Page 188 of Secret Shifters Next Door

“My dragon was difficult to ignore, that’s for sure,” Tate agreed.

Steff took a deep breath, rubbed at his face, then rested his elbows on his knees and looked me in the eyes. “Look, bro. I’m about to say something, and I don’t know how you’re going to react. But it needs to be said.”

I frowned. “Okay. I can take it.”

“Liz was a bitch and a whore. There I said it.” Tate made a hissing sound, but Steff waved him off. “I’m fucking serious. Miles, you’re one of the best guys I know. You loved that girl,gave her your entire heart, did everything she wanted, and made plans for the future. How did she repay that? By sitting on that dude’s dick the first chance she got. I don’t use this word very often, but that’s slut behavior if I ever heard it. If you ask me? She wanted to knock boots with the next alpha so she could be his little pack queen. Fuck you and your feelings. You can forgive her for that if you want, but I won’t. Especially now that we’ve seen how much she fucked your head up.”

Steff leaned back and crossed his arms, waiting for my response. I’d wanted to bite back when he first started talking about her like that. How crazy was it that I still wanted to defend her? The woman I loved had fucked someone else. I’d walked in on her, begging him to go harder and faster. She’d pissed on my heart, and here I was twenty years later still wanting to defend her? How pathetic was I?

I nodded to Steff. “You’re right. I’m scared, though.”

“Scared of what?” Blayne asked. “It’s time to put it behind you. You were eighteen when that went down. Plenty of years in between to put it in the rear view.”

“Right, but what if that screwed me up so bad that I fuck up whatever relationship I end up having with Celina? Am I going to be some possessive, jealous asshole? So insecure that the first time I see her even talk to another guy, I decide she’s probably banging him behind my back? That’s a great way to push someone away. She already seems shy and innocent, and, in the short time I’ve spent in her presence, I can tell she’s easily rattled. I’d hate for her to hate me, or even worse, fear me.”

“Listen…” Tate said, “…you’re worrying about something that probably won’t happen. Miles, you are basing all these fears and objections on a situation that happened when you were a kid. You are a grown ass man now, more mature, and more in control of your feelings and actions. You aren’t ruled by your hormones and emotions like you were back then. I guarantee ifthe same thing happened now, you wouldn’t attack the alpha’s son. You’d be able to control yourself. I have no doubt that the same control will make sure you don’t screw things up with this woman.”

Steff added, “You are an alpha. All four of us are. We’re protective by nature, especially with our mates, but we aren’t protective to the point of treating them like a possession, like something we own instead of a partner we live with. Out of all of us, you are the most level-headed. You’re a natural born leader, which is why we almost always defer to you on business matters and other stuff. Avoid the drama Tate and I went through, and you’ll be fine.”

Everything they’d said made sense and spoke to me in a way my own thoughts didn’t. They seemed to have more faith and trust in me than I had in myself. I had to dig my teeth into the inside of my cheek to keep my emotions at bay. It was good to know what my friends thought of me, and that it was all good.

Letting my vulnerability show, I asked, “What happens if I do pursue her and give her everything I have to give, but she rejects me anyway?”

Tate swore under his breath. “Bro, I never hit women. I’m not that kind of dude. That said, if this Liz chick was here right now? I’d slap the hell out of her for what she did to your head, man.”

Blayne finally spoke up. “She won’t reject you. That’s not something you need to worry about.”

I looked at him like he was crazy. “What do you mean?”

He shrugged. “It’s fated. She was meant for you. The spell forced you together, but it was fate that chose her. Why would fate choose someone who would reject you? The only way that happens is if you force her to.”

Steff and Tate nodded. The logic made sense—too much sense to really argue against. There was still one problem. A problem I wasn’t sure how to get past.

“She leaves in less than two weeks, though.”

Blayne shrugged and looked unconcerned. “Looks like you better move fast.”

Despite my worry, I laughed at that. “Okay. Got it. I guess I need to turn down this job that came in, huh?”

Tate nodded. “I’ll take care of letting them know and tell them we’re booked solid. I’ll recommend a few other companies that can handle it.”

I couldn’t remember a time when I’d ever turned a job down. It simply wasn’t like me. Since we started the company, I’d always been a little bit of a workaholic. But my priorities have changed. Now all I could think of was Celina and how to make things work with her.

The team had started to arrive, so we left our conversation at that. Even though we’d talked out all the stuff I needed to let out, I still had a lot to think about. After finishing my coffee, I left the guys in the break room and decided to work from home for the day. There was too little time left for me to spend half the day in the office. Who knew when Celina would cross my path again?

Blayne’s comment about fate came to fruition when I pulled into my spot at the apartment complex. Celina was trudging across the parking lot, her arms once again loaded with bags. I was beginning to think she had something against driving. It seemed like she enjoyed walking everywhere. She was struggling like the last time. I hopped out of my car and locked it before hustling over to her.

I was about six feet from her when I said, “Can I help?”

She jumped and squealed. “Jesus!”

“Sorry,” I said with a self-conscious grimace, “Let me get that.” Without hesitation, I took all her bags from her arms. I couldn’t figure out why she was so skittish. Every time I saw her, I either startled or surprised her.

She put a hand to her chest and took a shaky breath. “How the hell are you so quiet?”

She wasn’t wrong. I was a wolf and naturally covert and silent, even when running. The only one more quiet than me was Blayne. Steff and Tate were fast and powerful, but bears and dragons weren’t known for their stealth. The fact that she had noticed had my wolf preening as if it was a compliment. As an answer, I simply shrugged and gave a rueful smile.

Celina shook her head and turned away from me. “I can’t figure it out,” she whispered to herself.

---