My mouth dropped open. I was in shock. He wasn’t saying no. He was funding a second location for Safe Haven. I couldn’t ask that of him.
‘Let me take care of you,’ he said into my mind.
I didn’t like the idea of having to depend on a man for money. I thought of all the women and children we could help with a second location, with more volunteers. I nodded.
“Thank you.”
He stood. “I need to deal with Max. He won’t challenge me now that I’m fully healed. Thanks to you, I have my life.”
I stood and met his eyes. “Consider us even. You saved my life first.”
He wasn’t leaving. He stood there staring into my eyes. I rested my eyes on his lips. I swallowed hard, remembering our kiss. The best kiss of my life. He grinned from ear to ear and grabbed me in one quick motion, pressing his body against mine. He rubbed small circles on my neck with his thumb as he cupped my face. His lips met mine and I felt electricity flow through me down to my toes. Maybe this was what it was like to kiss a wolf. Maybe Kai wasn’t special and if I kissed one of the other wolves it would feel the same as this. He pulled away with a soft growl.
“I really need to get around to teaching you how to shut me out of your personal thoughts.” His eyes were glowing yellow. His wolf.
“Sorry,” I squeaked. “This is new to me.”
He motioned between the two of us. “This is new to me, too.” Then he tossed me a cell phone. “It’s yours now, call your mom. Tell her you met a guy online and you’re moving in with him. She can visit anytime you like. Just give us notice so we don’t have any abnormally large wolves running around.” Then he left.
This is new to me too, he had said. I took a deep breath and dialed my mother.
"You what!" my mother screamed for the second time.
"I'm moving in with him."
"How long have you known this guy? Honey, this isn't like you. What about Safe Haven? Mount Hood is a long commute.”
"We met online three months ago," I lied. "I actually have more exciting news. I got a really big donation to Safe Haven, too. I'm opening a second location in Gresham. I will have the money to hire someone to run the Portland location."
"Honey, that's great news about Safe Haven. You’ve known him three months? How come you never told me?" There was hurt in her voice. I hated this.
"I wasn't sure it was serious but it is. Say you’re happy for me? That you will visit?"
“Of course I'll visit. You’re my daughter. It's just... You know I didn't get to know your father very well and I jumped in without thinking and look where that got us."
"Mom, he is not like that. He would never hurt me." Okay, the line between making up a story and the truth was getting blurry. I wasn't really moving in with Kai, was I?
"What does he do?"
“He... He comes from a wealthy family and he has a community up here. A… treatment center. For.... recovering alcoholics." What the hell was I saying? I was always a horrible liar but I had a wild imagination, quite the combo.
"Oh, well he sounds a lot like you. A do-gooder. Except for the wealthy family part,” she joked. I thought of her in her bright teal trailer on Ash Lane near downtown Portland. I wish I could give her more. She deserved the best.
"Thanks for understanding. I'll call you tomorrow, okay, mom?"
"Okay, sweetie. The only thing I have ever wanted was to see you happy. You sound happy," she admitted.
Did I? Was I? God, if she only knew. Mom, I got in a horrific accident. My back was broken, my head gushing blood and this new boyfriend of mine. The one, who I said would never hurt me? He bit me. ‘Cause he's a werewolf and now I am one, too. I wanted to tell her.
“Thanks, mom. Love you.”
“Love you too, Aurora.”
So that was it. I was a werewolf and I was moving in with my Alpha that I had kissed twice, and I was lying to my mom. I sighed. Life was officially complicated.
Run
After getting off of the phone with my mom, I sat on the edge of the bed in silence for a moment until my pack sense began to tingle. ‘Alpha. Alpha. Alpha.’ I got up and made my way outside where I could see the pack gathering around Kai.
“Glad to see you fully healed,” Sadie purred at Kai. He nodded and then turned as if sensing me. Again his eyes trailed over my body and I felt exposed.
“I think it’s time we go for a run! To welcome Aurora properly; introduce all of us to her wolf. We leave in five minutes.” He eyed me and beckoned me towards the house.
I followed him wordlessly, trying to contain my fear. I was a werewolf and up until now it hadn’t been real. Shifting into a wolf, that was real. Would it hurt? Would I hate it? What if I liked it? Once inside, he turned to face me tucking a piece of hair behind my ear.
“Wolves need to live in packs to be fully healthy and feel whole, but as far as lovers go, most of us can only hope to be lucky enough to find our mate; to be blessed with children and a life of love. We prepare for a life of fleeting relationships. We have distractions but the one thing we are really waiting for is our mate.”
My heart was beating in my head. I wasn’t expecting this. He continued. “As you can imagine, with a shortage of female wolves, most males spend their life alone, romantically. Your arrival has every unmated male in the pack in a frenzy. I feel it fair to warn you that no matter what has started between you and I, if your mate is out there among the pack…” He didn’t finish.