Page 5 of Stay With Me

“I gave her the choice of pink or white,” Audrey confides, “but after… well, most girls are going with color this season.”

Right. Because Gem wore a white dress for her Luna Ceremony with Ryker, and ended up stained in blood after the challenge that interrupted it. Perfect for an alpha female, not so much for the more delicate shifters in our pack.

When I was a pup, dreaming of my mating night, I imagined a mellow yellow shift dress that would complement my tanned skin, my hazel eyes, and my light brown hair. I still wear that color—most of my t-shirts and blouses are a shade of yellow—but a dress… maybe not anytime soon.

Then again, it’s not like I have a prospective mate, either.

I’m only twenty-seven. Shifters that grow up in the same pack as their mate usually find each other young. I didn’t, which is probably another reason why I fixated on Ryker Wolfson the way I did. The whole pack knew that Ryker’s mate would be from out of Accalia, just like mine would have to be. If we chose each other first, it wouldn’t matter.

And then, of course, the Luna whispered that Gemma Swann was his, and I screwed up by not respecting that. Now they’re mated, I’m not, and if I want to find a male to accept me, I’m going have to leave Accalia.

No, thanks.

Glancing up from her hemming, Audrey gives me a curious look. I don’t know if the topic we were discussing put the idea in her head, or she just knows me pretty damn well by now, but I’m almost expecting it when she asks, “What about you, Trish? Still going lone wolf?”

I shrug. “Unless the Luna drops a male shifter in my lap who doesn’t mind hooking up with Trish Danvers, it looks like that’s my fate.”

“That’s an… interesting way of looking at it.”

It’s the only way I have. “It’s fine. I’ve got time.” We may not lives as long as vamps, but shifters can reach a century, easy. “If it happens, it happens. I promise I’m okay.”

Audrey’s a delta. An Alpha might be able to tell when their packmate is lying to them. Luckily for me, she can’t.

It’s my turn to change the subject now. “Now, about my quilt. I’ve already started attaching squares to it, but how do I make finish off the ends. I was thinking—”

My words cut short. Two familiar scents filter in through the open window of her personal den, followed by the aura belonging to a pair of delta wolves.

One is Grant Carter, Audrey’s mate.

But the other…

I can’t help it. Like a moth drawn to a flame, my head swivels toward the front side of her cabin.

“Aud? Audrey, honey, I stopped by to grab some lunch. Got Duke with me, too. Hope you don’t mind.”

I don’t see Grant. Considering he mentioned lunch, he probably headed straight for the kitchen. Or maybe he’s behind Duke. Luna knows even a male of Grant’s build could hide easily behind Duke’s bulk.

He’s huge. I’ve never seen him naked, but I doubt there’s a spare ounce of fat on him. He’s got this boxer’s shape and size, bulky and brawny on the top, with legs as thick as tree trunks. It’s amazing how gentle and kind he can be, considering he looks like he could snap even a raging, bloodthirsty vamp in half. I know firsthand that his catcher-sized mitts stroke a trembling wolf with reverence, and his eyes…

Shifters eyes can come in all shades of browns, hazels, and golds. His are a darker hazel than mine, but there are times when the color shifts to a bright gold.

Like right now.

He’s the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome. He wears his dark hair short, showing off his rugged features, and I’ve come to realize that—now that I’m no longer obsessing over Ryker—Duke is one of the most ruggedly attractive males I’ve ever seen before in my life.

His name is a sigh. “Hi, Duke.”

“Trish? What are you…” His brow furrows. “It’s not Monday.”

Why am I not surprised that Duke knows that I spend my Monday afternoons at Audrey’s?

Probably for the same reason that he looks confused that I’m here on a Thursday.

He’s my guard. I’m the she-wolf he’s been watching. Of course he knows where I am at all times.

I guess I’m predictable in that way.

Then again, I don’t think he expected me to find the excuse to leave as soon as he entered the room where I was sharing a Coke and a conversation with Audrey.

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