“Okay,” I agree reluctantly.
As I finish my coffee, I wonder exactly what I’ve gotten myself into. And how much Iris Porter really knows.
Chapter 12 - Kit
I can feel Lexa’s discomfort growing as we finish breakfast, but there’s nothing I can do to shield her from this situation. It’s a fact of life that she will have to face the elders sooner or later, and even though I know it will be unpleasant for us both, I think getting the first contact out of the way will help Lexa feel more confident about our future.
I hope.
Hope is all I have, and I’m surprised to find out that I actually have a lot of it. Secrets from the past, the conflicts within the pack, and my past with Lexa form sharp jaws around me that I can’t escape, but deep inside me, there is a glowing flame of faith that gets stronger every second I spend with her.
And it’s because I felt it in her kiss…
I get up from the table to do the dishes so I don’t run the risk of saying something too forward or revealing my emotions. The truth is, I’m still hung up on last night, and the urge to grab her and press my lips to hers is so strong I can barely think straight.
The run through the woods awakened that spark in me, and I felt her wolf answering mine. There was no denying the connection between us, a deep, enduring knowledge that our primal souls are bound as one, always have been, and always will be.
When she initiated the kiss, it surprised me, but didn’t shock me. I knew after our wolves had run together, it was only a matter of time until our human sides were brought together as well.
Magnetism. Pulled together. The closer we get, the stronger the draw.
My body starts to wake, and sensory memories from the night before begin to throb through my body. I focus intently on washing the bowl, scrubbing hard at the edges to banish last night’s encounter from my mind.
I manage to hold it at bay and not give in to it, but the memory of that kiss still lives on my skin, and I don’t want to forget it.
It’s the source of all my hope…
I finish the dishes and turn around, hoping that my smile is easy and relaxed. I already had enough to hide—adding furious, burning arousal to the weight I’m already carrying seems impossible—but I have to stay cool if I want to make Lexa feel safe.
She looks up at me and smiles. Her pale gray eyes light up, shining like crystal. This looks like a true expression, not something forced, and the hope inside me blooms.
“Ready to go?” I ask.
“Sure,” she says, shrugging. “It’s not like I have a purse or anything to get. I’ve got absolutely nothing of my own here.”
How did she end up in Gryphon Eyrie with no belongings? Where the hell has she been?
“I can take you shopping,” I answer. “After the meeting, we can go to town and get anything you need.”
“Sounds good,” she agrees.
Even though she smiles, she doesn’t get up, and I can feel her reluctance growing.
“It’s okay,” I say gently. “You’re the alpha’s mate, and you aren’t walking into this meeting as the town misfit. You’re walking in as their queen.”
Lexa looks away, a little shiver running through her. “That doesn’t exactly make me feel better.”
“Well, maybe think of yourself as a princess?” I chuckle. “Or, I don’t know, ‘insert confidence-building noun.’ Call yourself whatever you like.”
For a moment, there is so much pain in her eyes, I wish I could take the words back, even though I don’t know what was wrong with them. Her mouth twists into a hard line as her face pales.
“Someone used to call me princess,” she says quietly. “Someone I don’t like.”
“Okay,” I say, floundering. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” she answers, sighing. “You didn’t know.”
I stand there for another couple of seconds, feeling like I’m in the deep end of a pool with no edge in sight. To my relief, Lexa gets up and sticks her phone in her pocket, walking determinedly towards the front door.
