Page 100 of Midnight Moon
I wished I could believe her, but what she said wasn’t true.
I knew mate bonds, especially fated mate bonds, strengthened the longer the involved shifters spent time in each other’s presence. What I didn’t know was how quickly the gnawing desire to be around Asher would develop, nor how my stomach would burn with agony every time I thought about walking away from him.
Logic assured me the feelings would fade once he and I put some distance between us, but that did nothing to ease my discomfort.
In less than twenty-four hours, with any luck, I would walk away from a fated mate bond, and it was eating me up inside.
No one knew what I was going through.
Suddenly, I didn’t want that to be the case.
I wanted—no,needed—to talk through these feelings or I feared I would burst.
I rose from my seat. My thighs bumped the table, rattling the fork on my plate.
I met Stephanie’s startled gaze. “Want to walk outside with me?” I asked, mindful of the curious ears around us.
My best friend jumped to her feet. “Absolutely.”
Neither of us said a word as we walked outside and found the nearest walking path. I waited until I couldn’t see any other shifter before I finally admitted what I so desperately needed to share with someone, “Asher and I formed a mate bond.”
“WHAT?!?”
I cringed and looked around, but no one paid heed to my friend’s shriek.
Stephanie stopped walking. She put hands on my shoulders and forced me to face her. “Explain.”
So, I did.
Leaving out the details regarding sorcerers and magic, I explained how Asher and I had formed a mate bond when we shared an unexpected kiss. It was only half a lie. I couldn’t tell her about the sorcerers’ attack, so I couldn’t explain that the bond had clicked when Asher gave me CPR.
I continued, telling Stephanie how Asher promised to try to lose the final match, but it would be tricky. The Wilds shifters had strong reason to suspect the Coastal shifters planned to slaughter them during the match. Asher and Chase would try not to win, but they would not hesitate to protect themselves, if needed.
“The Coastal Pack would never go for a kill shot,” Stephanie interjected, trying to reassure me. She didn’t know she didn’t have all the facts to make such a claim. “Tyler doesn’t have the balls. Asher and Chase should have no problem losing the match.”
I did my best to look comforted. “I know, but I’m still worried.”
Stephanie nodded in understanding, releasing my shoulders. “Have you told your dad? Is that why he and Asher were arguing right before the second match?”
“No,” I admitted. “I wasn’t sure how he would react to the bond.” And it’s not like he was around, even if I did want to tell him.
My father had managed to evade me the entire afternoon. I would see him in the crowd, or heading to our cabin, but every time I walked over, he was gone by the time I arrived. His behavior was equal parts irritating and alarming.
It wasn’t like the Summit alpha to avoid confrontation, and it worried me.
“I don’t blame you,” Stephanie shook her head. “Can you imagine hearing your daughter has afated mate bondwith a male from another pack? That isn’t, exactly, every father’s dream. Unless…” she trailed off, giving me a funny look.
“What?”
“Unless you mightwantthe mate bond.”
I stared at her, dumbfounded. “Why would Iwanta bond that would force me to abandon my pack?”
Fulfilling my bond with Asher would rob me of my future, just like mating with the Wilds alpha would.
Stephanie shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve never had a mate bond, but I hear it’s pretty intense and not easy to walk away from.”
That was an understatement.
