Page 27 of Shifters' Fated Summer
“Yeah,” he said. “It’s fine, feel free to continue.”
“That’s okay, I’d rather not,” I said, recoiling further.
“Summer,” he drawled. I was becoming obsessed with how he said my name, and he seemed to love saying it.
He leaned forward, hand resting on the mattress beside my thigh. “I’ll happily scent-mark you. I’ll do far more than that if you’d let me.”
I was tempted to let him.
Instead, I rubbed my knuckles across my eyes, trying to clear the haze of desire and lingering panic. It was hard to believe what he had told me.
There was no way. But why would he make something like that up? To get me to stick around for one more week? It would be easily disproved at the next full moon when I stayed on two legs.
“So I’m a fucking werewolf.Fantastic.”
Luca rubbed the back of his neck, looking sheepish. “I’m sorry you found out this way. The whole situation is weird. We weren’t sure until you detoxed and your scent changed. But I thought you smelled a bit like a wolf back when I first saw you. It’s why we brought you here instead of sending you to the rehab facility with the other victims.”
My hand shot to my mouth. I hadn’t even thought to ask about the other donors. We weren’t close, but I was a horrible person for hardly thinking of them.
“Are they all okay?” I asked, assuaging my guilt.
“Oh yeah. Those places have all those drugs to help with detoxing. They were clean before you were done with it, and they’re all home with their families now.” He hesitated. “You’re the only one they didn’t have any parent information about. Do you remember them? I mean, you were eleven.”
Swallowing, I shifted my weight where I sat. “I didn’t have parents, not that I remember. I was in a group home before I was brought to the den. For a while, I was living on the streets.”
I hated the pity filling his eyes. Scowling, I amended, “It was a long time ago.”
“I can’t imagine what must have happened for you to be on your own. Werewolves are extremely protective of their children. They wouldn’t have abandoned you willingly.”
His words soothed a long-ago scarred-over injury. I had come to terms with never knowing my parents. No one had ever seemed to care, until Luca.
“Thanks,” I whispered. “But don’t tell anyone, please. I don’t want them knowing.”
Luca’s brows furrowed.
“Especially not Cade,” I added.
“He needs to know your background. It explains a few things.” His hand settled on my thigh, his thumb rubbing back and forth absently.
“Please,” I whispered.
“Okay, for now.”
“Thank you.” Our eyes met and the magnetic pull dragged me toward him. I could kiss him.
What was wrong with me? I was planning to leave and find my vampire patron. Or at least figure out the truth and if I could trust Evrin or not… and now I was about to kiss this werewolf who kidnapped me.
He had planted such doubt in my mind and lulled me into a haze of lust. Even when he didn’t have his hands on me, I wanted him.
If I was honest, I wanted Cade too. Maybe it was a werewolf thing. Maybe they were particularly irresistible to each other.
Swallowing, I shifted away from Luca, trying to gain some distance and common sense.
“So what do I do now? Wait for the full moon?”
“I hope you choose to join our pack. But after your first shift, you’ll be stronger with better senses. You can leave if you want to. We can contact nearby territories and get you safe passage. I’m sure some of them would be open to a new pack member.”
“I have to join a pack?” It felt like a dumb question, but it hadn’t occurred to me that it was a requirement. Couldn’t I pretend to be human?
