The anger in her voice was a little surprising. Rarely did pack mates show this much vitriol toward each other.
“They told me we were gonna go explore and hang out at the lake,” she explained, pointing north where Skyland Lake sat. It was more of a massive, creek-fed pond than a lake, but it was still pretty deep, and the surrounding packs used it as a swimming hole in the summer. It was one of the few areas of the forest they ventured into without fear of me, and I allowed it.
“Go on,” I said.
“They led me off the path, then shifted and ran off. I got lost. TheyknewI couldn’t find my way back.” She put a hand to her forehead. “I was fucking stupid. I should have known they’d do this. They’ve bullied me my whole life.”
“Wait,” I said, holding up a hand. “Why didn’t you shift and chase them down? Follow them back to your pack lands?”
The sound that came out of her was a combination of a sigh, a sob, and a humorless laugh. “Yeah. That would be nice. It would alleviate a lot of my problems. I…” she trailed off, glancing into the woods, before turning to look into my eyes again. “I can’t shift.”
I didn’t gasp or even allow the expression on my face to change. Although it was rare, I’d heard of a few shifters who had trouble accessing their inner wolves. I didn’t personally believe it should be considered a disability. Very few went their whole lives separated from their inner animal. She looked to be about seven years late, but she still had time to become a full shifter.
“Okay,” I said, and she glanced at me, a mix of confusion and relief on her face. I wasn’t making a big deal out of it, and she couldn’t understand why. “I’m guessing some of your pack make you feel like shit for that?”
Her face twisted, but she managed to keep from crying again. “Yeah. I kinda thought tonight was different. Like they didn’t care anymore, and they wanted to be my friends instead of bullying me.”
“They left you here on purpose?” I leaned in closer, an understanding and consoling look on my face—at least that’s what I hoped I looked like.
“Yeah. it’s all a big joke to them. I’m an idiot,” she moaned. “I never should have thought things would change. I’m always going to be an outcast. I’ll never find a mate—God, I’m twenty and I’ve never even been kissed. How pathetic is that?” she said, fresh tears slipping down her cheeks.
I didn’t even know this girl, but already I felt for her. I ached to make her feel a little better. Her sadness hurt my heart in a way it shouldn’t have after only knowing her for a few minutes. Life was tough—in fact, life could be an absolute bitch. In her situation, at her age, it all probably seemed like too much, as if her whole life was over. Before I could stop myself, I reached over, gently running my thumb across her cheek to wipe away a tear. Electric energy jolted through me, shuddering up my arm from where I touched her. God, her skin was soft.
“You aren’t pathetic,” I said softly. “Just because you can’t shift doesn’t make you any better or worse than anyone else.”
This was probably the longest conversation I’d had withanyonein years. Even back in the tiny community of outcasts I’d built, I was usually silent, choosing to spend more time as my wolf than in my human form.
She swallowed, one side of her mouth quirking up in a faint smile. “You’re only saying that to be nice.”
“No, I’m not.” For a moment, I thought about what I’d say next. Would it be too forward? Too weird? I wasn’t sure, but I wanted to let this poor girl know that someone she didn’t know could find the beauty within her. In the short time I’d been sitting here, I already knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was kind and gentle. A good person. I was also drawn to her more than I’d ever been drawn to any woman in my whole life.
Moving my hand slowly but without hesitation, I lifted her chin. “Would you like me to kiss you? Or, I should say, may I kiss you?”
Her eyes widened, her gaze sliding down to my lips, then back up to my eyes. She smiled, and even in the darkness, I could make out the blush creeping into her cheeks.
“I was always told not to make out with strange men in the forest,” she said, but she smiled even wider. She waved a hand, shaking her head slightly. “No, it’s fine. You don’t have to. You’re cute and all, but I don’t want you to think you have to do something like that. It, uh, it’s like charity.”
“It’s only charity if I don’t want to do it. A person’s first kiss is always the hardest to get. After tonight, we’ll never see each other again.” My inner wolf whined at those words, but I ignored it. “I should have never even stumbled across you, this was”—I almost saidfate, but that was a loaded word in the shifter world—“a happy coincidence. I’d like to kiss you, if nothing else, to show you that you aren’t some broken thing.”
She gazed at me, a confused tilt to her lips. “Are you real? Like, this isn’t some fantasy, right? I’m not asleep here in the forest, and I’m dreaming about some gorgeous rustic lumberjack, who’s come to sweep me off my feet?”
“Only one way to find out,” I said, moving closer.
She didn’t hesitate, but she was shaking beside me even before our lips met. Hers brushed mine, and I pressed closer. The kiss, though chaste, wasn’t entirely friendly, and I didn’tmean it to be. This young woman was hurt, thought she was worthless. I wanted to show her she wasn’t.
I hadn’t kissed anyone in alongtime, and as her breath and mine mixed, as the heat of our skin melded together, I was struck by a strangely powerful surreality. A weird sense of déjà vu tugged at my mind. Heat surged through me, and a hunger I hadn’t felt in a hundred years flooded my mind. Despite my desire for this to be nothing more than a quick, gentle kiss, my wolf had other ideas. He growled, a deep, satisfying sound, and urged me forward. Before I could think, I grabbed her thigh and pulled her closer. I slid my tongue along her lips until she parted for me, moaning softly into my mouth. The sound made my head spin, and my body reacted. Already, there was a stirring between my legs, a need that screamed out to me for more, and I pressed even closer, losing all rational thought.
She ran her hand over my chest, her fingers drawing lines of fire over my torso. I squeezed her thigh, imagining what it would be like if she wrapped her legs around me. What had come over me? Why was I reacting this way? I needed to figure it out before it was too late to turn back. Before I could quite grasp it, she pulled away and touched her fingers to her lips.
“Oh. Wow. That was… God, it was really nice,” she said, panting, trying to catch her breath, her cheeks were flushed, and she gave me an embarrassed grin. “Uh, thank you?”
I had to swallow hard, trying to rein in the savage desire that had built like a tornado deep in my chest. “Don’t thank me,” I said, doing my best to keep my voice level and calm. “It was nice. Not as scary as you thought, right?”
She shook her head slowly, but there was still a vague sense of wonder in her eyes, as if some new unexpected truth had been revealed to her.
Standing, I held out my hand. “Come on. Let’s get you home.”
Taking my hand, she rose. “Thanks. It’s kind of embarrassing to be lost out here, to be honest. Most shifters can easily find their way home. My senses, however, aren’tquiteas strong since I don’t have access to my inner wolf.”