“You can go hiking here in this area,” Henry points out.

“Aren’t there a lot of bears? I heard that area is quite dangerous.”

Henry and I exchange a gaze. “Well,” I mutter. “It’s more that they can’t go hiking freely, but we have professionals who safely lead groups through the area.”

Oh fuck, bro,Henry groans.This is more difficult than I imagined.

You’re telling me? She saw a bunch of our warriors outside, naked. They must have just shifted.

Fuck, I will make sure to tell everyone to be particularly careful,he promises.

While we walk to our table, I notice how my pack members’ gazes follow us curiously, but none of them say anything, and soon they continue to chat with each other. Marcel and Serenade went to continue the workshop, and Henry tells me via mind link that Elise and Elodie joined them to help a bit, at least for the first hour.

Usually, we have lunch in buffet style. This time, however, it’s burgers, which Dalila seems to be excited about. She happily builds her burger with crispy chicken, tons of tomatoes, salad, and mustard. “The patty is fantastic.” She beams. “But don’t you have any vegetarian options in this restaurant?”

“We ran out of it,” Henry answers swiftly. He shifts around nervously. “How did you figure out that we kind of run the place?”

She nudges me with her elbow. “I saw his apartment and bathroom. It said it all.”

Her conclusion makes sense. I’m about to answer her when I can feel my father’s presence coming closer. I swallow a bit, feeling slightly nervous that he is coming now and obviously checking out my mate. I hope he won’t mind that she is human or that I brought her here… that I saved her. I would go rogue for my mate without a second of hesitation, but I want them all to get along. One glance at his face tells me I’m worried about nothing, and had he known, he would be quite hurt. Deacon is right behind him, winking at me.

“Hello, sons.” Dad smiles at us. “And I see we have a new guest!”

“This is Dalila,” I tell him. “She is my personal guest.”

“I see.” He laughs. “It’s nice to meet you.”

I turn to Dalila. “This is my father and…” I pause. How am I going to introduce him further? “The hotel manager,” I say.

I swear, Deacon’s face turns bright red while he suppresses his laughter.

Just so you know, if anyone blows this, I’m going rogue,I link my father and his beta.

We won’t,Dad tells me.You have my full support, but I hope you are aware that this is a worst-case scenario. You need to find a way to tell her sooner or later.

I can’t possibly tell her that we are a pack,I point out.

With the way we run it, she might think we are a cult,Deacon points out, and although I don’t like it, I know he is right.

She feels the bond, my son,Dad says unusually softly.I know you are scared she will run, but the mate bond works both ways. I saw you carrying her and holding hands. This is not usual behavior for humans after knowing someone for five minutes. You need to trust the bond and be honest with her soon.

What if she runs?I whisper.What if she rejects me?

I think the Moon Goddess knew very well who she paired you with,Dad says quietly.I know you don’t want to talk about what happened to you, but this here, this girl, it looks like the Goddess wanted to make something up to you. She might be shocked first and even scared, but she knows you are the one for her.He smiles.She is already smitten with you.

I tilt my head, deciding I need more time to let his words sink in. He and Deacon are right, though, I need to find a way to tell her what I am. She already feels the bond and is confused by it. For now, I make sure we get through our late lunch without any further incidents.

Later, I show her around a bit, very nervously so, as we are in the pack house. And Dad’s right; someone might eventually screw up and slip. At least the weather is still so bad outside that we can’t go outside. Some female pack members giggle a bit when we walk by them. I never once slept with one of my pack members, but it didn’t stop some from hitting on me or Henry.

Once we return to my room, Dalila laughs. “You’re a playboy, aren’t you?” She doesn’t sound mad, though.

“Were,” I point out. I don’t want her to think I’m not being sincere with her. I take a deep breath, well aware that only honesty can win her over. “Truth is, I had more than a few hookups. I’m not proud of it, though.” I start. “You know, there was a girl once. I thought she was the one, and…” My voice trails off; not sure how to continue.

“And she broke your heart?”

“In a way, she did,” I say quietly, pain filling me. “And then nothing else made sense anymore. And you’re right. I escaped into meaningless flirts and affairs. But nothing truly mattered.”

“And the void in you just got bigger,” she says quietly.