Page 33 of The Reluctant Wolf and His Fated Mate
Damon nodded. Indeed. “True. Grayson is like my older brother. Always keeping me in line.”
After quick small talk, Rafe addressed Damon. “We have a meeting tonight. Come to the lodge at seven.” Although his expression revealed nothing, when Rafe added,We’re meeting with the Sacco pack,worry rang clear through his tone.
“I’ll be there,” Damon agreed.
After Rafe and Grayson headed over to the bar, Damon attempted to shelve the questions until later. His focus was on Sophie.
A couple in their twenties a few tables over began to raise their voices, capturing attention.
“What do you think they’re arguing about?” Sophie lowered her voice and arched her brows.
He could hear the barbs as clear as day thanks to his shifter hearing—infidelity. “I’d say she found out he cheated on her.”
Sophie wrinkled her nose. She sipped her beer. When she put the glass down, she said, “That sucks. I know what it feels like. My ex-boyfriend cheated on me.”
“He must be an idiot.”
“Oh, I definitely agree.” She grinned. “I’ve realized that we weren’t a good match in the long run.” She hunched both shoulders and then released them with a heaving sigh. “The betrayal is what stung the most. I caught him in bed with my cousin.”
Oof. That must have stung. To have family betray her as well. “She doesn’t sound very loyal.”
Sophie clucked her tongue and gazed off beyond him. “I thought we were close. Guess I was wrong.”
“They don’t deserve you then.” What kind of ass would cheat on a woman like Sophie?
Her expression shifted to one he couldn’t read. Perhaps a bit of gratitude or appreciation? “Unfortunately, it wasn’t the first time. My college boyfriend cheated on me, as well.” She scowled. “A part of me wonders—is it something about me?”
“No,” Damon all but bellowed. “They’re obviously fools who didn’t realize what they had. They’ve probably regretted it every day since.”
“I don’t know about that,” Sophie replied. “And there’s no way in hell I would ever take either one of them back.” Her face hardened with bitter determination, a look he’d never seen on her before. “I can’t tolerate lies. Betrayal. I could never forgive someone who deceived me that way.”
Guilt engulfed him like a dark cloak. He took a swig of beer and swallowed hard. “I can see that. But sometimes deception is necessary.”
Sophie arched her brows with a skeptical glance. “Like when?”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “If it’s essential to protect others, for instance.”
“Okay, maybe there.” She motioned with her hand in his direction. “But why the secrecy? Why not trust whoever you are trying to protect?”
Damon shifted in his seat and moved a few chips around on his plate. Keeping his true nature from her was a form of deception. But it was for the safety of his pack—and if he was truthful, to protect himself. She made him vulnerable, slipping under the protective shield he’d erected to keep from getting too close to anyone.
It scared the shit out of him.
Sophie didn’t realize the factors involved. She didn’t even realize a species like his existed.
Time to steer the conversation away before he revealed something that he shouldn’t.
“I can’t think of one,” he lied. “Situations are usually more gray than black and white. I think they should be considered on a case-by-case basis.”
Sophie narrowed her eyes as she stared at him. Then she sipped her beer and glanced away.
* * *
Before seven that evening,Damon walked with Rafe, Grayson, and two other enforcers, Valen and Caleb, over to the invisible border line that separated pack territory. The moon loomed almost full over the mountain, hovering with an ominous, reddish glow. Was Damon imagining it? Or was it a foreboding sign since the moon had been a silent witness to countless other violent situations in the world?
His muscles were taut as he treaded through the snow. Leaving Sophie alone stirred a new form of agony. At least the Sacco wolf who had infiltrated his space should be at the meeting and therefore, nowhere near his cabin.
A wistful sensation passed over him. This had been where he’d scented Sophie last weekend and tracked her. Had it only been days since that happened? He’d grown so close to her during that short amount of time that it seemed more like months.
