Page 27 of Beyond the Grasslands

She waved me off. “I wanted to check on you and see if you needed help getting ready. The movies I’ve watched since we have been here all show friends getting ready for things like dates together.”

“I suppose that is true for humans. Most shifters don’t date, they…” I stopped myself there.

“They have moon-blessed mates they feel an immediate connection with?” Janella finished for me in the form of a question.

“Yeah, that.”

“Well, that’s not true for me and it wasn’t really true for you in the beginning either. So, I think we should make our own traditions.”

“That sounds lovely. What do you think of this outfit?” I stood and spun so that my friend could weigh in on whether the red, knee-length, form-fitting dress I picked for the occasion was a good choice or not.

“You look amazing in that. Don’t be surprised if Thorin tries to seal the deal with you tonight.” Janella waggled her eyebrows at me in a very comical over exaggeration of the gesture that made me laugh.

All thoughts of best friends, evil pack members, goddesses, and issues with moon-blessed mates went out the window the moment Thorin walked up to the door. Janella had already moved inside and even she seemed to appreciate the way he looked. His beard was trimmed close to his face, hair cropped just short as the first time I met him, and his smile was just as enchanting as ever. It was the black dress slack, slick shoes, and button down shirt that hugged his form in all the right placeswhile his sleeves were rolled up his forearms that really gave my mate the wow factor.

His normal attire was more in the realm of jeans and t-shirts or something that was work friendly for whatever the pack needed help with. It was rare to see him dressed up and it made me smile that he put in the effort for me.

“Hey handsome,” I called out.

“I would ask if you’re ready, but you can’t improve on perfection, so I assume so.” Thorin winked as he delivered that equal parts swoon and cheesy line.”

“On that note, I’m going to head to the movies with some of the girls.”

“Have fun, Janella.”

She smiled back at me and then took off out the door before Thorin could speak to her. “She still thinks I’m going to become an inquisitor,” He lamented.

“I know it was necessary, and so does she, but it didn’t sit well that she was the one who had to answer questions about your cousin-”

“Her mate,” Thorin cut me off to interject the obvious.

“Her potential mate - the same man who rejected her,” I corrected back. “It didn’t sit well that she was made to answer questions about their interactions when it should have been him who you questioned.”

“I know. If we could have found him first, it would have been.”

“That doesn’t change the facts, Thorin. Now, you have to deal with the consequences. She doesn’t trust you as much as she did in the beginning.”

My mate sighed. “I think I’m doomed to lose the faith of the women in my life.”

“At least it is in a rotation and not all at once,” I offered in a teasing tone.” Thorin guided me out of my room and down the hall. “Where are we going?”

“Out to dinner in Andersonville.”

“A human town?” I gasped.

He smirked at me and then swatted my hip playfully. “Yes, a human town. We don’t have anything that compares to their candlelit dinners in restaurants that require you to have a reservation to be seated.”

“Oh, so you’re pulling out all the stops to get on my good side?”

“I’d do anything to get, and stay, on your good side, Nika.”

I ducked my head to hide the pleased smile on my face as we made our way out of the pack house and over to the car that waited for us.

Once we were tucked inside the car and on our way, Thorin reached over and plucked my closest hand from my lap and wrapped it into his own. “I know you are still wary of my pack, Nika.” He must have noticed me flinching, because immediately he changed tack a bit. “Maybe that was the wrong way to approach it. I don’t blame you for being wary of them, or anyone, at this point. We still don’t know who this goddess supposedly is, what she wants, or why she targeted my pack or my family specifically.”

“I’ve honestly thought about how maybe she was summoned by that vile bitch you are still holding in the cells.” I shivered again. “While there is nothing to fear from Miriam herself, if the woman managed to summon a demon or even a demigod to do her bidding, then we might be in real trouble. If there truly is a goddess on her side, how long will it be until there are reprisals for keeping that woman locked up?”

“I’ve had the same thoughts.”

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