Page 4 of Christopher

“That’s what I’d like to know,” a cool voice said.

Chris turned to find a blond man wearing a suit glaring at him. The man was handsome, with his hair slickly parted and a square jaw, but there was a coldness in his eyes that told Chris he didn’t want anything to do with the guy.

To be fair, he wasn’t sure he wanted anything to do with his mate, either. He still had no fucking idea what was happening.

“I’m sorry,” Drake said. “He’s a friend of a friend, and he needs my help.”

“What?” the snotty blond man asked.

Normally, Chris would stay out of whatever this was, but he didn’t like the blond. “I do need his help,” he confirmed.

His mate blinked up at him and smiled.

It went straight to Chris’s heart, making it race in his chest. He’d just met his mate.

The thought was enough to calm him down and freak him out at the same time. What was he supposed to do with a mate? He’d barely ever had relationships. He was only twenty-eight, which was young for a shifter.

He should have expected to meet his mate, considering the mess the rest of his life was. Of course this was when he’d meet the guy.

He didn’t know what to do with the man, but it was clear that his mate wanted nothing to do with the blond, and Chris agreed.

He gently shook off his mate and wrapped his arm around his shoulders. His mate squeaked, but he leaned closer almost instantly.

The blond didn’t seem happy. “What are you doing?” he demanded to know. “You’re on a date with me. Who is this guy, and why is he holding you like that?”

“Like he said, I’m a friend of a friend,” Chris said with more patience than he felt. “We talked a bit on the phone, but we’d never met. We would’ve realized we’re mates sooner if we had.”

Chris’s mate sucked in a breath while the blond continued staring. Normally, that would be enough to get anyone to step back, but clearly, Chris had found the one asshole who didn’t seem to care that someone had met their mate.

“I don’t believe you.”

“Do I look like I care what you believe? Because I don’t. He’s my mate, and that’s that.” Chris hoped he wouldn’t regret announcing that in the middle of the coffee shop. He didn’t think any of the tiger shifters from the pride were here, but it wasn’t like he knew all of them, and even those he did know, he might not recognize. He hadn’t been in Green Hill long enough to know people by sight.

“He’s right,” Chris’s mate said,

Chris really wished he could get his name. It would look weird since they were supposed to know each other, though.

“I’m really sorry,” Chris’s mate continued. “I didn’t expect him to be my mate, but he is, and I’m sure you can understand that means that our date is over.”

Chris wanted to ask his mate what he’d been thinking dating this guy, but now wasn’t the moment to do that, either. He was starting to have a list of questions, though, and he hoped to get answers soon.

He didn’t know what he wanted yet, but he would have time to find out. Chris’s first instinct was to push away his mate and close in on himself, but this wasn’t just a guy. This wasn’t someone he could abandon, and he didn’twantto abandon his mate.

That was the only thing he was sure of. Everything else, he had no idea how to deal with.

“You’re here with me,” the blond insisted.

How much trouble would Chris be in if he shifted in the middle of the coffee shop and tore the man’s suit off him? Would he risk getting kicked out of the pride? Or would the alpha find it funny? Chris would definitely find it funny, but that didn’t mean Gal would be on board, so he decided to keep his wolf under control.

For now.

“I think we can both admit that the date wasn’t going well,” Chris’s mate softly said. “I’m really sorry, Karl. I don’t want to hurt you, but I wanted to leave even before I bumped into my mate. It wouldn’t have worked between us.”

To Chris’s astonishment, Karl actually reached out to grab his mate’s wrist. He pulled, and since neither Chris nor his mate had expected it, Chris’s mate stumbled forward.

Chris caught him around the waist, and for a moment, he and Karl were engaged in a tug-of-war. Chris didn’t think his mate wanted to go with Karl. He’d been trying to put distance between them, but Karl didn’t take no for an answer. He was also touching Chris’s mate, which didn’t make Chris and his wolf happy.

He growled and showed Karl his teeth. He didn’t have fangs in his human form, but considering the growl, he was pretty sure Karl would understand he was a shifter and that he was ready to kick his ass for touching his mate.

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