Page 6 of Witch's Wolf

I lift my hand to cut her off.

“I know, okay? I know. But have you seen the way he looks at me? It’s like he can’t decide whether to devour me or run in the opposite direction.”

She groans, rubbing her temples as she shakes her head.

“Erica, come on. Sam isn’t just some guy at a bar. He’s Raul’s brother. I’m already struggling to fit in with the family. It’s important to Raul and to me. You know Sam already doesn’t like me. He doesn’t trust humans. It’s hard enough as it is.”

“Yeah, we’ve all noticed,” I mutter.

She sighs, dropping her hands to her sides while continuing her stare. I set my suitcase down, the weight becoming too much. Kind of like this entire awkward conversation.

“Now he’s going to lump me in with you,” she says, frustration in her voice and the way she gestures with her hands. “‘I can imagine what he’s thinking.Oh, great. Another dinner with Monica and her impulsive friend.Damn it, Erica, what were you thinking? Couldn’t you just… wait?”

I purse my lips, hating the feeling that I need to apologize. Sure, she’s right, but I’ve got some pride left. I knew hitting on him was a bad idea before I did it, but knowing doesn’t make it hurt any less. It also doesn’t make me want to swallow anymore of what remains of my pride.

“Mon, I’m not sorry I… took a shot. The signs were there. I just… misread the timing.”

She rolls her eyes then stops. She shrugs, shakes her head, then sighs heavily. When she finally speaks, her voice is softer, kinder as she sees things from my side, not just how I fucked her life up.

“I don’t think it’s that he doesn’t like you, Erica. I’m sure he does. But Sam’s… complicated. He doesn’t trust easily, and us being human… he can’t let it go. He’s afraid.”

I let her words sink in. Unbidden and unwanted, the memory of last night is front and center. The way his glare cut through me, his voice sharp and final still rings in my ears. I swallow and push it aside, focusing on Monica to try and lessen the aching in my heart.

“Afraid of what?” I ask around the lump in my throat. “I won’t hurt him. Hell, I just wanted to… you know.”

“It’s not that. Shifters, they don’t… you know this. He’s afraid of you leaving,” she says. “You walking away from a one-night stand, like he thinks I’m going to do to Raul. Like every other human he’s ever known has done.”

That stings more than I’m ever going to admit. I can’t stand here with her judging eyes, no matter how nice she’s making her words. I pick up my suitcase and nod toward the porch.

“Do me a favor, will you? Don’t tell Stacy about any of this. It’s bad enough already and you know how she’ll be.”

Stacy’s probing questions and smug smirks are the last thing I need right now. I can practically hear her.‘Did you really think Sam would fall for you?’Monica mimes locking her lips and tossing the key.

“Consider my lips sealed.”

I offer her a small, grateful smile and make my way inside. But even as I try to push the conversation aside, the pit in my stomach remains, pulsing with an empty ache. This afternoon, I’ll have face Sam again. The man who ran from me last night like I was a fire too dangerous to get close to.

And this time, I won’t have the relative safety of an empty dressing room to hide in. I’ll be exposed to whatever he wants to say or do. I’ll be vulnerable and, what if he decides to call me out in front of everyone? I swallow hard.

I guess I’ll just have to take it. If he’s going to call me out, fine. I’ll deal with it. But he can be scared or mean or whatever. I’m still interested and I won’t let him scare me away.

4

SAM

“You’re not staying for dinner?”

Raul’s tone is neutral, but there’s no mistaking the look in his eyes, betrayal and disappointment. Dinner is a family occasion in his mind. It doesn’t matter if we all agree or not. It’s not for me. Ray, Nora, and Raul, my Alpha, are my family. The humans are not.

“No, not this time,” I say, keeping my voice carefully even.

I turn away, the weight of his unspoken questions settling on my shoulders like an ache I can’t quite shake. Sadness creeps in, slow and insidious, like smoke curling under a door. The last thing I want is to disappoint him. An empty chair at the table isn’t just a gap in the seating arrangement. For him it’s a wound. A tear in our family structure. He doesn’t see it, but the humans are his choice, not mine.

Still, I get it. It’s in our nature as shifters to want our pack close. I felt that same hollow ache when Nora left for two weeks. We all knew where she’d gone, off to Miami, basking in the sun andplaying tourist. And still, her absence gnawed at us more with each passing day. But this… this is different.

Raul doesn’t understand that staying here could mean trouble. Not just for me, but for the woman whose name and scent lingers in my thoughts far more than I’d like. Erica Connors. I exhale sharply, trying to push her from my mind.

I’m not one for arguments. To me, they’re nothing more than a contest to see who can shout the loudest. Two people tossing words like stones until someone either bleeds or walks away. It’s an alpha game, and that’s not who I am. I don’t see that there’s any point in that kind of mess. Besides, it’s better to spare Erica the frustration and myself the chaos.

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