Page 48 of Feral Attraction
Rey snickered.“Please don’t.His name is Conall.”
“All muscle.Gorgeous face, wicked eyes, and hair you want to tangle your fingers in?”
“Yes.How did you know?”
“‘Cause that’s what all Scath guys look like.”
“He’s not coming back.”Rey rummaged through the fridge until she found a Diet Coke.She’d prefer chugging multiple shots of whiskey, but getting drunk was bad for her depression.
“His loss.How heavy did you two get?”
She popped the tab.“He said he refused to mate me.”
“He used the wordmate?”
“Yes.”Tipping the can, she swallowed.Cold.Good.
“Chicken shit.”
“I think he was afraid he’d hurt me.”
“That’s a strong possibility.Dax always worries about that.He also says the struggle is worth it, makes everything more fun.I’m going to mix up a potion and give your guy a bad case of the crabs.”
“No, Chiara.It’s for the best.I would have gotten old while he still looked like a very fit thirty-five.”
“I understand that a wolf’s bite extends your life a bit, keeps you looking younger.And there are spells.Didn’t he tell you that?”
“No.He was too busy running.”She rolled the cool can on her forehead.
“Like I said, he’s a chicken shit.But as far as mates go, he wouldn’t care if you had wrinkles and knobby knees.He’d still love you.”
“I’ll die before him.Although, according to him, he’s got about as many years left as I do.”
“Older man, huh?The bastard’s robbing the cradle.Age won’t matter much, though.With mates, whoever goes first, the other is not long after.That’s how things will work with Dax and me.”
“None of that matters, Chiara.He’s not coming back.I know it.I accept it.”Her voice quivered.
“Doesn’t sound like the Rey I remember.”
“This isn’t a movie.What do you expect me to do?Knock on his door, put my foot out so that he can’t slam it shut, and confess I love him?”
“Hmm.Sounds good.Do you want to come for a visit?”
“No.”She hesitated.“No.That would be crazy.”She tossed the empty can into recycling.
“It would.Whaddya think?I could pick you up at your place and bring you to Scath.I’ll even walk you up to his door.Don’t worry.I’d disappear before he answers.”
“Chiara, that’s schoolgirl stuff.We’re adults.I won’t chase after him.”
Another sigh from her friend.“Let me tell you about vampires.I bet wolf shifters are the same.They’re alpha males.They carry around way too much baggage.If you don’t catch them, they run.Especially from the women they know are their mates.Their greatest fear is that they’ll hurt us.But here’s a secret.They’d kill themselves before they’d harm one hair on our heads.Unfortunately, they think they know best.But they don’t.We do.”
