“Have you decided when you’re going back?” I asked.
“Are you trying to get rid of me already?” he asked, faking offense.
“No,” I replied.
“Good,” he stated with a smile. “At some point I have to go back. My pack isn’t going to be able to run itself forever. But there is no way I’m leaving until Blake gets back.”
I nodded. I appreciated it.
“I have to come up with a new nickname for you,” he told me as we came to a stop outside Curtis’ office.
“Really? What’s wrong with Cinderella?” I asked. I hated the nickname, of course, but I played along.
“I think we should call you princess,” he stated, and I rolled my eyes.
“Come on, think about it. You were a Cinderella but now that you’re going to get your happy-ever-after, you should be called princess,” he stated with such a serious face that I began to giggle.
“It’s not funny,” he stated, pretending to be hurt.
“If you start calling me princess I will start calling you Prince Charming,” I warned him with a smile. Two could play at this game.
“You wouldn’t!” he gasped, indignantly horrified.
“I would,” I stated in a serious tone, although the smile on my face was a dead giveaway.
“Fine,” he relented.
“Just think of how many girls you’ll land if I call you Prince Charming,” I teased as I opened the door to the office.
“None,” he quipped back, shaking his head, and I laughed.
“You’ll make your mate really happy one day,” I said while walking into the office that…was empty. I was surprised Curtis wasn’t already waiting for me, but I brushed it off. I’d give him a few more minutes before I went looking for him.
“That’s if I ever find her,” he said, sounding a little sad. I turned to face him.
“You will,” I assured him even though we tended to find our mates when we were younger and he was older than us.
“Yeah, I’ve heard that before.”
For once I got a glimpse into the more serious side of Kyle and it made me sad that he felt he was never going to find his mate. I wasn’t the affectionate type, but I reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze.
“You’ll find her and when you do you’ll be so happy,” I stated to him like I could see into a crystal ball.
“Thanks…princess,” he said, giving my hand a squeeze back. And with that one word we went from having a serious conversation to laughing.
“You’re welcome, Prince Charming,” I shot back, giggling at the thought of him dressed like Prince Charming from a fairy tale.
He pressed his lips together and gave me a playful glare. I’d never felt so lighthearted before and it was nice not to have to be serious all the time. My thoughts went to Blake and how much I was missing him already and it hadn’t even been that long yet.
Kyle and I were still smiling when Curtis walked into his office a few minutes later.
One look at his expression told me something serious was up.
“What is it?” I asked, feeling the lightness of the moment disappear and I felt the weight of worry settle inside of me.
He looked at me and then looked to Kyle, who had stopped smiling as well.
“We have a problem,” he stated, sounding stressed.
