“Okay,” she says, already starting to pace, reaching back and pulling her hair up off her neck. It’s a gesture so familiar to me that it takes my breath away for a second—I’ve really been pushing down how much I missed her, all these years.
“Okay,” she repeats, and I take a seat on the edge of her bed, watching her pace.
If I thought the scent of her was strong atmyplace, being here is like walking into a perfume store, a thick wall of it that folds me in and nearly swallows me up.
I feel like a cartoon character, eyes swirling and growing larger, like just her scent is enough to hypnotize me. I grip the bedsheets under my hands tighter, just for something to tether me down so I don’t float away with it.
“Okay.” Maeve turns to me, swallows, and crosses her arms, which only draws my eyes to her ample chest. It’s my turn to swallow as she says, “I’ll do it.”
“Perfect,” I say, sighing out the tension I’ve been carrying since the phone call with my mother this morning. “You’ll see, this is going to work out—”
“Not so fast,” she says, holding a finger up to me. “We need to make some rules.”
“Alright.” That sounds like Maeve, and it puts me at ease that she hasn’t changed that much in the decade we’ve been apart, even if she looksa lotdifferent on the outside.
“First, we have to make this convincing. Can you work two public dates into your schedule?”
“I don’t know if you heard, but there haven’t been any fires in months. My schedule is wide open.”
“Great. Okay, so two public dates every week. So people in the pack can see us. And I think we should also do—what, three sleepovers?”
The sound of that sets my blood on fire, and I have to fight to keep myself seated on the bed. My wolf is confused, appealing to me, pointing out that a beautiful woman is right here in front of me and we’re alone in a room together, and yet I’m doingnothingto have her.
I push the feeling away, forcing myself to remain present. “That sounds fine.”
“And…” She pauses, and I know she’s getting to that part that makes my body buzz, the thing that consumes my mind. The part of this that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about since she first brought it up in the elevator.
“I have to mate with an alpha.”
I am an alpha. And the mating part—well, that’s the part I can’t stop thinking about. Biting her, getting my teeth on her skin.
For humans, something like this would hurt. But there’s something about shifter anatomy that makes a mating bite pleasant, even pleasurable. I’ve heard stories of omegas who had their first orgasm from the mating bite, like their bodies required it to unlock the feeling.
That thought has me looking at Maeve, wondering ifshe’shad her first orgasm. Who it was with. How many other people has she been with since leaving Silverville?
Thinking about that does nothing to calm my wolf.
“We have to figure out the marking.” Maeve finally finishes, a flush high on her cheeks, her eyes bright and practically shining. Everything about this moment feels enhanced, all the colors deeper, all the emotions pounding through me twice as potent.
“Right,” I manage, but my throat is so thick, I barely get the word out. I’m holding myself perfectly still, afraid that if I move too suddenly, she might realize this is a mistake.
I don’t think it’s a mistake. But I’m shocked Maeve is going through with it.
“What changed your mind?” I ask because if I keep talking about the mark, it’s going to drive me insane.
She looks at me hard for a moment, then swallows. “I want to start a clothing line. Based on my brand. But I need the money for some equipment and fabric to send over samples to a major retailer.”
“Oh, shit.” It’s a lame thing to say, but it’s all I can manage. I should have known Maeve was going to make something of herself when she left this town. “What retailer?”
“Hollerand.”
“Oh,shit.” I suck in an approving breath, nodding and thinking about the high-end store. There’s one in Denver, and my mom has been making the trip down the mountain just to shop there. “That’s really cool, Maeve.”
“I know. The only problem is, I need money to actually get it done. And after the samples, they’re going to want to knowthat I can keep up with demand. I might even need to hire people to help me sew the pieces.”
I stand, eyes intent on her. It’s not just her body, but the fact that she’s managed all this. That Maeve might just be the coolest thing to come out of Silverville. My wolf is crying to make my mark on her.
“So, let’s get you your money,” I say, and I know my voice is too low, too gravelly. “Right?”
