My mind was on overdrive the entire night. I barely ate, and I didn’t even bother opening a book because I knew I wouldn’t enjoy it. All I could think about as I laid in bed was Zayne. His need reached new heights last night, and it was exhilarating, but it also scared me. I wanted to give in to a night of passion, to let myself go and enjoy the feel of him inside of me. But unfortunately, I have to be smart. I can’t just sleep with anyone I want, especially when that someone is my best friend’s father. There’s too much at stake.
Bringing my fingers up to trace my lips, I can still taste Zayne and smell his scent all over me. I’ve never wanted anyone so much in my life. The problem is that I know why he left the way he did. Yes, I wanted him, but he’s also a powerful wolf; he could sense my hesitation. Being the honorable kind of man he is, he left so I wouldn’t regret my actions. In all honesty, I don’t think I would’ve regretted anything at all. But of course, I’ll never know now. I’m afraid he’ll go back to being antisocial and never speak to me again.
I get out of bed and take a quick shower. It’s Saturday morning, and I have no clue what I’m going to do, but it needs to be something to get my mind off of things. The only thing I can think of is to drive into town and walk around the shops.
Once dressed, I fix a pan of scrambled eggs and fry up some bacon. Before I can sit down and eat, my phone rings. When I see Tyla’s name, I breathe a sigh of relief. Usually, I’m the one who sits and listens to everyone’s problems, but today, I need someone to listen to me.
“Hey,” I answer.
“Good morning. What are you up to?”
Looking down at my plate, I move my eggs around with my fork. “Getting ready to eat breakfast. You?”
“Just got through changing Brooke’s diaper. So, why do you sound down in the dumps?”
Blowing out a heavy sigh, I can’t get Zayne out of my head. “I need to talk to you, Tyla. Maybe you can meet me in town, and we walk around the shops? Seeing Brooke will make me happy.”
Tyla snorts. “You’d think seeing your cousin would make you happy, but it’s okay. Brooke gets all the love.”
“You know I love you too. What I need from you is your brutal honesty.”
Tyla giggles. “You can always count on me for that. Do you want to meet in about thirty minutes?”
“Sounds perfect. It’ll give me time to finish breakfast.”
We say our goodbyes, and I eat my food, wondering what all Tyla’s going to say when I tell her what happened. Knowing her, she’s going to say I made the biggest mistake of my life letting Zayne go. Even if I ran after him, I never would’ve caught up.
Once finished with breakfast, I clean the dishes and grab my keys. The snow left only a dusting last night, but there’s still a lot left on the ground with ice patches in my driveway. My tires slide across those spots when I drive over them, but everything's clear once I get on the main road. All on the sides of the road are mountains of snow from the plows. It puts into perspective how much snow we get. In North Carolina, we had snow but nowhere near the amount Wyoming gets.
Driving to downtown Jackson Hole only takes a few minutes, and since it’s still early in the morning, there are plenty of parking places on the main street. Unfortunately, winter gets a little crowded with tourists coming in to enjoy the ski slopes. I spot Tyla’s silver car in front of the Christmas store, and I park behind her. She gets out and secures the baby wrap around her so she can carry Brooke.
Brooke is asleep in her car seat, so I carefully unbuckle her and hold her in my arms. Tyla giggles and runs a finger through Brooke’s curls. “As soon as I fed her, she passed right out. I’m sure she’ll wake up soon.” I hand Brooke over, and Tyla gently bundles her in the wrap. “Do we want to walk for a bit? Maybe then, you can tell me what’s on your mind?”
My heart races, and I nod. Several people are close by, and once they’re out of the way, I take a deep breath. “Okay, here it goes.” I look over at her and bite my lip. “Zayne and I kissed last night.”
Tyla squeals but then slams a hand over her mouth. “That’s amazing.”
A human woman walks past us, and I shake my head, keeping my voice low. “I don’t know what to do.”
Her eyes twinkle. “Did you feel anything when you kissed?”
My body trembles just thinking about it. I glance around to make sure no one can hear me. “Let’s just say I had the overwhelming urge to take things to the next level.”
Tyla links her arm with mine, pulling me in closer to her and Brooke. “Amelie, this is great news.”
“How is this great? Zayne is Laila’s father and your brother-in-law by human standards. If we were to act on these feelings, someone would get hurt in the long run. We both have mates out there somewhere.”
Tyla comes to a halt and stands in front of me, her gaze narrowed in concern. “The fact that Zayne, of all people, made a move on you is impressive. When you kissed, what did you feel? Did you have that thrumming in your veins like you had the other day?”
“No,” I answer, gauging her reaction. She looks away with a look of confusion, and it makes me wonder. I’ve heard others mention a strange feeling coursing through their veins when they’re around their mate, but no one was near me except mated males when I had it. “Why did you ask that, Tyla? Do you think the feeling I had the other day was part of the mating signs?”
She shrugs, but there’s a slyness to her grin. “You tell me.”
I shake my head. “It couldn’t have been. Only mated males were around me.”
Her eyes never leave mine. “Are you sure?” I get the feeling she knows something. She reaches for my hands and sighs. “Just enjoy your time with him, Amelie. And who knows, something might come of it.”
If only wolves could read other people’s minds instead of just their mates. I’d love to know what’s going on in hers. But, unfortunately, Tyla’s part of my blood, and I can tell when she’s keeping something from me.
“You think he’s my mate, don’t you? That’s why he’s spending time with me.”
Tyla smiles at me. “I don’t think anything, Amelie. This is all you.”
It’s all starting to make sense. Why after all this time would Zayne be making an effort to get to know me if I wasn’t his mate? Am I attracted to him? Of course, I am. He was there at Colin and Kami’s that night a couple of weeks ago. He showed up in the woods and ended up eating dinner with me. We had a fantastic night at the bar, and I felt his jealousy when Declan asked me out. And then, last night …
If Zayne knows I’m his mate, then why don’t I feel it? This is what happened to Faith and Tate before their mating signs appeared. They both fell in love with each other first. Maybe the Great Luna wants me to get to know him before she connects us. Whatever happens, I’m going to find out.
“If it’s all up to me,” I say, “then I screwed up. After Zayne and I kissed, things got a little hot and heavy. In the end, I second-guessed my actions. I knew that if I let things progress, I’d regret it if I found my mate.”
Tyla’s eyes widen. “And he felt indecisiveness, didn’t he?”
I nod. “I believe so. Zayne left and hasn’t spoken to me since.” She looks away, but I step into her line of sight, so she has no choice but to meet my gaze. “Is he my mate, Tyla?”
All smiling gone, she stares at me with utter seriousness. “That’s for you to find out, Amelie. Isn’t that what you wanted? For nature to take its course?”
Her comment proves it; she knows something. Those words are exactly what I said to Kami. If Zayne is my mate and he picked up on my hesitation, I can see why he left. If the situation were turned, I’d be hurt if he didn’t want to be with me. The thing is that I wanted something to happen between us; I’m just being cautious.
I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m sure as hell going to find out.
Tyla and I didn’t talk anymore about mates or Zayne for the rest of our morning. There’s a lot on my mind, and I need time to think. I could easily call Kami and ask her who my mate was in her dream, but I don’t want to do that. I’ve come this far on my own, and I can’t cheat now. Besides, with everything going on, I’m pretty sure I already know. So the best way for me to find out the truth is to see Zayne. I’ve tried calling him, but he won’t answer. One thing’s for sure is that if he’s already feeling the mating signs, then it’ll be hard for him to stay away from me. He can’t ignore me forever.
Sitting by the window, I open up the new romance novel I picked out at the bookstore. Before I can even read the first page, I blow out a breath and look out the window. The moon is out, casting a sensual glow over the snow-covered ground. Closing my eyes, I squeeze my hands around the book.
“If you can hear me, Great Luna, I need your help. If I had a choice, I’d pick Zayne as my mate. But, if you think he deserves someone else, please give me a sign. I don’t want to lose my heart. But if he is my mate, please don’t make us wait.”
Opening my eyes, I focus on my book. The lady at the bookstore went on and on about how it’s her favorite book and how it became a movie not that long ago. It intrigued me, so I thought I’d give it a try. It’s a romance about childhood sweethearts who separate because the guy became a famous rock star. Little did he know that he also left behind a part of him with her when he left. The lady didn’t tell me what that was exactly, but I can take a good guess.
It doesn’t take long to get hooked into the book, and I make a mental note to go back to the store to get more recommendations. An hour passes by and then another. When I finally tear my eyes away from the book, I peek out the window to see little snowflakes billowing in the wind. But then, something else catches my attention. In the distance, a set of glowing blue eyes stare back at me. For a quick second, I suck in a breath, and they disappear so fast I’m not even sure I saw them.
Setting my book down, I rush outside and scan the forest. I can’t sense anyone near, but with Zayne being a royal, I wouldn’t be able to find him anyway. If he’s out there, I want to see if I can make him come to me. Taking a deep breath, I lift my shirt and bra over my head and take off my pants and underwear. In a way, it feels erotic to think he might be out there watching me. If he’s not, then I’ll never know.
The moon’s magic swirls all around me as I shift into my wolf. It’s been a while since I’ve turned, and it feels incredible. I sprint off through the woods, loving the feel of the cold snow beneath my paws. When I get to the lake, I shift back into my human form and peer up at the sky. Snowflakes fall on my heated skin, melting the second they touch me. All I can hear is the wind as it blows through the trees. I wait for Zayne to show up, but he never does.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, knowing that if he’s out there, he’ll hear me. “I know things are complicated right now. The kiss we shared last night was amazing, and all I’ve been thinking about is how it would’ve felt to let things go further. I’m sure I know what’s going on, and I don’t know why certain things aren’t progressing yet, but there has to be a reason. So all I ask is that you don’t shut me out. The Christmas party is coming up, and I’m still hoping you’ll be my date.” A small smile spreads across my face. “Someone has to keep the women away from you.”
I wait for another few minutes, thinking he’ll come out of the darkness, but I’m only met with silence. Closing my eyes, I let the magic take over and shift back into my wolf. My gut clenches with disappointment. I thought for sure he’d appear once I laid everything on the line. But then again, he might not have been there.
Once home, I grab my clothes off the porch and slip them on. I glance over my shoulder at the forest and sigh. “Goodnight, Zayne. I’m always here.”