“It wasn’t like that.”
“Of course not. Now that you’re mated, you wouldn’t think that, would you?”
“He was trying to save my life. And mating doesn’t change the way I think. When I was mated to you, I didn’t think differently about you. I always saw you for what you were, even if I was attracted to you.”
“And what am I?”
“You know what you are. You’re a killer, Cole. You’re not a good person.”
“You cared about me,” he said. “And you don’t anymore. Brooks stole you from me.”
“No, he didn’t. I was never yours. Not really. Maybe I wish that the circumstances of Brooks and I mating were a little different, but I’m happy. Really happy. For the first time, I feel like I have a balance between the wolf side of me and the human side. I couldn’t have had that with you.”
“Right,” he said. “It’s all about your happiness, isn’t it, Dana?” And this time, there was bitterness in his tone, even hurt.
She swallowed. She wasn’t sure what to say. “Listen, I meant what I said. I do care about you, and I always—”
“Don’t.” He was quiet. When he spoke again, his voice was softer. “It really is about your happiness, Dana. If he’s what you want, then I’ll leave you alone. I don’t want to hurt you anymore.”
The connection cut off.
She pulled the phone away from her ear. Stared at it. He’d hung up so abruptly. She hadn’t gotten the chance to tell him—
Of course, she wasn’t going to tell him. She’d decided that the minute she found out. Cole didn’t need to know, and she was sure that Avery would be a better—
But she hadn’t told Avery yet, either.
Avery bounded down the steps. “Hey, who was on the phone?”
“Um, one of the wolves from a pack we interviewed in Pennsylvania. She wanted to congratulate me on my reinstatement.”
“That was nice of her.”
Dana nodded.
He put his arm around her. “Let’s get out of here, huh?”
She peered up at him. “Brooks?”
“Yeah?”
“You don’t regret it, do you? Us mating? You don’t think that what we feel is fake? You don’t think it’s wolf mojo?”
He gave her a funny look. “What brought this on?”
She sighed. “I don’t know. Just… do you?”
“Never.” He kissed the top of her head. “You know I like it. We should have done it ages ago. Before, I was being an idiot about it. Now, I like knowing that you’re mine. All mine.”
She smiled, but her hand strayed nervously to her stomach. She was going to have to tell him about the baby soon. Would he still be so happy and content then?
Will there be MORE Cole and Dana? You betcha.
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Bad Moon Rising (Cole and Dana) Page 30
