Page 69 of Mated to the Wolves

“I’m not always going to agree with you, Cadoc.” The protest is weak.

“That’s what makes this fun for me.” His lips curve up in the corner and his eyes sparkle with mischief. The sight of him carefree has my heart racing and belly fluttering. I’m glimpsing emotions that are private and rare.

He walks off before I can respond. I rush up the steps ready for another frigid bath and a fresh change of underwear. These men have me ruining them at a ridiculous rate. I’m officially in hell.

“Ylva.”

I jump when at the second landing.

“Don’t do that.” I hold a hand over my heart and turn to face Fell.

“Sorry. I wanted to check on you.” Hair still wet and curling slightly over his forehead, he reminds me of the sweet boy I once thought I’d marry.

“I’m good. It was just a team pep talk. I’m not used to working with others. I’ve been on my own for a long time.”

“Can we fix what’s wrong between us?” He tucks his hands into the pockets of his plaid pants.

I exhale. “Honestly, I don’t know.”

“How do I start? Even now I can feel your irritation with me,” Fell says.

“Figure out how to fix that. Earn the right to have a relationship with me again. You did the one thing you promised me you never would, left me alone.”

He closes his eyes and his jaw tightens.

“I was a kid?—.”

“Who knew how important that promise was to me? One minute I was sharing all my secrets with you and the next I couldn’t find you. I don’t trust you Fell. I’m not sure how you’re going to regain that, but it’s the first step.”

“I want to start over.” his voice is so low I can barely hear it.

“Do you?”

“Because I feel like you want to step back into our old roles, and that’s not possible.”

“You want to throw away everything we had before? We’ve been friends since the second grade.”

“No, I want you to stop trying to use that fact to guilt me.”

“I’m not.” He growls. “You’re infuriating and stubborn. I could never forget that I hurt you. It’s still the biggest regret of my life.”

He sniffs. “But that doesn’t discount our history. Erasing me from your past isn’t possible. Teen me was an idiot. But that was the only version of me who hurt you. And that pain doesn’t take away all of the good times we had.”

“Stop.”

“Why are you so resistant to this?” Fell asks.

“I’m sick of being hurt by the people who were supposed to love me most. I’m done with this conversation.” I push him aside and run up the stairs ignoring his calls for me to come back. He did me one favor, my arousal is completely shot.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The responsibility placed on my shoulders is immense. I wiggle to find a comfortable spot on the couch. Propped up by cloud-soft pillows, my eyes caress the lines of the books written by a distant relative.

The irony of the throwaway being the savior isn’t lost on me. Keepers are meant to bring prosperity and defend us from the darkness encroaching on our race. We’re a part of life’s checks and balances.

“Find anything useful?” Kirk asks.

My current babysitter of the day is seated across from me on the couch, flipping through the other book I’d brought home. I don’t mind Kirk. The soft-spoken man with the delicious tenor is content to exist without pushing for more. His presence is soothing.

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