Page 17 of The Alpha's Temptation
I sit on the edge of my bed and put my head in my hands.My promise to Penny is a weight pressing on my shoulders.The pull to Selena is a current in my blood.The moon is a clock, and it’s almost done counting down.
“I could go east,” I tell the dark.“Run onto the state land.Come back at dawn.”
Coward, my wolf snaps.
Protector, I argue.
Both ring true.I think of Selena on her porch, the way we stopped ourselves because my promise to Penny still means something.Will my sister and I be able to sit at the same table tomorrow without her flinching every time she looks at me?I’m trying to walk a line between two people I love.No, not a line.A knife-edge.
I stretch out, finally surrendering to the mercy of sleep.My last thought is of red hair and blue eyes and the whisper of her breath a heartbeat from my mouth.
Hold on,I tell myself.One more night.Just one more night.
My wolf curls inside me, not happy, but watchful.The moon climbs.I breathe.And somewhere between wanting and duty, I fall under, dreaming of my mate smiling up at me.
SEVEN
Selena
I wake to heat.
Not the soft summer warmth that seeps through an open window, but a wildfire under my skin.The full moon hasn’t even risen yet, but the bond is already pulling, clawing, demanding.My body hums with it, restless and aching, like every cell knows exactly what it’s missing.
Foster.
His name is the first thought in my head, the last word I breathe when I try to steady myself.I press my palms to my face, willing the fever to cool, but it doesn’t.Nothing does.
I dress quickly, tugging on jeans and a sweater even though they feel suffocating against my too-warm skin.
Work will distract me, I tell myself.If I keep moving, keep smiling, maybe no one will notice that I’m falling apart inside.
The bookstore hums with its usual morning rhythm.People stand in line to order drinks and pasties from the café, while others amble down the aisles, searching for their next favorite read.
I stand behind the counter, letting the routine of checking out customers and analyzing new stock fill my mind, so I’m not obsessing over Foster and his whereabouts.
Can he feel this, too?
Penny comes in around noon, her bright voice greeting a regular.She spots me and waves, her smile slipping only for a heartbeat before she pastes it back on.
“Hey there!”she says, like nothing is broken between us.
I force a smile.“Hey.”
“How’s it going?”she asks, studying me with concern.“You look kind of flushed.Are you feeling okay?”
I open my mouth to tell her that it’s the mating heat, then snap it shut.I’m not sure if she’ll get upset at the reminder that I’m fated to her brother, and I don’t want to upset her.
“Selena?”She steps closer.
“I’m fine,” I assure her.“It’s just the…full moon.”
Understanding dawns in her eyes, and she looks guilty for a moment.“Are you sure you’re okay?”
I nod.“Yeah.It’s fine.It’ll pass soon.”
Even as I say it, my body burns hotter, and the ache inside me becomes more persistent.
She reaches across the counter, squeezing my hand.“I planned to stock the shelves, but I can handle the register if you’d rather do inventory.”
