Page 29 of Fated to the Wolf Cowboy
Nah, I was much too young for something like that.
That just meant I was having a higher probability of a nervous breakdown or something like that.
A big part of me wanted to just close my eyes, go to sleep, and wake up with the knowledge that this was just all one big crazy dream. But then the guilt set in because I should never feel this way about my mate.
I wasn’t sure how long I laid there tormenting myself about it, but eventually Oliver stopped in to check on me, too.
“What’s going on, Brady?” Oliver asked. “Everyone’s really worried about you.”
“Ollie, hey. Thanks for coming by. I’m okay. Sam says I should be fully healed soon and good to go.”
“That’s good, but not what I was talking about.”
Leave it to my brother to just cut to the chase.
“You want to know about what’s going on with me and the horse. Have you met Clementine yet? She’s my mate. Socongratulations. You have a new sister and she’s a freaking horse that either can’t or won’t shift. I’m not sure yet which. Thomas is convinced she’s just a horse. But there has to be more, right? She’s my mate, so there has to be.”
I wanted to beg him to explain it to me or somehow fix the mess I now found myself in. But I really didn’t think he could.
“A horse. Yeah. Funny, right?” I said, trying to lighten the tension between us.
He didn’t laugh or try to make light of it like others had, but he did look seriously worried about my sanity. Hell at this point I was questioning it too.
“Tell me what’s happening. Why do you think Clementine is your mate.”
I growled at my brother. “No one questioned you and Peyton.”
He silently watched me with concern etching his features and patiently waited for me to calm down and explain.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to lash out at you. I don’t even know, man. It’s like I can smell her. And if I close my eyes, it’s so clear that she’s mine, but then I look at her and everything feels all wrong like something’s not right between us. What’s wrong with my mate, Ollie? I’m not going crazy. My wolf recognized her first. But there’s no strong connection either way. But. . .” I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath letting her scent fill my lungs as a calm washed over me. “But then it’s her. I know her scent, Ollie. It’s her.”
Tricia
Chapter 9
“You don’t have to be so nice and accommodating. I’m okay now. I can take my things and get the hell out of here.”
“Don’t be silly. I like getting to know you.”
For the last hour as we drove around Collier, Wyoming, Lily had been telling me all about the Pack, the area, her and her life, but she hadn’t once asked me anything about me. Yet, somehow, I knew she was dying to know everything.
“And this is Collier Ranch, Dairy, and now Farm. We’re really close to being fully sustainable now and sell off the excess to fund the Pack. It’s been quite profitable for us. A lot of the Pack work out here. Not to mention the perks have having miles and miles of open range for us to run. It’s magical.”
I’d already experienced life out there on that range and I had no desire to do that ever again.
“Uh, have you always lived here in Collier?” I asked her instead.
“Oh, Lord no. I’m not a city girl next to you, but by their standards around here, I still am.”
I couldn’t help but smile. With her designer clothes and pink streaked hair, I could see it. She didn’t exactly look like the others I’d seen during this tour, but she also didn’t look like a New York City girl either. Somewhere in the middle and somehow that just seemed to suit her.
“So what brought you here then?”
“Thomas. Or actually, I should blame Maddie. That’s his sister. He has a lot of sisters. Six of them to be exact. But MC and I were always the closest. We grew up together at Alpha Camp and Thomas was always her pesky little brother. Then Mad went missing for many years and I didn’t like how Thomas handled things. Turned out to be atotalmisunderstanding, and clearly we’ve worked through all of that stuff, but basically Maddie mated my twin brother and I came here with them for her first homecoming after her disappearance only to discover my true mate was none other than Thomas.” She rolled her eyes dramatically. “I love that man, but I’ll admit, stubborn pride almost kept us apart.”
“Where are you from then?”
She looked at me like that was a silly question to ask.
