Page 12 of Claimed by the Pack

I avoided eye-contact with him and looked at Chelsea. “Okay. Can we get this over with so I can get home, please?”

“Sure,” she said, handing the baby back over to Chase.

“Will you have a seat?”

I looked at Ridge then, narrowing my eyes at him and then walking past him to sit down in the other chair.

I wasn't about to sit next to him on the couch. I sat down and folded my arms across my chest.

Chelsea looked at Ridge and then back to me and said, “You may not believe this, but Ridge is really a nice guy.”

I snorted and Chelsea actually smiled.

“I get that you're not going to believe that, but I promise you there's a lot more to him than what you've seen the past two days. What Ridge really is, is confused. He likes you, and he went about trying to get you to like him back, entirely the wrong way.”

“You think?”

She chuckled at that.

“I'm sorry. I wish this was easier to explain. Ridge was raised in a world where things were done much differently than we consider “normal”.

“Where?” I asked, “In the wild?”

Suddenly the smile was no longer on Chelsea's face.

I wasn't looking at Ridge but I could see him out of the corner of my eye and I saw him shift in his seat. A few seconds passed and she finally said, “Well to be honest, yes.”

I looked at him again.

He was looking at me with those intense hazel eyes of his, but he didn't speak. It was Chelsea who went on and I realized suddenly that she was as crazy as he was, and I was stupid for not taking off again when I had the chance.

“Ridge is a wolf-shifter, we all are.”

“Excuse me?”

“Most lay people think of us as werewolves. It's not quite the same thing...”

“Stop,” I said, putting my palms up. “Please stop. This is your excuse for this man kidnapping me? You're werewolves?”

“Shifters,” Chase said.

“Hush Chase,” Chelsea snapped at him.

“This is crazy.”

“I agree that it sounds crazy. I didn't believe it myself at first...”

“So, you're not a werewolf?” I couldn't even believe I was having this conversation. My head felt like it was going to explode.

“Yes, I'm a wolf-shifter too, but I wasn't always. I met my mates after they had been changed and...”

“Wait, whoa, this just gets crazier. Did you say “mates”?

“Yes. I have four mates.”

I couldn't help it at that point. I started laughing hysterically.

When I finally stopped, I looked at Ridge and said, “Man, can I pick them.”

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