Page 68 of Home: Posy 5

He found me. He found me! He's actually here! He's going to take me away. He's going to make me leave my family.

I was curled up on my bed in a panic, my face smashed into Butchie's soft fur.

Stop it, Millie,Gannet growled.You haven't even said a word to him yet, so how could you know any of that? Go back down and at least introduce yourself!

I can't. I can't! I'm scared!

It's okay to be scared,she soothed me,but like Posy said, do it quivering if you must, but do it! Go talk to your mate. You left the poor guy standing in the yard without even a hello!

Well, that made me feel even worse.

Oh, no! I'm so stupid! He probably hates me now!

No, Millie. His wolf says he's worried about you. He loves you already.

He doesn't even know me,I argued, drowning in misery.

Then the smell of cherry blossoms filled my nose for the second time today, and I knew who was standing outside my door.

"Um, Millie? Can we come in?" Posy asked.

"Just a second!" I called out and hopped off my bed to straighten my clothes and smooth down my hair.

I looked at Butchie, half-tempted to hide him in the closet, but what would be the point? My mate would find out about him soon enough, anyway.

Resigned to the inevitable, I went to my door and opened it, my heart doing somersaults in my chest as his scent flooded into my room.

"Millie, this is my cousin Ethan Everleigh," I heard Posy's voice from far away. "Ethan, this is my cousin, Camille Swift."

My eyes locked with his almost black ones, and my world shrank down to the man towering over me with happiness radiating from his very soul.

"And my work here is done," Posy murmured.

I assumed she left because it was just me and him when he spoke and drew me out of my daze.

"May I come in?"

Oh, Goddess. His voice was thick molasses, dark and smooth, and trickled into every part of me.

Dumbly, I nodded and stepped back so he could enter, then I closed the door and led him over to the window seat. I was so not ready to sit on a bed with him!

I perched on the edge of the left side and gestured with my head for him to sit beside me, which he did. I noticed he kept some space between us, and I wondered if it was because he was nervous or because he knew I was.

"Camille? What's wrong?" he asked and held out one large hand.

I gulped as I stared at it, then bravely laid my palm in his, and he threaded our fingers together. The mate sparks leapt and fizzed between us, making my breath catch in my throat.

"I don't want to leave my family or my pack," I told him abruptly, quite unaware I was going to say that until the words came out of my mouth. Now that they had, though, I figured I might as well continue. "I want to live here with my grandpa and be a part of my nephew's life. I don't want to quit or change colleges, and I don't want to have pups until I graduate and get a good job."

"Anything else, my lovely mate?"

Hearing the smile in his voice, my eyes flew to his face, and I sucked in a deep breath at what I saw there.

"No." I shook my head. "That covers my demands. What about yours?"

"No demands." His soft smile grew and his eyes gleamed like glass marbles. "Only one request."

"That's not fair to you." I frowned and squeezed his fingers. "I gave you a whole list of very selfish wants. You should tell me some of yours."

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