Page 13 of My Mate

“You need to keep her well away from temptation,” Lucinda said.

“Casey?”

“She is a wolf. Her wolf is there, but it needs to come out on its own.”

Dex frowned. “Why are you telling me this?”

“I see two paths. One path is filled with love, a future, and hope. The second path is nothing but pain, loss, and an end to all things you hold dear.”

Whatever she held in her second palm disintegrated into dust, and she waved it in the wind.

“What happened?”

“Casey stumbled into my zone. I have no problem with the pack coming to see me, but I do not offer magic. I cannot and will not help her. She needs to figure this out on her own,” she said, then turned around as if to walk away.

“Wait, stop.”

“I do not have to do as you tell me, at least not yet,”Lucinda said, and she stopped anyway and looked at him.

“She is a wolf?”

“Of course she is a wolf.”

“Will her wolf … appear?”

Lucinda didn’t say a word. “I will not say anything that could ruin the future. There are still two outcomes. It is not up to me to decide, it is up to you and her.”

With that, she turned on her heel and Dex frowned. “You know this is not very helpful—leaving little tidbits that don’t really tell me what is going on.”

He could already hear her saying,“It is not my job to tell you everything I mean.”

Dex blew out a breath, and then headed into his home, only to find it empty. His parents were probably in town, mingling, having a date, or helping the pack. He had a long day of storing the wood, and he was tired and hungry.

Entering the kitchen, he saw a note from his mom stating that his food was in the microwave. He hated microwaved food, and he opened it up to find pasta. Now he was pleased he didn’t just go ahead and heat the damn thing up. The pasta would have tasted like rubber.

His mother very rarely coated the pasta in sauce, and this time was no exception. There was just a nice dollop of sauce on top. He transferred his food to a bigger bowl and stirred it all together. Grabbing a fork, he carried his food to the window and looked out toward the spot where Lucinda had stood. It was rare to see her. She didn’t venture out too often from her space in the forest.

If there was a chance Casey could change into a wolf, he knew he needed to help her. He didn’t like the potential outcome of their future. One was happy, the other was a course of pain and misery. How? What? And who?

Lucinda wouldn’t help him. She’d only give him clues andlittle riddles and he wasn’t in the mood to try and figure them out.

Go and find her.

His wolf spoke clearly through his mind, and he finished up his food, quickly. There was no need to leave a note, and he left his home, heading out into the forest, picking up Casey’s scent just like he did every single time. She loved being in the forest.

He lost count of the number of times he found her, either sitting among the earth, staring up at the sky, swimming in the small lake, or dancing. She loved to dance.

He kept his movements slow, taking his time so he could sneak up on her. This time, he found her in the lake.

When they were kids, they were told stories of a sea creature living in the lake, wanting to eat children’s toes. It was all a big joke around Halloween, and his father would be waiting for that kid that tended to think he wasn’t afraid of anything. Of course, he’d always been that kid. The first time it happened, Dex had been terrified, but then he’d laughed it off.

Since then, it was a good prank to play on people. Standing at the edge of the forest gave him a clear sight of Casey, and he saw her pile of clothes as well as her shoes. Even though he was quite a distance away, he saw she still had on a bra and panties. This pair was a pretty blue set, which he might have already snuck a glance at.

“You don’t have to sneak,” Casey said.

This is what he didn’t get. Casey hadn’t changed into a wolf, yet her senses were some of the best of the pack. He snuck, and he was legendary for going undetected. Even his father had been impressed with his ability to move without being seen or heard. And yet, Casey wasn’t a wolf. He also knew she was able to scent as well.

“I’m not sneaking.”

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