Page 34 of Shifters' Fated Summer
“He’ll come around,” she replied with a shrug. “Now come help me make some dinner. It’s Holt’s night off, and if we don’t keep an eye on Archer, he’ll make something truly atrocious.”
Grateful for the distraction, I followed her into the kitchen and beganchopping vegetables.
Chapter 12
Finally
The next few days passed in a blur. Elowen brought me knitting supplies, and I discovered how nice it was to sit on the deck and work on the baby beanie she had requested. Sometimes she sat with me, sometimes Jem did.
I helped Holt in the kitchen, even though I knew nothing about cooking. It was therapeutic to stir a pot of boiling pasta or cut fruit and vegetables into little pieces. Holt spoke quietly, and I appreciated his gentle nature.
But being in the common area meant exposure to Harper and Rae. Any time they passed me, they hissed insults likevampire slutorblood whore. I ignored them, but it made my heart race every time.
The truth was, I knew my days were limited, and I wanted to enjoy them before I was cast out to live on my own or find a pack that wanted me.
Luca reluctantly spent his mornings going over data with Cade and Finn, and whoever else was helping at the moment. One morning, I sat and answered dozens of questions from Finn and Luca as they documentedeverything I knew about the vampires. I hoped that would lead to Cade warming to me, but he still refused to speak to me and his stares felt as if they would pierce me through the heart.
In the afternoons, Luca took me walking in the woods around the lake, showing me more of their home. The rest of the pack ran past us, or we watched them training, honing their bodies for the next raid.
All the while, I was careful to minimize how much I touched Luca. After seeing Cade claim him so thoroughly, it felt weird, and Luca was respectful of the distance I put between us. We ate with the rest of the pack at picnic tables on the deck, and despite Harper, Rae, and Cade, I was beginning to feel like I belonged.
In the evenings, we played games with Jem and Finn, and Elowen insisted I watch a movie with her.
At night, Luca curled around me, but I refrained from starting discussions that might lead to flirting and touching. He didn’t request to scent-mark me again, and I ignored his dick pressing into my ass, no matter how much I wanted to grind against it. I should have kicked him out of my bed entirely, but knowing I would lose him soon, I couldn’t help myself.
One morning, Luca returned to my room after his shower, rubbing a towel through his hair.
“It’s the full moon tonight.”
I almost missed the statement as my eyes tracked the water drop trailing down his tattooed throat.
“What?” I yelped, adrenaline flooding my veins. “Today, seriously?”
“Yeah, I thought you knew, sorry.” He tossed the towel over the chair in the corner and climbed onto the bed with me.
I stretched to grab my bookmark from the side table and save my place. Setting the book aside, I frowned at Luca.
“I don’t know anything about what to expect, and it kinda scares me,” I admitted.
Sighing, Luca flopped on his back and hooked an arm around my hips and ass, pulling me against him. I tipped over and he tucked me against his side.
“It’s going to be fine. Don’t worry. We just go into the woods, and Cade will say his Alpha mumbo jumbo, and then we shift and go for a run as wolves.”
“You make it sound so simple,” I said, grabbing his hand off of my stomach before it crept lower. “But we’re talking about turning into an animal.”
Luca’s head popped up and he scowled at me. “We aren’t animals. We’re justanimal shaped,” he said with a chuckle, breaking his serious facade. “But seriously, don’t say that, it’s pretty offensive.”
“But you call each other wolves, don’t you?” I asked, my eyebrow arching at the inconsistency.
“Yeah, short forwerewolves.”
“Okay, fine,” I huffed.
Luca took a slow breath. “So, normallyyou can wear whatever clothes to the full moon, but since it’s your first shift, it’s tradition to wear something white. I think you should dress however you’re comfortable, but gotta admit, I would love to see you in something special.”
“I can do that,” I said without giving it much thought. Wearing white wasn’t a big deal, and if I wanted to fit in as a werewolf, it wouldn’t hurt to follow their traditions.
“Great, because I ordered you something.”
