Page 30 of Run Free

Clara

Chapter 18

I had seen Gage walking over, but Dave had said something to distract me. When I looked back, Gage was gone. I excused myself and went to find my mate.

He was sitting alone on the grassy bank of the lake, mostly hidden by the shrubs landscaping the area.

“Hey,” I said.

He didn’t look up, just threw a rock into the water, watching the ripples it created. “Hey,” he finally said. He sounded sad and I wanted to do whatever I could to take it away.

“Rough day?” I asked, sitting next to him.

“Nah. Actually, Chelsea and I managed to finish everything on the list. Zoo’s done, except the elephants.”

I sighed. “Do you want to oversee the elephants?”

He shook his head. “No. For whatever reason, everyone feels Rick should finish what he started.”

I knew something was wrong. I had no idea what, but I could feel it in my bones. I reached out my hand and placed it on his arm. He shuddered, and the tension in his body eased. I loved knowing I had that effect on him.

“What’s wrong, Gage?” I asked.

He shook his head and turned to give me a half smile. “It’s nothing, angel. Don’t worry about me.”

I snorted. “Really? Because that’s like telling the sun not to shine. I’m going to worry, Gage, especially when you pull away from me.”

“I’m not,” he protested.

“You are. What’s wrong? I need you to talk to me.” I didn’t like feeling vulnerable, but I needed to know what was going on through his head.

He turned back towards the water and skipped another rock across the still surface. I was certain he wasn’t going to talk to me. I sighed in frustration and started to move to leave.

“Is there something between you and Dave?” he finally asked.

I was glad I wasn’t drinking, because I would have spit it out everywhere. I could tell he was serious, so I tried not to laugh. “Me and Dave? No, never. Gage, he’s human,” I said. I knew there were shifters that liked humans, even preferred them due to the lack of strings and complexity, but that had never been me.

“So? Shifters can be with humans. We’re all compatible, doc,” he said.

“I know that,” I said, sitting back down next to him. I shrugged. “I’ve never thought of a human in that way before. Certainly not Dave! He’s my friend, Gage, that’s it. I’ve dated some, sure, but, well, I’ve never actually, uh, been with anyone else,” I told him honestly.

The look on his face told me he was shocked. I didn’t understand why. Wouldn’t he have noticed? My face flushed red and I buried my face in my hands. Still he said nothing.

I couldn’t take his silence any longer. I dared a peek. He was still staring at me, his jaw slightly open as he puzzled out what I had just confessed.

“I thought you knew,” I blurted out, and a wide smile spread across his face.

“Never?” he asked, still in shock.

“Never,” I said. “Can we please change the subject? Besides, you’re my mate, Gage. You. Only you. I couldn’t possibly do that with anyone else.”

He relaxed some. “The bond doesn’t guarantee monogamy, angel.”

I looked at him like he had two heads. “Yeah it does. Our wolves mate for life. They could never stray like that.”

He sighed and looked back across the water. “My parents were bonded. My mother was not faithful.”

My eyes went wide as I understood what he was saying. “Oh. I’m so sorry, Gage. I can’t even imagine. Were they true mates?”

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