Page 10 of Secret Guardian

We sit in companionable silence as the coffee brews and he doctors mine up. I’m glad it’s not awkward. Of course, my mind is running a hundred miles a minute at the revelation that I’m surrounded by shifters. “Are all these strays shifters?”

“Usually.” He sets my cup down in front of me before taking the other seat, blowing lightly on his own drink. “So, what do you want to know?” He takes a slow sip, watching me over the rim of his cup.

“I want to know everything.”

My coffee iscold and untouched by the time I’ve learned everything there is to know about his shifter pack. He’s the rising alpha, as his dad is retiring. Addison is from a rival pack that wanted to form an alliance. There was a treaty of some sort, but when someone has a mate, the treaty becomes obsolete, so her people are pissed. The apartment complex is a safety net for their pack. Her crossing the line was a breach of territorial agreements.

“There’s so much more to this than I realized.” I shake my head, finally sipping my drink. It still tastes good, even cold.

“It’s just a lot at once. If we’d known you’d go into heat, I could have met you before now. As it was, I didn’t have the chance.”

“Addison called me a runt. Is that why I went into heat later? Or why I didn’t shift?”

“No, the reason is because there was a protection ritual on you.”

“Like a spell?” I wrinkle my nose, not sure how much I buy into that. Then again, I just turned into an animal, so…

“Yes, a spell. My father is the alpha, and he and his wife performed this ritual to cast a shield of sorts over you. You wouldn’t smell of a shifter or change or go into heat until it was time for me to take over as alpha.”

“But you didn’t know it was time?”

“We didn’t. My father’s mate…she was injured, and that changed everything.”

“Your mom?”

“No, my mother wasn’t his mate. She couldn’t have children. But she’s always been very good to me.”

“So what about the night I saved you. She was injured then?”

“Yes, we were attacked by Addison’s pack. They’ve been making attempts for ages to weed you out, to get you ‘out of the way’” He raises his hands to make quotes in the air.

“Oh my god. I’m so sorry, Aarick.”

“It’s okay. It’ll… We’re hoping she gets better soon.”

We stare at each other across the table, the air thick between us as I process the information I’ve been given.

“So what do we do now?” I break the silence after a moment.

“We take over our pack. If you’ll accept me as your mate.”

He clasps his hands together and rests them on the table, watching my face. But I don’t know what to say, what answer to give.

“Aarick, we haven’t even been on a date.”

“Fine, Darian.” He mimics my tone when he says my name. He takes my hand and presses his lips to my skin. “Would you do me the honor of spending the day with me?”

Whatever I thought would happen, this wasn’t it. But he’s so handsome and kind, and I know he can make me come. It can’t hurt to try one date, right?

“Yes. I would love that.”

“Alright.” He glances down at his attire. “Let me run home and get dressed. I’ll be here to pick you up in thirty minutes.”

“But what do I wear?”

“Whatever you want will be perfect.”

“That doesn’t help if I don’t know what your plans are.” I poke him in the chest playfully, and for the first time since my heat ended, a flash of desire runs through me.

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