Page 13 of Dancer's Heart

“I’m falling for you, too.”

“We’ll catch each other.”

* * *

The following night, Dani took care to dress well for dinner with the alphas. She didn’t have a lot of fancy clothes with her, but from what Adam had told her about the alphas, they sounded like pretty down-to-earth people. She dried her long, blonde hair with her travel hair dryer and braided sections on both sides, connecting them at the back with a few bobby pins. The mating mark that Adam had given her their first time together had scarred, and now showed with her hair pulled up.

She had unpacked her things the day before, filling up one dresser drawer and a little bit of closet space. She rummaged in the drawer until she found a bra and pair of panties, slipping them on before heading into the closet to find something to wear.

Adam was waiting in the family room for her. It had taken him no time at all to get ready; men had it so easy. Dani finally decided on a white sweater and a pair of navy leggings. After dressing, she tugged on socks and slipped into her favorite leather boots.

“I’m ready,” she said as she walked into the family room. Adam stood from the couch and growled softly.

“You look amazing.”

“Aw, you’re sweet.”

He crossed to her so quickly his movements were a blur, caught her in his arms and kissed her. “Gorgeous,” he whispered against her lips before kissing down her jaw to her throat, where he nibbled on the mating mark and made shivers shoot down her spine.

“Careful. Compliments like that will make us late.”

He lifted from her neck with an annoyed grumble. “Why didn’t I tell Acksel that tonight was a bad time for us to leave the house?”

“It’s only for a few hours,” she said, patting his cheek and slipping from his arms to get her coat from the hook by the door.

He joined her, tugging on his own jacket. “We’ll eat fast.”

They walked together to his truck and he opened the door, helping her inside. “Do you have a car in Oakville we need to make arrangements to get?” he asked as he climbed in behind the wheel and started the engine.

“No. Mom let me use her car.”

“You can use my truck whenever you’d like, and we can get a car for you if you want,” he suggested, pulling away from the curb.

She thought it was sweet of him to offer. “I don’t think I’ll need one, but if it turns out I do then we can cross that bridge when we come to it.”

As he drove to the alphas’ house, she asked, “How long has Acksel been alpha?”

“Four years. He and Brynn have been together since the fall. She’s human and grew up in Wilde Creek.”

“Is it a big deal that she’s human?”

“According to our old laws, it was a huge issue. The old laws said that wolves weren’t allowed to mate with anyone but another wolf. If a wolf chose another kind of shifter or a human for a mate, they were exiled from the pack.”

“That seems harsh.”

He shrugged. “It’s pack life. I guess Acksel and Brynn had a long history, but he was determined to never be with her because she was human and he’d have to leave the pack. Then his sister, Eveny, decided to mate with a human named Luke. Acksel opted to change that one law and allow pack members to mate with whoever they wanted, regardless of whether they shifted or not. The law change allowed Acksel to finally claim Brynn as his mate.”

She mused on that for a moment. “There was a time when bears only mated with other bears, and I think that was actually true of reindeer, too. From the little memory I have of my herd, they were all reindeers. I guess if you only stick to your own group then you eventually end up mated to one of your own. Personally, I’m glad I wandered through Wilde Creek.”

He smiled. “Me too, sweetheart.”

He parked on the street in front of a house. The yard was covered with snow, and the salt scattered on the freshly shoveled sidewalk glittered in the porch lights. As Dani looked at the house and thought about where she was and who she was going to meet, her nerves kicked in.

She was literally walking into a wolf’s den; and not just any wolf, but the freakingheadof a wolf pack. Her pulse raced as Adam turned off the engine. The automatic doors unlocked, and the sound made her jump.

“Baby?”

“Sorry, this is just…a lot to take in.” She forced her hands to unclench.

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