Page 38 of Marked By Moonlight
He furrows his brow. “You really don’t know? You can’t smell what happened on me?”
I shift uncomfortably on my feet but shake my head. All I smell is that cool metallic smell of blood. But it doesn’t give me any clue as to what happened.
“How long have you known you were a wolf shifter?”
“My entire life.” I could lie, but I decide I only want to lie about the things I have to lie about. Keeping as close to the truth as I can without telling him I’m from the Wintermoon, the better.
“And yet, you didn’t grow up in a pack?”
I shake my head. “It was just my father, Kael, and me. My father could shift.” I blow out a slow breath, knowing the words I’m about to speak are the truth, and I’m not sure I can say it out loud. “He died…” the words catch in my throat. “He died abouta month ago. After that, Kael and I came in search of other wolf shifters. Nyx found us and brought us here.”
“I’m sorry for your loss. I know what it’s like to lose your family.” His words are a gentle caress, and I feel empathy ripple off him.
Our eyes meet in joined grief, strengthening our connection even deeper.
“What pack did you belong to before your numbers were decimated?”
I shake my head. “I don’t know. My father never talked about the pack before. It was too painful for him. My mother died in childbirth.”
He nods. “You smell like Silvercrest. Their numbers have been dwindling, and we haven’t had any members of their pack at the offering in over a decade. That would be my guess.”
“Silvercrest,” I whisper, pretending it’s the missing piece of my family puzzle. But I hate myself for lying to my mate, a man I’ll spend the rest of my life with. But I don’t have a choice—at least, not yet. I need to know how he would act if he found out the truth. He needs time to get to know me before he judges me for my pack.
I don’t know why he can’t smell the truth on me like Nyx did, but I’m not going to argue with him.
“I want to be initiated into the Moonlight pack. And then you can help me get my wolf.”
He chuckles. “You are a bossy thing, aren’t you?”
“I am.” I fold my arms and smirk at him.
He sets his coffee down on the counter and walks toward me, stepping into my space.
Now I can really smell him—the evergreen, earthy, ancient scent that smells like coming home. The metallic smell falls into the background of my mind.
Kiss me, I think.Dammit, kiss me.I need to know what it’s like to kiss him. Just one kiss.
His eyes darken, and his tongue runs over his bottom lip. He’s going to kiss me, my heart sings.
Finally.
He takes another step closer, until our bodies are brushing together, but it’s still not close enough for me. I hold my breath, waiting for him to make the first move. It seems like the right thing to do since he’s the alpha, and I wouldn’t want to break his fragile ego by kissing him first.
“You aren’t ready to be initiated into the Moonlight pack.”
I frown, but my eyes are too locked on his lips to fully register his words.
“And I won’t be the one helping you to get your wolf.”
My heart immediately shifts from a rampant thunder in my chest to a grinding halt.
“What? Why?”
“I’d probably kill you long before you got your wolf.”
I narrow my eyes at him as I glare. “I’m not afraid of you.”
“You should be. I’m the most powerful alpha alive. I could snap your neck in a second if I desired it. No one would question my decision to end your life. I would suffer no punishment for it.”
