Page 6 of True North

“You have no idea,” I mutter to myself, and to her, I answer, “Yeah, I feel it too.”

Together, we weave through the party in search of Morgan. We usually stick pretty close together at these things, but excitement has gotten the best of her tonight. I’m pretty sure it’s because she’s hoping to hook up with Rory Finch one last time before graduation. Morgan and the pretty head cheerleader have always had a soft spot for each other.

I’m pretty sure the only reason the two of them aren’t living in happy coupled-up bliss is because Morgan hasn’t come face-to-face with her mate yet.

It’s the curse of the shifters. Even if we haven’t found our mate yet, we’re destined to carry a torch for them anyway. The mate bond is meant to bring comfort and love into our lives, but Morgan is an example of how the mate bond can also bring unimaginable pain.

She would never admit it, but I suspect Morgan is in love with Rory.

Jade and I make it to the kitchen, and sure enough Rory is perched on the island countertop with Morgan standing between her legs, hands resting on her thighs as they whisper furtively together. Like every other time I’ve seen them together, they seem to exist in their own little bubble.

I can’t help but envy what they have. I can only hope that tomorrow, I’ll find my mate and finally feel for myself what it’s like to share that sort of bond with someone.

I’m one of the few wolves in our pack who’s never dated. My siblings pretty much cinched the deal on that. Between Tasha’s never-ending stories about finding her mate Jimmy, and Tevin’s warnings about having your heart broken… Dating around never appealed to me.

I scan the rest of the kitchen as Jade plays bartender, doing something that looks suspiciously like a kid filling a cup with every option at a drink machine. There are couples everywhere, all of them looking so blissful it practically taunts me. I’m torn between envy and excitement. Still, there’s a lingering concern that tomorrow will pass without me finding my mate.

If my mate isn’t part of our North Summit Pack, there’s no telling when I’ll find him. There’s a giant party every year on the west coast for mateless wolves to meet wolves from other packs in the hopes of finding their mate, but I don’t think Tevin or Tasha could afford to send me. Some wolves save up for years to be able to go, and I’m starting to second-guess my decision not to hold down more than my summer job helping Tevin at the plant nursery.

I’ve saved a little, but nowhere near what I’d need for a trip like that.

“You look distracted. Daydreaming of me?” Warner’s deceptively sweet tone cuts through my musings.

I turn my head toward his voice and discover he’s standing uncomfortably close. I shuffle my feet to put a little more space between us, careful to move back instead of sideways so I don’t end up pinned between the counter and him. I look to Jade for an assist, but she’s chatting up a friend from yearbook and hasn’t noticed my predicament.

Lovely.

“Just taking it all in,” I correct diplomatically, careful to keep my voice light.

Unlike Morgan, I don’t know if my future is with this pack or another. I can’t afford to anger our future Alpha if my mate turns out to be another North Summit wolf. At least I feel pretty certain Warner isn’t going to turn out to be my mate.

Definitely not our mate,my wolf’s voice chimes in. She’s been speaking to me more often the closer we get to our first shift. She’s determined to ease some of my anxiety about the possibility.

Warner sees my shoulders relax and presses forward, apparently misreading the gesture as interest. He leans toward me, his eyes closing, and inhales deeply. I take my chance while his eyes are closed and retreat another step, putting distance between us again.

“You won’t do better than me,” Warner growls, his eyes flying open and taking in the space between us. He looks genuinely offended that I won’t jump at the thought of potentially being his mate.

“Tess!” Jade shouts my name, finally having realized I’ve been practically cornered by the Alpha’s insufferable son.

“Coming.” I side-step Warner and head for my friend, but he reaches out to grab my arm and stop me. I barely manage not to flinch away from him, but something inside of me bristles at the audacity of this guy. “Let go,” I tell him, my voice low with a command I have no business giving.

To my surprise—and apparently his as well—he releases me immediately. I hurry toward Jade and try to ignore the way his eyes feel like they’re burning a hole through my back. When I glance back to make sure he’s not following, he’s still looking at me with a mix of confusion and distaste.

Regular wolves don’t give Alphas commands. And they especially don’t give commands that the Alpha actually follows.

Despite the fact that Warner won’t officially be Alpha until his father steps down, the same rules apply to him as the future Alpha. And yet just now… for a moment, the rules didn’t seem to apply at all.

“What was that?” Morgan suddenly materializes by my side as we’re exiting the kitchen.

“I don’t know,” I answer honestly. Her wide eyes tell me she’s not asking about Warner cornering me, she’s wondering the same thing I am about how we just parted ways. “I need to go to the bathroom,” I announce, knowing Jade won’t abandon the party to wait with me, but Morgan will.

“Okay. Find me when you’re done?” As soon as I nod, Jade slips into the crowd in the living room turned makeshift dance floor. I have no doubt this is where Jade will spend the rest of the night. Her energy is boundless.

Morgan says nothing until we’re in line for the bathroom. Even in the hallway furthest from the living room, the music thumps loudly enough to cover our voices as she leans close and worriedly studies me.

“Did you give Alpha-prick acommandback there?”

I shrug helplessly. “I… didn’t mean to?” My voice sounds so uncertain even to my own ears. I have no idea what the hell that was. Members of the pack never give commands to Alpha blood. Never.

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