Page 52 of Primal

“I can’t imagine how,” she said.

“He’s a shifter. He knows about fated mates. Knows what it means when I found mine in you.”

“Really.”

“So he’s not going to shootmefor taking you away?”

I had to laugh at her playfulness. And it lightened my heart, my mood. Now that I knew she was all in, I could tell her anything. Everything.

It felt so fucking good.

“We’re pack animals. And you were right about Wolf Ranch. Rob Wolf is our alpha.”

“Wow.” Her brows popped. “Cody?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I see your wolf?”

“Of course, sugar.” I closed my eyes and easily shifted, filling her bed with the enormous body of my tan and black wolf.

She gasped, stroking my fur. I nuzzled her hand and laid my head in her lap. She stroked my ears and crooned about how beautiful I was.

My wolf loved showing off. As if by showing her this form would make her part of the pack.

I shifted back. “Tomorrow, sugar. I’ll introduce you to some of the pack.”

24

CODY

I slida plate piled high with loaded nachos in front of Riley. “Sugar, I’m sorry it’s so busy here. I want to give you all my attention and–”

Riley waved away my apology as at least five customers tried to flag my attention. “Don’t worry about me. I like watching you work.”

It was all I could do not to show teeth when some asshole brushed up against her, waving his twenty dollar bill at me.

I was losing the tether on my wolf–he was dying to mark her. Because Riley and I had opposite schedules–she worked and had school during the day, and I worked nights–it wasn’t something we had tons of time for. And I wanted to take my time with her doing this. It was a once-in-a-lifetime thing marking your mate.

I’d planned on taking the night off to make her steaks tonight–a romantic candlelight dinner at my place–but two cocktail waitresses called out sick, leaving Jimmy all by himself to sling drinks. Which meant another date with me on one side of the bar and Riley on the other. Worse, we were slammed. A boisterous group of twenty-five guys on a fishing trip were in the saloon, along with my regulars, and I hadn’t even had a chance to clear Riley’s dinner plate.

I looked over to find her carrying it to the kitchen herself.

It was a simple gesture but thoughtful. Something about it hit me square in the chest. How easily she could fit in. I hadn’t realized I had a mile-wide hole in my life waiting to be filled until I caught her scent.

Tyler had moved out to Wolf Ranch right after high school graduation. I didn’t have empty nest syndrome because it was where he belonged, and I saw him all the time. Until Riley, I’d been perfectly content…withnothing.

My days and nights had consisted of absolutelynothinginteresting. I’d been running this saloon since I got Tyler’s mom knocked up. We tried living together for a few months, but quickly realized we didn’t want to be locked into a fate-less partnership. Anne always dreamed of finding her fated mate, and when she went to the Pack Games in Denver, sure enough, found him.

I’d filled my days with raising Tyler and work. Now, it suddenly seemed like there was so much I’d left unexplored. And I wanted to start exploring it now. Tonight. With Riley.

If only this place would clear out, so I could toss her over my shoulder and go home.

“Cody! Over here.” Someone waved a hand at me.

I couldn’t stand when people called out my name at the bar. As if I wasn’t already making drinks as fast and methodically as I could. As if I’d just chosen to ignore them rather than had my hands completely full.

But I did my usual schtick and lifted my head the man’s way as I reached for a cocktail glass. Damn, I was down to the last row.

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