Page 50 of Watch Me Burn

Until now.

I’ve never seen him look so furious. If he was in his wolf form, I’d think he’d need a muzzle. From the way he’s baring his teeth at the smaller shifter to how his body’s gone tight as though he’s only just managing to hold himself back from attacking James, Conall is pissed—and he’s pissed at the other male.

Because of me?

Is this reaction because ofme?

Considering James slants his eyes toward me before bolstering his nerve, it just might be.

“But,” and poor James’s voice is closer to a high-pitched chitter even as he is brave enough not to back down before Conall’s more dominant wolf, “she doesn’t have your bite on her.”

“Doesn’t matter,” is his flat response.

“It does,” insists the rat shifter. “Until she’s been marked and mated, she can choose any male to bond with.”

“No she can’t,” and that time, Conall snarls again. “She can’t because she’s not just my prospective mate, Jim. She’s my fated mate.”

What?

CHAPTER 16

RED

Like roaches after the light’s been turned back on, those two loaded words—fated mate—have the power to make our audience scatter.

I didn’t realize how many villagers slipped out of their cottages to catch the entertainment until Conall’s snarl sent the prey shifters scurrying back inside. With my quick glimpse, I don’t think I saw any vampires or their donors, though that makes sense. In Dyea, the vampires keep themselves separate from both each other and the rest of us. It’s the prey shifters who make up their own pack, and though Conall seems to think he’s a lone wolf, he’s definitely the Alpha for the rest of the sanctuary.

Take James. He fought a good fight. He must’ve really been desperate to have any kind of his mate in order to go up against Conall as long as he did. Makes sense. It’s gotta be lonely in Dyea where there are so few options. As far as I know, there are only a couple of mates pairs in the village, and they sought sanctuary together. I don’t think anyone has found their mate with one of the others who were already here.

Has that changed?

Fated mate.

Fated. Mate.

I know what that means. I remember the conversation we had during our first trip through the caves pretty freaking vividly. Conall explained that wolf shifters in particular get one mate. They can choose to wait for their fated partner as long as it takes, or they can choose another partner and bond that partner to them for life.

He made it clear he wouldn’t settle for any less than his fated mate. The more and more I started to fall for him, the more I had to remind myself that it was useless. Wanting a guy like Conall was like falling for a celebrity. You could fantasize over him, but then reality sets in and you know it’s never, ever gonna happen.

How could it? He told me he would know his fated mate the moment they met. His nose would recognize her scent, and his heart would justknowthat she was meant for him.

It can’t be me. Itcan’t. Because if it was? Why the fuck has he kept it a secret from me these last couple of weeks?

I remember how I blew it off when Paola made her comments at the canteen. How I thought it was weird that Conall pissed outside of my house, or suggested I take the one closer to his if I needed some space from Elise… Jesus,Elise. How often has he shown that he was jealous of her, only to start changing his long-held grudges against vampires because my best friend is one?

He tried to feed me. He stalked me all over the village, as though eager to keep me safe. Me. Not the rest of the sanctuary, butme.

Because he meant it when he said that he would know it when he found his fated mate.

And then?—

I’ll just have to wait until my mate eventually recognizes that we’re fated to be together.

Oh my God. Is that what he’s been doing? Waiting for me to figure it the hell out?

Well, guess what, Conall? I think I just did.

Luckily for my wolf, I’m a very decisive witch. When I want something, I go for it. To me, Conall was off-limits because he sent out the signal that I couldn’t be his mate.

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