Page 40 of The Reluctant Wolf and His Fated Mate
Damon had found his mate.
Chapter 12
Damon
Damon was in trouble.
The morning sky was mottled with gray and winds beat against his face. As he skied down the mountain during his shift on Thursday morning, he thought of the night with Sophie. He’d held her body close to his all night. Her scent and her warmth soothed him like nothing he had ever experienced. Climbing out of bed to leave her earlier generated a new form of agony.
What was clear after holding her all night was that there was no going back. She was the one—his mate. He’d finally admitted it, absolutely accepted it. His wolf would no longer be denied. His soul would no longer permit him to come up with excuses.
They were meant to be together.
And if they weren’t…
Damon gulped. First, he had to reveal who he really was and hope she wouldn’t reject him. He couldn’t go back now. She was his mate and he would do anything to protect her.
Midmorning, a woman had a fall. He and Valen helped her down on a stretcher so she could be seen by Sebastian and his medical staff on the lower level of the lodge.
While there, he stopped by Rafe’s office on the top level, which had a view facing the mountain.
Damon exhaled and announced, “I’ve finally accepted what my wolf has been telling me for months. Sophie is my mate.”
Rafe leaned back in his black leather desk chair and his eyes brightened with pride. “Congratulations.”
Unfortunately, that didn’t mean the next step would go over well with Sophie. “I need to tell her about us. About the pack.”
Rafe pierced Damon with a probing stare from across the executive mahogany desk. “You’re sure you can trust her?”
Damon nodded. “I’d trust her with my life.” He pictured her beautiful smile and warm eyes. “She’s wouldn’t hurt anyone. She’s kind. Understanding.” Loving. She made him feel like he’d never felt with anyone before. Loved. Accepted. Not someone to be left behind and abandoned, like both of his parents had done with him.
Rafe nodded. “I hope one day that I’m in your shoes.” He arched his brows. “But not in your exact situation.”
* * *
Damon fidgetedthrough dinner with Sophie at a pub that was known for its seafood specials. It would be a full moon tonight, which meant his wolf was agitated, eager to run. He twirled the pasta from his shrimp scampi around his fork, but didn’t take a bite. Anxiety wormed its way through his appetite.
“How was your day?”
“Not bad. I had another project my boss pressed for a quick turnaround. While I waited for reviews from co-workers, I took breaks walking the trails. That’s something I should do more back home.”
Back home, he repeated in his head. She meant elsewhere, back in the city. She didn’t live here with him. “What’s stopping you from doing so in the city?”
“Good question. Once I start work, I just—” She shrugged. “Work.” Her gaze drifted to the mountain. “Besides, I don’t have all this beautiful scenery to entice me.”
He raised his glass. “May you have plenty of scenic walks while you’re here.”
“That’s the plan.” She sipped her wine. “Right. Until Sunday.”
Those words stabbed him as surely as if she’d picked up her knife and tossed it across the table into his chest. Why did she have to bring up the hours that ticked down to her departure?
She took a bite of her scallops. After she was done, she asked, “What about you? How was your day?”
He pictured the day on the mountains followed by meeting up with his pack mates. What was once a perfect day in his life now rang as shallower as he longed to return to Sophie.
“I worked on the mountain much of the day and then had a meeting.” That was one way to summarize the tense check in with his pack to see if anyone had noted activity from the Sacco wolves. Fortunately, there were no reports. “I’m glad to be here with you.”
“Me, too,” she agreed, warming him with an appreciative gaze.
