Page 40 of Power Shift

Her eyes lift from the phone, finding mine. “But amazing, right? Everything you’d dreamed of?”

“He was everything and then some,” I murmur, letting my emotions free for a moment.

The disbelief and awe when I saw him and the utter obsession that followed the first whiff of caramel. His intense eyes and the way they fell upon me so gently, like a caress of fingertips. Being in his arms was the safest I’ve ever felt. One moment with them around me and I knew he’d take care of me forever.

Maybe that’s why I’m so scared.

Once I send this first message, I’m accepting what fate has handed me. My life won’t ever be the same again.

But . . . hasn’t it already changed? It would be a waste to continue pretending that it’s the same as it was before last night.

Darting my eyes to the window, I gaze out at the busy street and roll my thoughts around in my mind. A tall, ruggedly built man is standing across the road, startling me. Brown hair buzzed short, he’s wearing a similar leather jacket to the one Ronan had on last night, but surely that isn’t him. I blink, keeping my eyes shut for a second longer than normal before opening them again.

The man is gone, if he was ever there in the first place. Another pang explodes in my chest as I look back at Clover.

“I can see it on your face, Bri. He must have been something special,” Clover agrees, her voice a soft hum.

I tuck my hair behind my ear and prop my arm up on the table. “It doesn’t feel real.”

“Well, it is. And the quicker you text this alpha, the sooner you’ll get to see him again. After we’re done with today, you’ll need a break. I can’t think of a better way to spend it than with your scent match.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” I say, rolling my lips to hide a smile.

“Oh, I’m not. It’s called being realistic, sweetie. Now, what do you think about a simple ‘hey, hottie’?”

I all but lunge over the table to try and snatch my phone from her. She pushes her chair back with a laugh, holding the phone in the air and out of my reach.

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding,” she says through a laugh.

“You better be. Don’t embarrass me with this.”

“Me? I’d never. Even though it’s probably impossible to embarrass yourself in front of a man who would quite literally do anything for you.”

“We hardly know each other. Let’s try to keep things the tiniest bit realistic here for now.”

She narrows her eyes. “I don’t like seeing you so self-conscious. Is this because of that asshole alpha at the restaurant?”

I might as well be standing directly in the sun with how quickly I heat up. Only this time, the red on my cheeks is for an entirely different reason.

“How am I supposed to forget that happened? It wasn’t that long ago.”

“Briar, that guy was a goddamn fool, okay? Honestly, he probably knew he couldn’t handle you. One look at you and he was hit with the realization that he’s a total loser and would forever suffer with feeling inadequate.”

“It doesn’t matter the reason. His reaction to me is branded into my brain. I’m pretty sure I’m going to be having nightmares about it for months still.”

“No, you won’t because you’ll be too busy getting railed by your pack. Trust me, in a few days, you won’t even remember that douchebag.”

Clearing my throat, I nod. The only thing that will come from me continuing to pout about what happened is a lingering sense of shame. Clover’s right. I have better things to focus on, even if they share the hell out of me.

“Hand me my phone,” I say.

She does immediately. My palm is sweaty as I grip it tight and bring it in close. Ronan’s name is simple on the screen but still makes me shiver.

“Just be yourself. You’re amazing that way.”

My head swims as I type out a simple message and send it before I can delete it.

Hi, Ronan. It’s Briar. Do you have time to talk sometime?

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