Page 40 of The Alpha Dire Wolf
Me.
Unfortunately, while that part was clear—I knew she couldn’t be referring to my uncles, if they even lived, no, this was meant for me and me alone—the rest was still a blur that had no meaning.
A bond? What type of bond? How does one bond with a forest? That’s impossible.
And what happened 150 years ago? That’s ancient history.
I sank back into the couch. History, hmm? Seemed like something the New Lockwood Historical Society would know about. Now I definitely had to go visit them and see what my grandmother was up to there. She had a finger in so many more pots than I’d ever known.
And that, I was discovering, was what hurt the most. That if I had never left, never been forced to go by my parents, I might never have missed out on all of it. Maybe my grandmother would have confided in me.
Maybe she would have trusted me.
Chapter Sixteen
Sylvie
The clock on my phone’s display flicked over to 5:25, and at that precise moment I pressed the doorbell button. A lovely little rising and falling chime could be heard from inside, much more pleasant than the standardding-dong. Very typical of the Atkinsons.
“Well, would you look at the time,” Mr. Atkinson said with a laugh as he pulled the door open.
“Dinner is served at five thirty,” I pointed out. “I was told not to be late, and I keep promises.”
“Well, do come in then. Otherwise, youwillbe late.”
Don stepped out of the way, letting me inside. I hadn’t stepped over the threshold before I was body-slammed by the incredible aroma infusing the house. Warm bread mixed with garlic and various herbs that I couldn’t place shot up my nostrils and into the pleasure centers of my brain.
“Oh my god,” I moaned excitedly, following Don into the kitchen at a gesture. “That smellsamazing.”
“Why, thank you,” Mrs. Atkinson said from next to the stove, beaming from ear to ear at the compliment.
“Not that I expected any different. Your cooking is always phenomenal, but still, you may have outdone yourself this time!”
“That’s my Nina,” Don said, staring at his wife with unabashed love and pride.
“Oh, quiet you,” Nina said, flicking a hand towel at his direction while she tittered happily.
“I ever tell you why I don’t play the lottery?” Don said, turning to me. “It’s because I already won it. Biggest prize there could ever be, and I turned up the lucky numbers.”
“Numbers?” I asked.
“At the company picnic way back when,” Don said with a grin as his wife blushed more. “She and two friends were walking through the park on their way to some fitness class or another. And she just … you couldn’t miss her. Two of my buddies from work tried to stop her, get her to give them her number. She just laughed them off. Not me. She stopped for me.”
“You fell and scraped your knee! I wanted to make sure you were okay!” Nina exclaimed.
Don grinned. “Funny that. Isn’t it? How someone could fall on flat grassy ground, and give themselves a good cut.”
Nina’s mouth fell open. “Youfaked it? And you’ve never told me all this time?”
Don winked at me as I laughed a full belly laugh. It felt good. Seeing that sort of interaction, the banter,thatmade me believe in true love. Seeing people like the Atkinsons, Don and Nina. They were the real deal. Head over heels for one another. Always gushing about their partner, never insulting them.
I wanted that. Needed it.
Unable to stop it, my brain replayed the list of events where Caidyn had done such a thing for me. Or tried to. The circle onthe screen just kept going around until my brain turned up an error.
There was nothing. I couldn’t come up with a single gushing, prideful moment when he had bragged about me in any way other than my body. Which had been flattering then but was awkward now. Not fighting for that relationship was probably in my best interest.
A warmth filled my belly, a surefire sign from my instinct that my thoughts were on the level. No regrets then. Not with kicking him out anddefinitelynot with ignoring his texts and calls. I couldn’t believe the nerve on that asshole.
