Page 46 of Salvation

Fate. A four-letter word as far as he was concerned.

Soren motioned toward the café with his mug. Anna was in there, helping Jessica with the morning shift.

“You have to tell her. You have to explain about who we are. What we are. What it means for her.”

He’d have told Soren to take a hike if it weren’t for the fact that he’d given his cousin the same lecture years ago when the tables were turned. And Christ, it had taken ages for Soren to finally tell Sarah.

Todd slumped over the table they sat at in the closed saloon. Yes, Anna was his mate. Yes, she was amazing. And yes, he could barely stand letting her step out of his sight this morning. That part was easy to understand.

The hard part was being honest — not just about being a shifter, but about other things, too. Like the truth about Teddy. So far, he hadn’t told Anna because it wasn’t the kind of thing you blurted out to a perfect stranger.By the way, let me tell you the long, sad story about how I came to be the father of a child I will never be able to call my own.You just didn’t do that kind of thing.

But a woman you were serious enough about to wantforeverwithhadto know that kind of thing. And crap — things had moved so quickly between them that he hadn’t really had a chance to explain. He really ought to have told her before last night.

“I know I have to tell her,” he said. “The question is how.”

And that was just one part of it. The other was the even bigger picture. He still couldn’t figure out whether fate was actually giving him a choice or just fucking with him again.

A choice.His bear nodded firmly.

Fucking with me,his human side said.

“And what about…” he started, then trailed off.

“What about what?” Soren asked.

He shook his head. No, he wasn’t going to say the next part aloud. But he sure as hell couldn’t help thinking it. Maybe Anna was better off without him. Humans didn’t spend a lifetime longing for their mates the way shifters did. Sure, humans fell in love, but they fell out just as easily. Even if she was okay with the bear part — and Christ, how would he ever explain that? — and even if she agreed to be his mate, she’d be stuck forever with a bear who was all scarred up. He could hardly hear—

Can hear her perfectly,his bear cut in.

Sure, he heard her. But that was about all he heard. He’d nearly gotten run over by a car the other day, and the driver had shaken a fist at him like he was some kind of idiot not to get out of the way. That’s what she’d be stuck with. A half-deaf guy with a half-functioning hand.

She sure didn’t seem to mind last night.

He scowled.It wasn’t about making her feel good—

It isn’t?

He rolled his eyes, but his bear persisted.Like Uncle Connor used to say. Love is making your mate happy, because that makes you happy, too.

Todd sighed. He was pretty sure Uncle Connor hadn’t been talking about sex.

We can make her happy in lots of other ways, too.

The problem was, he’d bet lots of guys could make her happy.

Who?his bear demanded.Someone like that ass, Jeff?

No, like any one of the half-dozen guys who eyed her closely whenever she walked by. Who wouldn’t look? The way she moved, the way she spoke. The way her eyes smiledintoyou like you were someone special and not just anyone—

Maybe she just does that for us.

Todd shook his head. There had to be at least four guys hanging out in the café right now, shooting Anna smiles and chatting her up every chance they got. A constant stream of wolf shifters rotated through the café since Ty Hawthorne had stepped up the watch system — ostensibly to keep an eye on things. But Todd knew that most of those guys took that to mean keeping a close eye on the women — especially the unmated ones. And there were all those overfriendly human customers, too.

“Man, don’t make the mistake I did,” Soren said.

He looked up warily.

“Don’t let your mate go.” Soren’s face grew somber. “I nearly lost Sarah.” His voice was low and gritty. “I nearly lost everything.”

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