What scent makes you sneeze? It's cinnamon for me.
Sarah We sit in silence for a while, and I start eating again as a cover for my awkwardness away. He finally loosens up and continues with his food too. “Do you go to that gym often?” Nate asks, and I brace myself to look at him again. “Yes, I’m a coach there and take classes as well. I teach krav maga twice a week," I nod, and the memory of last night's encounter surges through my brain. Dante's angry growl, then his puppy eyes, before Nate's confusion. “That sounds interesting. How did you come to do that?” he puts his forearms on the table, keeping his gaze on me once again. Being his sole focus still makes me squirm in my seat. “I loved training back in Black River. After I left, I missed the exercise, so I tried a few different sports, and krav maga is something I really enjoy. I became a trainer two years ago.” His face lights up at my answer, and he dives in with questions about training and teaching. He obviously has much more experience in both but seems interested in
Nate “I think we should go. I have to take Abby home,” Sarah says while standing up. “Can’t you stay any longer? She is still having fun with her friend,” I reply. My heart stutters from her sudden coldness. “We have to get home before her mum leaves for her date," she averts my gaze, picking up her bag and searching in it. “I didn’t mean to make you sad.” My curiosity took things too far. She looked indifferent, not a tiny sign of hurt or anger, and I pushed forward with more questions. I know now that I shouldn’t have done it. She was clearly masking her emotions. “It’s okay. What happened has happened. We can’t change that. Plus, it is definitely not your fault. So, don’t worry. I’ll be fine. I’ve been fine for years,” she says, slightly lifting her chin at the end. I try to look into her eyes, but she avoids my gaze successfully as she motions for Abby to come closer. “Yes, but I feel like I just tore up old wounds.” “Well, if you put it that way…” she sighs, and her shoul
Sarah As we step into the apartment, I glance from Nate to Eleanor and back, waiting for their explanation. “We are related – second cousins, I think,” Nate answers first, and Eleanor nods. “What?” I ask as my face scrunches up in disbelief as the thoughts this means storm my brain, rapidly increasing my heartbeat. Beth always told me that Eleanor doesn't know anything about werewolves. But she knows Nate. Was she lying? “My mother and Nate’s mother are cousins,” Eleanor clarifies, glancing from Nate to me from a crouching position in front of Abby. Words get stuck in my throat as I’m gaping for air. I turn around and step back to the corridor, closing the door behind me. What the hell? It can’t be a coincidence that I won a scholarship to the same school Eleanor attended. That means all my suspicions about the previous Alpha and Luna kicking me out of the pack could be true. They knew Eleanor’s mum. They are cousins. The clicking sound of the door interrupts my whirling thoug
Nate The barbell rolls away from me as I let it go wincing from the burning in my muscles. I stretch my shoulders, one after the other, sighing heavily. I did an extra round because I was too agitated to stop. Early morning workouts are what I like the most, and because of the lack of nature here, the gym is the only place where I can burn up my muscles. In the last few years, I developed a feeling that meeting my mate would change my life in a significant way. It will be worth it if I have to wait for someone that long. This is what I’ve been telling myself. This is far from how I imagined meeting her and spending the first few days. Since Sarah’s eyes met mine, I’ve been trying to figure out what that change will mean for me, for her, or even for Black River. My mate should be the Beta Female and take a significant part in the pack leadership. I’ve come to the realization that she might not want that. What am I supposed to do, then? I’m not forcing her to do anything except mayb
Sarah Oh, shit, I hit him. Did I break his nose? I think his ego wouldn’t let me check him. As Nate leaves, the floor screeches under his black boots, clearly not made for gym practice. I finish stretching with the group and wave everyone goodbye. As usual, Manny walks in to help me put away the mattresses and equipment, companied by his flirty smile. Nate turned my life upside down in two days. I can’t even flirt. Manny touches me, and I shake his hand off. His face shows all the confusion and hurt he feels, and I don’t understand myself either. Nate and I are not a possibility. Not ten years ago. Not now. Not ever. The pack is everything to him. But it’s useless. My brain repeats the way he took off his jacket and stalked towards me with his mischievous smile, and things inside me wake up again. When he rolled up his sleeves, and the tattoo on his forearm came into view, I heard gasps around me. The moment he held me close, I froze. Goosebumps appeared on my skin, and a shiver
Nate “Hey, we are here,” Sarah yells from the door when we enter the apartment. As soon as I enter, the cinnamon aroma hits me in the overly heated apartment. Overly heated for me, I remind myself. They are not werewolves. Brit walks towards us from a room that seems to be the kitchen. “Hey, Babe. You’re here. I'm starving. What have you brought?” she asks excitedly. “Sushi, lots of sushi, pasta, and beer,” Sarah explains while handing her the bags and taking off her jacket. She then turns to me and takes the rest of the bags. “Hello again, Nate,” Brit says with a coy smile that makes me wonder what my mate told her about me. “Hi, Brit.” I take off my jacket to leave it on the hanger, where I spot the origin of the cinnamon scent, a huge light brown candle in the shape of two people kissing. I follow the girls to the kitchen, where they unload the sacks of food and start eating from boxes right away as they stand around the table. I look around the kitchen for plates and cutler
Sarah It has been a crazy evening. Nate at krav maga practice was both annoying and annoyingly sexy. I've never been this attracted to a guy. When Brit gets frustrated with us cozying up on the sofa and leaves for her room, I risk a glance at Nate. The adoring eyes he has for me melt my heart. His hold on me loosened only to let me turn towards him. I’m kneeling, sitting back on my heels, and leaning on the sofa. What if I ask him to stay? Would he want to stay? He puts his elbow on the back of the sofa to reach my shoulder with his hand. Each touch, each caress, is maddeningly slow. Like he is testing the water if I’m okay with it. Usually, a guy would know my intentions by this time because I’m always straightforward with what I want. With Nate, though, the only question is if I’m able to let myself believe that what I want is what he wants. However, It scares the hell out of me. We get up to move the bottles and the rest of the food to the kitchen, chatting a bit about the s
Nate The cold wind chills my face, and I take a huge breath to cool my insides. I had to leave Sarah’s apartment. Her scent, her taste, and her actions were everything I wanted. But then I licked her marking spot, which pushed Dante into a frenzy, and I was about to lose control. My fangs tingled, and Sarah’s brows creased in confusion when she saw them grow. I hope I turned away before she realized what’s happened. "What the hell was that, Dante? You have to calm the fuck down." ‘She is our mate. I want her. And I want her now. You felt how much she wanted us. If we mark her, she’ll be ours forever," he replies firmly. I sigh defeatedly - just what I felt. He is an animal who follows his basic urges. I’ve never had a problem dealing with him before. He has been reasonable all my life. I run my fingers through my hair in frustration, shaking my head. "We’ve been waiting for her for years, and now you want to scare her away? She could walk away." I’m unsure if my words will get th