Page 22 of The Fated Mate Bandit

I can’t help but be a little jealous. I’ve never beamed like that while kissing Daryl.

“Lucas is family. He’s seen all our raccoons at one point or another.” Quin reaches up and grasps Chime’s furry little body. She stares at me silently as he brings her closer to me. “Lucas is a gray wolf shifter. His wolf is very fast and strong.”

It’s been so long since I’ve shifted, a part of me forgets that there’s any strength within me. Chime tilts her head curiously, like she’s trying to picture me as a wolf.

“His fur is silver, like mine,” Silver says. “When I saw his wolf for the first time, I thought he was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.”

My stomach flip flops. I always liked that our fur matched. When we were younger, I hoped it meant something. I don’t know what, exactly.

Coin looks at Silver with confusion in his eyes. The compliment probably doesn’t make sense to him, seeing as how I’m bonded to someone else.

“Have a good night, Chime,” Tin says, reaching out to pet her head. She leans into his touch and gives his hand a little lick.

Each of her uncles pats her head or scratches her ears. She licks them back, eager for their affection. There’s no fear in her stance, no reservations in the way she loves them. The easy way they say goodnight to her reminds me of how different a raccoon shifter’s childhood is from a gray wolf shifter’s.

I place my hand on my belly. If only my pups could grow up in a family like this one. If only they could have a childhood full of ear scratches and good food—of love and safety.

But I don’t get to wish for things like that. Not even for them. Fate has already decided what kind of life we’re allowed to have.

“Did you want to say goodnight to Uncle Lucas?” Quin asks Chime.

She does a little nod that makes my heart swell in my chest. She has no reason to believe that I’m anything but trustworthy and safe for her to love.

I reach up and gently scratch her furry head. She tilts her snout up, pushing into my touch. A little rumble comes from her chest. Silver used to make that sound too, back when we would cuddle. I think it’s a purr, of sorts.

“It’s wonderful to meet you, Chime,” I say.

She licks my palm in response, as if I’m another one of her beloved uncles. It’s like the times I used to cook with Ruby in her kitchen—for a moment, I feel like I belong somewhere.

“It’s time to go to bed,” Quin reminds Chime. She scurries up Slade’s shirt and onto his shoulder, her fluffy tail outstretched behind her.

It’s hard to not imagine how Chime might act as a cousin to three pups—how they might play in their animal forms, the way young shifter children do.

“Goodnight,” Quin says, reaching up to give Chime a pet of his own. “I love you. I’ll join you in a little bit.”

Slade turns around and walks out of the kitchen.

“Where is she sleeping?” Silver asks.

“In the camper,” Quin says. “We’ll all be in there tonight, since I figured Lucas would be in the guest room, and there isn’t a bed in the extra room at the end of the hall.”

Silver glances at me. He wants to offer the guest room to Quin, since we’ll be sleeping in the same bed. But I’m not ready for his brothers to know that I’m cheating on Daryl. I’m not sure they’d understand, even if I told them about the abuse. For them, bonds are beautiful, wonderful things.

“Coin and I were planning to sleep on your couches,” Tin says.

“I can crash in your bed with you, right?” Link asks Silver. The two of them exchange a meaningful look before Link laughs nervously. “I mean, I’ll use one of your sleeping bags to sleep in the living room with Tin and Coin.”

Coin’s gaze darts from me to Silver and back again. “Okay. I could share a bed with Lucas, if that’s easier?—”

“Not tonight,” Silver says.

An awkward silence hangs over the room. They know something is up, and I’m just making things weird by not telling them. But the silence only lasts for a moment, before Slade leaves with Chime and Quin starts adding sandwiches to the electric grill.

“Are we going to keep the turkey in the dining room while we eat?” Coin asks.

The natural flow of conversation returns as Tin suggests they put the turkey in the garage and Link worries the heat will ruin it. The crackle of butter on hot metal and the swish, swish, swish of Tin’s spoon stirring the tomato soup are in the background as they argue about whether the turkey is already ruined and how stinky it is.

No one seems angry at me. They don’t even seem angry at Link, who is being a little unreasonable about the turkey. It’s all so calm and nice. I sit there and take in the comforting sound of their voices. One of the little pups in my womb kicks, as if they like the noise, too. I don’t like to think about their ability to hear most of the time. They must have overheard a lot of horrible things with Daryl. But tonight, I don’t have to worry about that.

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