Page 100 of Campfires & Canines
"I need a minute," she mutters, closing her eyes.
"Why don't you guys take a moment to process everything?" Sable smiles, looking expectantly at Heath.
"We need to plan, but we can spare ten minutes," he concedes and follows her out. The door shuts and I listen to their footsteps retreat. The room is silent. Her heartbeat pulses against my skin, or maybe it's my own.
"Are you okay?" she asks.
I blink at her. "Of course." Why is she worried about me? I'm not the one who had their world turned upside down.
"You signed up for a human mate, and now apparently, I'm not." She keeps her eyes closed, resting her cheek against my chest.
"Hazel, I would love you if you were a giraffe. I would love you if you were a worm." I punctuate my words with a kiss on the top of her head. "I would love you if you were a loaf of bread."
She giggles and the sound melts the ice in my chest.
Her eyes go wide. “Hold up, does this mean I can’t have chocolate anymore?”
I bark out a laugh. She opens her mouth and closes it again, her cheeks coloring.
"How doyoufeel about being a shifter?" I prod.
"I don't think I've got a choice," I frown at her, but she continues, "but I wanted to belong here, and now I guess I do."
"You already did," I say.
She sighs and I can feel her relaxing against me. "Well, now I'll somehow figure out how to be a wolf. Nothing we can't handle."
"I love you," I say without thinking.
The warmest smile spreads across her face. "I love you too. I couldn't deal with any of this without you."
I grin. She's okay. We're going to be okay.
She kisses me sweetly. It's not the desperate kisses we usually have. It's soft and affectionate.
"You can handle anything. You don't need me." I speak against her lips.
Brushing her nose against mine, she speaks slowly, her voice heating. "I very much do need you. Even if it's just because I want you. So badly." I am considering finding us some privacy right now.
Unfortunately, the click of the door opening interrupts us. She turns towards the doorway, looping her arm around my lower back and settling against me in a casual pose, not a we-almost-ripped-our-clothes-off pose.
Our friends and family file in, Marigold, Cedar, Onyx, Clove, Cassia, and Heath.
"There's a lot to discuss and plans to be made," Heath announces, taking his place as we join the group loosely circling him.
Everyone waits expectantly. "Let's get down to it. Hazel is a shifter and it's manifesting now. We need to prepare for her first shift."
The rest of the group is frozen, staring at him.
Marigold breaks first. "Hazel!" She squeals. She pulls Hazel away from me and squeezes her. Hazel hugs her friend, tears starting to form. She wipes them away as Marigold releases her.
I can't help but pull her into my arms, wiping away the lingering tears as everyone crowds her.
"Congratulations," Clove says. "Glad to hear it."
"Happy for you, Hazel," Cedar adds. Onyx's face breaks into his shit-eating grin. I can't even imagine what is running through his head.
Hazel blushes.
