Page 32 of Bewitched By the Werewolf
“Not yet.”
I look to my brother’s frowning face. He’s not happy about my vagueness and I can smell it on him. A musky displeasure and then it lightens as he lets out an exasperated sigh rubbing at his temple.
“Can I trust that you’ll handle this?”
Finally, he comes to the conclusion on his own. I sit straight and become more of my usual focused self.
“Yes of course you can. You focus on the elves and Lottie. I’ll deal with Tess.” Just the way I want it.
“Tess?” Hunter asks. Had I not mentioned her name to him yet?
“The female, that’s her name. Though I prefer to think of her as the pain in my ass.” I tense up realizing how much I let slipwith that one statement. To my surprise Hunter laughs. I have no idea why. Tess being a pain in my ass is not funny.
“Well, just make sure this pain in the ass remains yours and not mine.”
“Understood.” That I can definitely do.
“Just keep me updated. And if you need Ginger’s assistance with any online removals, just let her know.”
Way ahead of you little brother.Still, I nod in agreement. I would never neglect asking for Hunter’s help if I needed it. I may be the older brother, but I am also the beta. It’s my responsibility to handle what I can and go to the alpha when he is needed. Currently he is not needed, and if I have anything to do with it, he won’t be.
Now that we’ve discussed Tess and Hunter knows I’m handling her, I’m more relaxed about the rest of our conversation and can’t wait for it to be over. Hunter leans back in his chair and I can scent uncertainty on him. Whatever he’s about to tell me has him hesitant but eventually he speaks.
“I’m meeting with Fynn for lunch. He has some information he looked into regarding a possible mate bond.”
I furrow my brow in confusion. What could Fynn possibly need to research about mate bonds for Hunter? Or at all? And why is it important?
“I may or may not be feeling the mate pull towards Lottie. I’ve never heard of such a thing occurring with a human, so I asked Fynn to look into it. He said he found something, so hopefully, by lunch, I’ll know for sure if it’s possible.”
This conversation just became interesting. Hunter is feeling the mate pull towards Lottie, a human, and I’m feeling…something pulls me towards Tess. Could it actually be possible? Leaning forward in my chair I grip the arm rests needing to know more about this. My heart is racing and an eager anticipation rushes through me.
“I didn't know that was possible,” I say, trying to retain all the questions racing through my mind.
“Neither did I. Which is why I enlisted Fynn’s help. I’ll let you know what he says. If it’s possible to have a mate bond with a human, we need to know and need to let everyone else know.”
Especially me, since I have the nagging feeling I might be in the same boat as my brother. I nod again, unable to verbalize any of the turmoil churning in my gut. I lean back into my chair and release my death grip on the armrests. Hunter moves on to something that demands far less of my attention, and I don’t particularly listen closely to the mundane updates.
Hunter just dropped a nuke on my perfectly calculated defense against Tess and her alluring scent. The possibility that it might mean more than just elevated attraction is concerning. I’ll have to be more careful around her from now on until Hunter tells me it was all just a crazy idea, and humans can’t be mates to shifters. Yeah, that’s all. I just have to be diligent and not let her get to me.
Easier said than done.
Chapter 18: Tess
He’s following me again. This time far less covertly. Before he at least attempted to conceal his stalking, now he just does it right out in the open. I see him, he sees me. He keeps his distance and doesn’t interfere when I order my coffee or venture into the bookstore and pick out a book. He just waits outside leaning against a wall or checking his phone. Doesn’t he have better things to do than follow me? It’s not like I’m doing anything to hurt anyone.
I’m not taking anyone’s picture, or breaking into anyone’s house. Though it had crossed my mind. What better way to discover who it was that I shot the other night than to break into people’s houses and search for evidence of injury or my crossbow bolt? With Sheriff Glued To My Ass following me around I’ll have to stick to public areas.
I finally tire of his nonsense—no matter how much I enjoy him watching me—and decide to confront the man. Stopping in the middle of the sidewalk I spin one eighty on my heel and face the man who both infuriates and arouses me. A strange combination of sensations I’ll admit I’ve never felt before. I don’t know which one to give into just to clear up the confusion.
Ryder stands about fifteen feet behind me, when I spin, he stops but doesn’t try to conceal himself or play off his presence. We’re beyond that now.
I stalk towards him making myself the predator and him the prey. He doesn’t even flinch, his hands loosely shoved into his pockets the picture of calm. That is until I get closer and I can see his pupils expanding and contracting, his nostrils flaring.
“Are you going to be following me the entire time I’m in town?” I demand.
“Maybe.”
“Don’t you have more important things to do as Sheriff?”
