so we can ensure we keep up a good reputation with the locals.”

“Community outreach, that’s smart. What do you consider to be—”

A sharp, shrill whistle cut me off midsentence. “Oh, well, then,” I stammered to a stop.

He gave me a brief smile and stuck out his hand dutifully. No sooner did my palm graze his than he winced and pulled it back. I barely even felt the warmth of skin on skin, and I couldn’t help but frown.

“Gael, why—”

“I’d better get a move on. Your next wolf is already waiting.” He nodded and left abruptly, leaving me confused. Why hadn’t he wanted to touch me? It was literally the whole point of this exercise, and… My brain went into a full spiral. Did he find me so repulsive, he couldn’t even bear ahandshake?

I knew as a psi I would be an undesirable mate for a strong alpha, but it still hurt. I was just a person. My intestines were trying to tie themselves into a knot, but I shoved the embarrassment and confusion down as the next male wolf sat.

He was shorter and narrower than Gael, with a thinner face, but very kind eyes. When I sucked in a steadying breath, the scent of clean linen and something medicinal and herby washed over me that I couldn’t place. Nothing that compared to Kane’s intoxicating cinnamon-orange scent, but not offensive either.

“Hi there, I’m Xander. What’s your name?”

“Hi, Xander, I’m Brielle.” I forced a smile, and pushed thoughts of Gael’s oddness out of my mind. If I spent my time worrying about Kane’s pack and its idiosyncrasies, I’d be here all dadgum day.

“Beautiful name for a beautiful woman. I’m from Washington. How about yourself?”

The hour passedin a swiftly churning blur of faces, each handsome in its own right. First was Xander, then Ober, a surfer dude who was, amusingly, scared of the ocean—James, Brett, Steven—I met them all, and I’d be hard-pressed to pick them out of a lineup, besides the quick mental snapshots I was trying desperately to take.

It seemed to be a divine law that there were no ugly shifters, though none of the men I met called to me like Kane, the next row over and tantalizingly out of reach for the whole hour. I did not let myself look his way again, though my wolf sulked at the back of my mind, unwilling to so much as sniff any of the men who clasped hands with me, one after the other after the other. Finally, Gracelyn let out two short, sharp whistles to signal the end of the hour and the beginning of a fifteen-minute break. I breathed a short sigh of relief and shook hands with the handsome shifter across from me—Kevin? I thought it was Kevin.

“It was lovely speaking with you, Brielle. I’d be interested to take you kayaking, if ever you’ve got some free time.”

“Umm, sure. Let’s see if they give us any free time.” I forced a chuckle, and held out my hand. His fingers wrapped around mine carefully but firmly, just the right amount of pressure to invoke a feeling of friendly familiarity, but just as with all the others—save Gael, who wouldn’t deign to touch me—there were no fireworks and no spark. I could see the disappointment in his eyes, and couldn’t help but wonder what was wrong with me, that Ididn’tfeel disappointed?

I pushed back my chair, glad to stretch my legs, and met Leigh’s eyes. She jerked her head to the side, and I quickly made my excuses to Kevin and followed her over to get Shay, who looked withdrawn and pale.

“Shay, are you okay? What’s wrong?”

She just shook her head, refusing to speak or meet our eyes, keeping them fixed on her hands, clasped in her lap.

“Come on, sweetie, you need some fresh air.” Leigh reached for her arm to help her up and out of her seat, but she flinched back and closed her eyes. Leigh froze, and I dropped down onto my heels so I could look up at her.

“Shay, look at me, please.”

She blew out a long breath through her nose before finally opening her eyes again.

“It’s just me and Leigh. I’m completely over this and ready to get some pheromone-free air. How about you?”

She gave me the smallest of nods, but wouldn’t hold my gaze.

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