She’s right. We could. It would be so easy to drag her into that room, rip off our clothes, and make her mine all over again.
But I’m an honorable man, and she’s a confused young woman.
“I can’t,” I tell her gently. “I can’t make love to you when you hate me, Alina.”
“I don’t-I don’t hate you.”
My stomach swoops. “So, you want to be with me? You want to find a way to be together that won’t trigger the prophecy? You’re willing to try to be a family? Because that’s what I want with you, Alina. And we both know it can’t happen. We both know there’s no way forward.”
“But, I…” She swallows hard. “You’re right. I’m sorry. It was-the dream was-I wanted it to be real.”
“I want it to be real, too.”
We’re at an impasse, then. Physically speaking, we want each other.
In every other way, we can’t have each other.
She shivers as another breeze sweeps over us.
Then, without another word, she shifts away from me. I help her off my lap, then guide her back through the window until she’s standing barefoot on her bedroom carpet again.
“Sleep well, Alina,” I whisper.
There is so much confusion and sadness in her gaze that it makes me want to kiss away those troubled emotions. Instead, for fear of triggering another frantic, reckless moment between us, I keep my hands to myself.
“Goodnight, Rowan.”
Slowly, Alina closes the window.
I stay up there on the roof until she falls back asleep.
Alina
Monday morning comes with startling, unpleasant clarity. I should welcome the feeling, but it’s too jarring.
It’s been a confusing weekend.
From the conversation with Zahra on Friday afternoon that turned into an unexpected confrontation and argument with Rowan…and then later that night turned into something I’ve been trying really hard not to think about too hard.
That dream. And then what happened on the rooftop…
The way I wanted to pull him into my bedroom and feel every inch of his skin against mine.
It was nothing. It was just the wolf within, my instincts kicking into overdrive because I was ovulating or something stupid like that.
And that’s exactly what I say to Zahra when I begin my Monday shift at The Diner. She came in as soon as we opened, demanding a fresh cup of coffee and a thorough explanation of what happened after she left my house on Friday afternoon.
“You can’t separate the wolf from the human,” Zahra lectures me quietly. “You are both wolf and human. That’s what a shifter is. You can’t blame one half of yourself for the actions and desires of the other.”
“Watch me,” I deadpan.
Old Betty and Old Joe are eating breakfast at the other end of the bar, too absorbed in their own conversation to pay much attention to us. The bar doesn’t actually start serving alcohol until afternoon, of course, so I’ve been keeping myself busy serving coffee to the few patrons.
“You would have slept with him, though,” Zahra says, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.
“Keep your voice down!” I hiss. “I’m at work.”
“Oh, whatever. You absolutely would have taken a ride on the pretty Alpha prince if the post-nut clarity didn’t have bad timing.”
“‘Pretty Alpha prince’?”
“Am I wrong?”
“No, it’s just big talk for someone who was cursing him out and then bowing her head to him when he started growling.”
Zahra glares at me. I cringe, offering her an apologetic smile. It was natural for her to respond to Rowan’s anger like that. Her natural position in a pack is much lower than mine, given that I was apparently Fated to become an Alpha’s Mate. Lowering her eyes and bowing her head are not only instinctive, but an important and precious part of her identity.
“Sorry,” I mumble.
“It’s okay, Lina. Obviously. It’s just-I mean, yeah, I talked a big game when I was ranting about that stupid prophecy you mentioned, but as soon as he was there in the same room as you, I felt the shift. There’s a serious connection between you two.”
“Yeah, it’s called a Mating bond.”
“It’s more than that. There are tons of mated pairs in West Pond, but I don’t get goosebumps from standing near them. The hairs on my arms don’t stand on end from the tension caused by their proximity.”
“Well, it’s probably just because the bond was rejected and is trying to become un-rejected. Or whatever.”
“Or you’re both extremely powerful shifters in your own right, and even the universe itself recognizes it.”
I huff in annoyance. “You’re being way too dramatic for a Monday morning.”
“Whatever. So, what happened after you and Rowan picked Noah up from his slumber party?”
“Not a whole lot. Rowan looked after Noah while I ran errands and picked up groceries. I think Noah tried to teach him how to draw.” I shrug. “And then Rowan was in Greenbriar territory for most of Sunday.”
“But he slept at your house every night?”
“In the driveway. In his truck.”
“At least let him take the couch or something, Lina.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.