I resist the urge to kick his back leg under the table. We’ve talked so many times about him asking her out. The attraction is obvious. I try not to be the third wheel as he and Alba make small talk.
Movement outside the wall of front windows catches my eye. The shifter pack alpha, Richard, walks past with his Second, Connall. Time slows as I watch how Connall’s jean shirt pulls tight over his impossibly broad barrel chest. He runs a handthrough auburn waves, green eyes flashing as he responds to something Richard says.
My heart rate kicks up when he reaches for the door to the diner and pulls it open. Both males disappear from view, blocked by the building, and then reappear inside the door. Shocking green eyes flash to me before a half smile tips Connall’s sensual lips upward.
I resist the urge to fan myself. I’ve always found him insanely attractive. It’s more than that, though. He’s such a comfortable, grounded presence. He should be, I guess; he’s the pack’s version of a therapist. I’m so much the opposite—I crave steadiness like he has. What would it be like to date someone who’s such a rock?
But then the door opens again, and a blue-skinned elemental sylph comes through, an absolutely wicked grin on his face. Electric blue lightning streaks jaggedly over his pale skin. He claps Connall on the back as I consider the rollercoaster of my thoughts.
Richard, the shifter alpha, sits at a table. Like clockwork, the sylph and Connall both look over at me.
And there’s the crux of my problem. Because Dirk has made his interest in me known from the day we met. But when I look at the two of them together, I find myself just as drawn to Connall. Seeing them looking at me like they both want me tears me up inside. How can I say yes to either of them? How could I ever say no?
It’s not like I can have them both.
CHAPTER TWO
CONNALL
Fading sunlight filters through the singular window above my pack omega’s head, illuminating the tiny crown she occasionally wears. I don’t think she loves wearing it outside of her home haven of Santa Alaya, but our pack here in Ever adores seeing our princess all “gussied up”. It’s such a stark contrast to her rocker chic style.
And all of that’s a stark contrast to the laid back, feminine vibe of the human woman who seems to take up most of the space in my brain these days. It’s been hours since I saw Lou at the diner, but I seem to have left most of my thoughts behind with the pretty little human.
“Oh, this is interesting!” Lola’s dark fingers move down a page of text in a language so old, nobody alive can even read it. Nobody except for her and my pack alpha, Richard. Or do I address him as king now…I’m not sure.
Lola and Richard are newly mated, and the Luna bond they share is the first in thousands of years. The text she’s holding is ancient, but because of their bond, she can now read our goddess Alaya’s words.
My queen practically vibrates with excitement, seated in a chair in what used to be the potions shop, Alkemi’s old location,but is now an office for Vikand, our resident bookworm and scholar.
“The Luna bond’s strength grows over time, its powers broadening depending on the needs of the community.” Lola glances over at me. “Technically, since I’m now the queen, every shifter community belongs to me. Do you suppose this means my powers will extend to everyone in all havens?”
It’s a rhetorical question, I’m sure. There’s no possible way I could know the answer. But I lean against a stack of dusty, smelly old books and consider it. Or I try to. The reality is that my mind is never far from Lou Hector, even when I should be focusing on my pack. Seeing her earlier at the diner just cemented that for me. She’s beautiful, kind, fierce and loyal. Everything I’ve ever wanted in a mate. And, gods, I want to make a move.
Lola seems oblivious to my straying thoughts.
I try to focus on her and not be rude. “Well, so far, you can shift into any animal you want instead of just a wolf. Then, this week you started reading shifters’ wolves’ sentiments like an aura. I think you’d have to go back to Santa Alaya to test if that works there. Actually, if you traveled anywhere other than Santa Alaya, you’d know. But since Santa Alaya was your home, and Ever’s your home now, your bond might consider both of those places your technical pack.”
Lola smiles up at me from the confines of the weathered leather chair, her grin growing wide enough to reveal tiny twin fangs. “Connall, Richard and I are lucky to have you by our sides. Have I mentioned that this week?”
Her compliment causes my wolf to preen, rolling onto his side as he stares at our queen through my eyes. “You’ve mentioned it,” I say with a smile.
“We will always need you,” she says, her smile falling as her gaze grows more serious.
And there’s the heart of why she continues to remind me that my pack leadership needs me. Technically, I’m Richard’s Second, meaning I rule if he’s not around. He can count on me for anything the pack needs. I’m his sounding board, his partner, his closest confidante. But the Luna bond between them is new, and we’re still figuring out what it means. I mostly feel like a third wheel, because Lola and Richard are so powerful in their own right, I’m not sure they evendoneed me.
“We do,” she whispers.
I curl an auburn brow skyward. “You reading minds now, my queen?”
She scrunches her delicate, ski-sloped nose upward. “Eww, let’s don’t use titles,sogross. But, no, your wolf looked despondent for a moment, and it’s not hard to imagine why that might be. We’ve talked about this topic several times, and you know how Richard and I feel. If you decided to leave Ever, for instance, I would be absolutely distraught.” She levels me with a very queenly look that has my wolf crouching down, dipping his head in deference to her. “I’m serious as a heart attack, Connall.”
“And it’s appreciated,” I murmur. The sentiment of unease doesn’t dissipate in my gut, but that might have more to do with the pretty little human who works next door.
The moment I think about Lou, my wolf perks up and whines in my mind. I can’t talk back and forth with him like Richard can talk to his wolf—very few shifters get that ability—but I push understanding through our bond.
“Connall? Connall?” Lola’s gravelly voice breaks through my train of thought.
When I glance at her, she laughs and closes the book in her lap gently. “I totally lost you there for a minute. Let me guess…Lou?”
