Page 64 of Feral

Lowell chuckled.

“Oh lass, yer going to fit right in.”

Chapter Fourteen

Daphne

Lowellpackedawaymorefood than I’d ever seen anyone consume, and in record time too. But while his brother regaled me with tales of Fraser in his youth, my “mate” was silent through most of the meal. The only time he spoke was when he ordered exactly what I wanted to eat though I hadn’t told him. He even flagged down the waitress for more coffee before I’d even known my cup was low. It was spooky, to say the least, especially since I didn’t think the instinct was supposed to border on precognition.

But while we sat side by side in the booth, Fraser, having taken the outside so he could stretch his long legs out in the aisle a bit, was very careful not to touch me. It was so painfully obvious that I caught Lowell frowning at his brother a few times through the course of the meal, as if he were genuinely confused.

While Fraser had said that his growl in bed was due to my mention of other men, and while I also knew that many of these reactions were likely beyond his control to some extent, a nagging doubt had me wondering if there was more to it. The way he’d looked at me this morning…

I swear he was going to kiss me or…or something else.

The memory of his black fur-covered body wrapped around mine brought a flush rising from my chest all the way to my face. I was grateful for the crisp morning air as we stepped out of the little restaurant; perhaps it would hide the flush as something the cold had produced. Fraser stood close enough to put his arm around me, but he still didn’t touch me, and it was starting to make me grouchy. To say that I longed to have his hands on me was an understatement. I wondered if I’d have any residual feelings left once the mark was removed. I hoped not.

The thought of being deprived of a reason to be near Fraser left me even more confused and tied in knots. Our future had a clear expiration date and the knowledge was like a spike of anxiety in the back of my mind, growing ever more painful as the hours past.

“Alright you two love birds,” Lowell said with a grin, “time to meet the rest of the clan.”

I blew out a breath and nodded.

“Och, don’t worry, they will love ya. Though, they may not understand why ya fell for this one, but they won’t judge ya for it.”

Lowell smirked at Fraser, who just crossed his arms and glared at his younger brother. The car that Lowell led us to was an old military Jeep that had been restored and upgraded to a certain kind of modern comfort. I was about to climb into the front when Lowell stopped me.

“That’s not a good idea.”

He glanced at Fraser, who was already sitting in the back, his jaw clenched as he stared straight ahead.

“It’ll pass,” Lowell whispered, “but the first month or so is tricky for mated males. And with the full moon so close…well, he’s bound to get a little possessive. Don’t worry though. If yer uncomfortable, just let us know, we’ll take care of it.”

I swallowed and nodded, remembering what Fraser had said about the full moon frenzy.

“How soon is the full moon?” I asked, my voice trembling.

“Tomorrow is the first night. You’ll get to spend some of yer honeymoon at the clan country house. It’s beautiful there.”

“Wait,” Fraser, opened his door and jumped out, “that’s not right. The full moon isn’t for another week.”

Lowell frowned and shook his head.

“Boy, ya fell hard if ya lost track of all that time. It’s tomorrow! Remember, we were timin’ the handfastin’ to it?”

Fraser stared at the ground and then back up at me, eyes wide. I could almost read his mind. He was worried about the frenzy’s effect on our mating mark. And, to be honest, I didn’t know if I was excited to know what would happen, or scared.

“What’s the matter with ya two? It’s not like he’s going to tie you to the garden wall and have his way with you. Although, I’ve done that once, it’s fun with the right hen.”

Fraser growled at him and I wanted nothing more than to have the earth open up and swallow me.

“Just drive the damn car,” Fraser finally said and pulled me inside after him.

The back of the Jeep would’ve been spacious with someone smaller, but with Fraser, it was tighter than the booth at breakfast. Our legs touched and I found myself leaning toward him, hungry for any contact.

“I’m sure it will all be just fine,” I said to Fraser, “you don’t need to worry.”

He held my gaze for a moment and I swear he was fighting a smile when he turned away from me. Lowell shook his head and said something under his breath as he pulled out onto the main road. After a few minutes, my fingers brushed against Frasers and something loosened in my chest at the simple contact. An involuntary sigh slipped out and Fraser wound his fingers through mine. The tension he’d been carrying since this morning started to slip from his shoulders, and even though he still didn’t look at me, I could tell that he was calming down.

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