Page 66 of Bewitched By the Werewolf
“Are you waiting for someone?”
“What?” I jerk my gaze back to his. His blue eyes sharpening on my features which I manage to keep under control. He seems to be looking directly into my soul with his intense stare. I give nothing away in my expression, at least I don’t think I do. I’ve suppressed my emotions for so long it’s hard not to on instinct. I should be opening up to my brother about all this, and yet it’s still hard to let go of habits I’ve built to protect not only myself, but others, over the years.
“You seem like you’re waiting for someone. Expecting someone special?” he asks.
I shift on my feet and avert my gaze, flicking it from him to the crowd to the area leading from the driveway to the backyard still searching for Tess. Shoving my hands in my pockets to keep them from fidgeting, a new habit I’ve acquired recently, I grunt in defeat. Here goes nothing.
“That’s what I’m trying to tell you. That girl, Tess? Well, she sort of figured out what we are, and to keep her from exposing us I promised she could come tonight. To see the shift and maybe prove to her we aren’t as horrible as she thinks we are.”
In truth I don’t think she thinks of us as horrible any longer, not since I told her the truth. But this is the last test to discover her true feelings and beliefs. To discover if I can trust her with everything. With my town, my truth, my heart and possibly my love.
Hunter’s immediate fury is expected, and I’m prepared for his ire. Though no matter what he says or does, it won’t change my mind. He drops his arms from his chest, which expands and grows with his flaring emotions. The harsh bitterness of his scent sticking to my nostrils.
“What the fuck Ryder? You were supposed to get her to leave town, not share all our secrets with her. What the hell is wrong with you?”
“I don’t know, okay!” I snap back at him. An agitated growl rumbling deep in my chest. Every semblance of control slipping away, leaving my raw and exposed to the truth. “She’s under my skin. She drives me fucking insane, but I also can’t tell her no. I’ve tried; trust me, I’ve fucking tried. But I always end up giving in.” I admit. I know it’s not a proper explanation and I try to explain, at least what I can. “I couldn’t just dust her. Her obsession with shifters goes back too far, and it wouldn’t work. I thought…”
I don’t know what the hell I thought. I probably wasn’t thinking. It started as a typical human in town situation that quickly evolved into something else. Something completely out of my control. Trying to explain it to him wouldn’t make any sense. Not without exposing even more of myself to him. So instead of admitting all the new and foreign feelings threaded so deeply with Tess, I try to explain the rational thoughts. The ones I’ve had all along, whether I was attracted to her or not. Even before I scented her and touched her and discovered what it felt like to knot her, I knew she would take more than a dusting. It would take persuasion and more of the truth that Hunter would want me to reveal, though he was doing the same thing with Lottie all along.
“I thought if I could show her shifters aren’t the horrid beasts she thinks we are, that we’re just normal people, she might give up her quests to expose us.”
It’s the truth. I always thought if I could convince her what she’s thought of us incorrect and show her the truth, she could be a friend, not an enemy. That doesn’t seem to be a good enough reason for Hunter.
“So, you just thought you would bring her to a blood moon lunar eclipse with dozens of shifters and non-humans, and she wouldn’t expose us after running a paranormal conspiracy theory website for years? Yeah, that makes sense.”
If he knew everything that’s happened in the past two weeks, it would make sense.
“Look, I know it sounds crazy; I’m pretty sure I’ve lost all my marbles at this point. Just trust me, okay. I won’t let anything happen to anyone or the town.”
I stare my brother down with as much determination as possible. I can only hope he still has enough trust in me to know what I say is the truth. If she were really a threat I would handle it. I would never let anything bad happen to our people. Even at the price of my happiness.
Hunter reaches out and squeezes my shoulder, much in the same way Logan had earlier. His expression serious, his scent conveying his conviction.
“I do trust you.”
I let out a relieved breath, my heart rate slowing. Behind him I spot Lottie again, laughing and talking with our sister. If she can fit in so easily, maybe Tess can too. I look back to my brother and risk opening myself to him, perhaps mending the bridge I so long ago cut off.
“How did…how you know Lottie was your mate?”
My question seems to shock Hunter, as I knew it would. I’ve rarely cared about things like relationships and open dialogue with my siblings. A bad habit that will take me time to break. But perhaps this will push me in the right direction. Hunter inhales, taking in my scent as shifters tend to do. Whatever hesenses there has his face softening and his own scent calming and becoming mild.
“I just did. I trusted my instinct to show me the right path, and it did. Once I learned it was possible for her to be my mate and a human, I stopped fighting it. Stopped fighting myself and gave in. That’s all you can do. Allow it to consume you, and you never know, you may even like it.”
I frown, because although it’s a truthful answer, it doesn’t help me. My instincts have been screaming at me ever since I met Tess. Her being human confused the shit out of me and still does. Hunter says to give in and let her consume me. The last time I gave in and let my instincts take over I nearly killed someone. I was reckless and out of control. I don’t know if that’s something I can risk again.
I’m about to admit as much to him, maybe not in so many words, but fall short when I smell crisp apples. I look back to the driveway and finally spot the female I’ve been waiting my whole life for. I can feel my body reacting to her presence, to her scent. Hunter notices too. I can feel his body shifting at my side, his hand on my shoulder still strong and unyielding.
Tess slowly makes her way into the backyard, watching with curious eyes at everyone around her. No adults have shifted yet, there’s only a few pups running around in their young wolf form playing, nipping at each other’s tails. She watches them with concealed curiosity, but I can see her mind at work trying to figure out if they’re shifters or just dogs. She’s dressed as she always is, in black wearing her leather jacket. Thankfully she doesn’t have her crossbow. I think Hunter may have gone after her without hesitation if she’d shown up with that, but I do spot the glossy hilt of a knife in her boot. One of her old habits, that like my own, will be hard to break.
A low rumble comes from my brother, and I turn to look at him. The tang of irritation and determination sharpening in his scent.
“Keep her away from the others, especially the pups, and if she dares to try to use that knife in her boot, I will personally take care of her.Understood?”
An unexpected protective growl escapes my throat. He may be my brother and my alpha, but he just threatened my mate. He knows better. I can feel the heat rising within wanting to protect Tess even from my brother.
His claws prick into my shoulder, where his hand still holds on tightly. The aggressive and commanding move only makes me want to fight back harder, but I suppress it. Reminding myself he’s my brother and only wants to protect our pack, just like I do. He doesn’t want to harm Tess. It doesn’t assuage my need to respond to his threat though. When he snarls and I feel his alpha power pressing against my mind forcing me to submit, I force myself to calm. The snarling growls between us die out and I force out a response. Probably with more insolence than necessary.
“Yes, Alpha. I understand.”
