Page 28 of Bony Bony
Therewas no one likeSebastian—he was one in a trillion.Iwas so incredibly lucky that he loved me and considered me his mate.MaybeIcouldn’t understand mates in the same way that a wolf shifter did, butIbelieved in soul mates and knew deep in my heart thatSebastianwas mine.Therewas nobody elseIwanted to be with.Nobodyelse who would ever capture my heart the way he’d done.
Aschool of fish swam ahead.Theyblended so well with the waterIalmost didn’t notice them.Iwatched them travel together, with no friction in the group.Noone was seeking their independence away from others.Whynot?Probablybecause they were safer together.Theywere more content to be together.
Andwasn’tIhappy to be with my group?
Wheredid all that foolish talk of needing space come from?I’dhad plenty of time being alone in my life.I’dmoved around the country, meeting people who flitted in and out of my life.Whatreally mattered were thoseIcould trust.FriendsIcould count on who were closer than family, friends likeNova, with whomIhad been close since childhood.Loyalty.Andtrue companions.LikeSebastian.
Thatstrange inklingIhad earlier of wanting to go on tour withZaneand the band floated away like drifting seaweed.WhywouldIwant to go away and leave everyoneIcared about?Iloved my life here, my townhouse, my club, my staff, and the access to the sea.Myoddball friends.I’dspent years moving around and searching.I’dfound whatIwas looking for, and it was here with my quirky found family inSalem.
Iturned around and headed back to the shore.Bythe timeIreached it, all my earlier irritation atSebastiandissipated like a drop of water in the ocean.Ishifted back to human form, emerged from the ocean, letting the drops of water fall from my skin asIsqueezed water from my hair.AfterIdried off and dressed,I’dcallSebastianand apologize.
AndthenI’dtry to make up for acting like such a sea wretch later that night with makeup sex.Iremembered some of the dirty things my hot shifter husband had promised in his sexy baritone, and my excitement rose.
AsIwas about to pull out my phone, something gleamed in the sun.Oh, the amethyst necklace!Itmust have fallen into the sand whenIpulled my clothes out.Iwould have hated to lose such a beautiful piece of jewelry.Ipicked up the necklace and put it back on.Whena warm vibration tingled beneath it, traveling beneath my skin,Ishuddered.
CHAPTER10
SEBASTIAN
AfterIfinished up at the restaurant,ItextedGianna.Doyou want me to meet you at the club tonight?
Thedots came in fast.No.
Ouch.Thatwas abrupt.Maybeshe was busy.
Okay,I’llgo for a run withValen.
Iwaited a few minutes for a reply.Nothing.No“have fun.”Noplayful innuendo.No“I’llsee you later.”Noteven a thumbs up.
Inthe past, she’d told me she was happyI’dfound another wolf shifter whoIgot along with, someone whoIcould venture out with and explore in my other form.I’dcaught the hint of melancholy in her tone.Thesirens who she’d met had not been friendly or welcoming toGianna.Infact, they’d tried to sabotage her along with her mother.
Thatwas somethingIcould relate to having grown up as an outcast in my wolf pack, so much so thatI’dleft as soon asIwas able to take care of myself on my own.Thefunny thing withValenwas that he was part of a rival pack.WhenI’dlived in theWhiteMountains, we wouldn’t dare interact with our enemies.NowtheSaccoandFranconiapacks had merged into one, and things had changed for the better back there.Thecompanionship of another wolf was somethingI’dlacked for much of my adult life, and his arrival inSalemwas a welcome one.
WhileIdrove to the hiking trail,Itried not to ruminate about my past.Afterall,I’dfound more happiness thanI’dever expected withGianna.Whateverwas going on with my mate would pass.
WhenIpulled into the lot,Valen’scar was already there, but he wasn’t inside.Hemust have gotten a head start.Iparked near the trailhead and then ventured deep into the woods off trail.
Underthe dark of night, no humans would dare to venture out here without an ample light source.Thewaxing moon overhead wasn’t bright enough to illuminate the forest for them, butIhad the advantage of shifter senses.OnceIremoved my clothing and stashed them inside a hollowed-out log,Iinitiated the shift.Theearth felt damp beneath my paws.Isniffed at the ground, scenting rain lingering on the fern and moss, while the distinct aroma of pine permeated the air.Then,IdetectedValen’sscent.
Raisingmy snout, my nostrils flared asIsearched through the various fragrances in the wild to place him.OnceI’dhomed in on it,Itracked his scent.Inthe distance, the sound of paws rustled through the brush.
Youbeat me here,Icommunicated to him telepathically.
Figuredyou’d find me soon enough, he replied.
Asilhouette emerged from behind the trees ahead.Amassive wolf stalked from the shadows with the grace of a predator.Valen.
Readyto hunt? he asked.
Let’sgo.
Heturned and flicked his tail.Mywolf thrummed with energy and took off, bounding over a fallen tree covered in moss.Valenfollowed, joining in on the chase as we ventured deeper into the dark woods.Theharder we ran, the faster my breath filled my lungs with the crisp air of the woods.Myheart drummed with a quickening pace.Weraced between the trees and leaped over logs.
Thescent of rabbit grew strong.Theabundance of them in the region made them standard prey while hunting.ValenandIhunted together to take one down and shared in the victory of the capture.
Fora blissful short period,Iwas able to ignore my worries about my mate.
Afterwe shifted back to human form and dressed, we walked back down the trail to where we’d left the cars.
