Page 56 of Return to Garoureve

She melted almost immediately, her hands no longer pushing him out the door, but instead wrapping in the front of his t-shirt. She was wearing gloves while he was half dressed, ready to head out and shift.

Was that his big concern? Her witchy intuition? That something might go wrong?

It made sense... The last time he had run with the pack, shifted with his pack, on a full moon...

They had lost everything that night, and she had begged him not to go, begged him to stay. She had laid in bed, struggling as her senses screamed at her that something was wrong. Of course he wouldn’t want to leave her.

“I sense nothing but a wolf shifter that is getting too big for his own skin,” she insisted, and gave him a tight smile. “And if I sensed anything else, I would scream your name until the entire pack knew to run in my direction.”

He still looked uncertain, but she knew he wouldn’t ask again. Which was a good thing, because deep down, and not in a witchy sense... She wanted him to stay as well.

Maybe it was that fear he had mentioned the night before...

“Scream my name so loud, the nearest pack can hear you screamin’ it as well,” he insisted, then leaned in as though to kiss her... only to pull away. “Sorry. Keep forgettin’... Just dreamin’ about it so much, I guess.”

She gave him another tight smile, and pressed her hands at his chest again. If he was getting sentimental on her, he definitely needed to go for a run. “I love you, and we’ll figure this out. One step at a time. We figure out the town, then we figure out us.”

“Love you, Little Witch. Don’t get into trouble.”

Oh... that was exactly what she planned to do.

“Thepairofyouare crazy,” Violet said, looking between Scarlett and Ariana. They were sitting on the couch in Colburn’s bachelor pad turned love nest, all of them relaxed in casual clothes that surely belonged to their mates, a cup of chocolate in hand. Violet had feared alcohol would be on the menu, but Ariana didn’t drink because of her chronic illnesses, Scarlett was waiting to be called for a delivery for one of the families on the edge of town, and Violet...

Well, witch. She couldn’t drink. Couldn’t lose her inhibitions like that.

“We’re just women in love with our wolves,” Ariana said with a giggle, only to snort when she glanced at Scarlett.

Scarlett’s knowing grin said a little too much.

And the jealousy was eating her alive.

“So, what’s Henrik like?” Scarlett prodded, and pulled up a foot to tuck underneath her side as she shifted on the oversized couch. “I mean, the pair of you have been together since you were, what, teens?”

“Like, together together, or just, a couple?” Ariana asked, glancing over at her.

“Not exactly...” Where did she even begin?

“No, but I mean, Mardoc said you both always knew you were soulmates. Like, since the beginning, everyone always knew.”

“I didn’t know soulmates worked like that,” Ariana said, her brow furrowed. “I thought it was a shifting thing. Like, after two wolves shift, they kind of just feel drawn to each other.”

“If it’s two wolves, then yes,” Violet said as she set her cup down on the coffee table. “Typically speaking, most female wolves shift a little bit later. It takes them longer to develop, which is all well and good, because most male wolves need the time to burn off some energy and get the stupid out of them.”

Both women laughed at her words, and Violet smiled to herself before continuing. “More often than not, though, it’s not an instant thing. It comes with time, when they’re both ready for it, but a lot of people mate with someone outside of the pack. It keeps the blood lines strong, not to inbreed, obviously.”

Scarlett nodded, and took another sip, while Ariana leaned forward, a question on the woman’s tongue. “But, it’s always two wolves, right? I mean... Colburn was surprised I was human. But, you’re a witch, so... is that different?”

“It’s not normal, no,” Violet agreed, and rubbed at her forearm slightly. “In fact, it’s kind of rare for a witch to mate a wolf. It’s kind of... caused a few problems.”

“But why?” Scarlett asked, tilting her head slightly. “I mean... you’re both not human, and it’s not like mates are an accident. You’re two people made to be together. How could that cause problems? Are there issues between witches and shifters?”

Violet shifted uncomfortably, wishing she had a way out of the conversation. This was not a path she wanted to go down, particularly not with two women who were strangers and still didn’t really understand pack dynamics.

“Ahh... basically, I wasn’t fully mature in my powers, but Henrik knew I was his mate, and... what happens when you have two horny teenagers who are meant to be together?”

The women shared a look again, one that was starting to annoy her, not that she would point that out.

“Anyways, they kept us apart, and then the fire happened, and I left, and—“

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