by B. L. Dawn
“Hey, wolf girl,” Eddie said into her hair.
“Thank you so much for doing this.”
“Anything for you.” The curious pack members stared at him. His eyes bounced from one shifter to the next. Luke walked over and shook Eddie’s hand to introduce himself.
The pack members worked around the farm while Tatum helped Eddie carry his things over. While she pinned the green screen to the wall, Tatum’s mind was on Luke’s back muscles. He had taken his shirt off and was sauntering around the farm. Was he trying to drive her out of her mind with lust? Damn. If so, it was working. Eddie set up his camera. Everything looked like it was ready to go, but Eddie had to show Tatum how to collect signatures with his iPad.
Tatum walked back inside the office, grabbed the last folding chair, and placed it out front at the barn’s entrance. She was going to need help corralling the shifters inside for photos. Oliver was the perfect choice. Throughout the day, he grabbed the shifters she needed.
Oliver went to fetch Enoch first. Enoch’s powerful body strolled over from the horse stables. Tatum had him sign his name in the little box on the iPad and hoped he didn’t scare Eddie half to death. He was just such a dominant force to be reckoned with. When he met Eddie, Enoch introduced himself as the alpha. Eddie trembled slightly, but it soon passed.
Tatum gave Oliver the next names on the list. Families came and went as camera flashes captured shifter images.
Oliver walked over to Tatum to get the next name.
“We need Luke.” Imagining Luke’s lips on her made her body heat up.
While Luke walked over, their eyes met and locked. He had his shirt in his hands. Chills ran up and down her body, leaving behind bumpy trails. Tatum stuttered when she tried to explain how to write inside the signature box. Luke winked at her and reached for the pen. Their hands grazed each other and sparked.
Then he slid his shirt on over his thick chest and his abs. His muscles stretched and flexed. It took everything she had not to moan. Shit. Luke did something to her when he was around; it was more than just a need to get laid. She sneaked a look at him, wondering if he could…yep, he smelled her. But what could she do?
While he was getting his picture taken, she couldn’t stop staring at him. When he stood up, she moved her eyes to the ground.
Tatum looked over the list again. “Oliver, it’s just you and Cora left. Go ahead and sign your name here.” She pointed to the small box on the iPad. “I’ll get Cora.”
Oliver signed his name as Tatum got up, stretched, and looked around the farm. When she found Cora wrapping the water hose in loops on the backside of the farmhouse, Tatum brought her over to the barn.
“Sign your name here in the little box.” Tatum waited for her to finish. “This is the last one, Eddie!”
She looked in his direction. He gave her a thumbs up while adjusting something on his camera.
“Cora, go ahead and sit in the folding chair in front of the green screen. He’ll tell you what to do next.”
Looking over the birthdates, Tatum decided to double-check her math while she waited on Cora to finish.
Looking through the camera, Eddie beheld a beauty sitting in the chair. She was dazzling with her pink shirt against her tanned skin. The lady wolf was glowing. Her full lips were a natural plum pink. He hardened at the sight of her. Adjusting himself, Eddie took in her features through the lens in his camera. She had soft brown eyes with long dark lashes. Her hair bounded down her shoulders in long waves.
Eddie’s eyes roamed over her. “What’s your name?”
“Cora Paisley Clay.”
“That’s a beautiful name. It goes with a beautiful woman.”
Cora’s cheeks reddened. Eddie loved her flushed skin. What would it be like to be the cause of that pink tint? The need to put his hands on her skin was so great, Eddie couldn’t resist. He walked over and bent down in front of her.
His mouth parted as his eyes traveled over her body.
Cora leaned into him. “You smell good.”
He smiled at her as he looked over her features. “You do too.” Eddie leaned in near her neck and inhaled.
That morning he had put on Eternity cologne, and he was glad she liked it. As he inhaled Cora’s scent again, Eddie was sure her delicious smell was natural, not manmade. Vanilla mixed with almonds had him wanting to lick her skin. He inhaled a third time, and his eyes became filled with lust.
Reaching for Cora’s hand, Eddie wrapped his fingers around her silky palm. A bolt of electricity rocketed through his arm. It pulsed through his whole body. He didn’t release her hand or move it to her lap like he had the other shifters. He just held it while picking up her other hand. The feeling of an erotic electric current flowed between them, moving around and through their bodies.
Cora gasped. “You’re my mate.”
In his mind, Eddie knew what the word “mate” meant, like when two animals had sex in the woods. But the way she said mate, it was like he belonged to her. And he liked the sound of it.
“I’m your mate?” Eddie tilted his head.
“My true love, my protector, my forever partner.”
There was a pull from Eddie’s innermost soul that stretched out from his body and connected to Cora. He didn’t understand it, but it was there. As sure as oxygen entered his lungs, he knew what she was saying was true.
“I would love to be your forever mate, as I would love for you to be mine.” Eddie leaned over and kissed Cora’s luscious lips. He couldn’t even stop himself. Cora was as sweet as she smelled. He pulled her hands around his neck and pulled her up out of the chair as they kissed each other. She was shorter than he was but the average height for a female. His hands found their way to her back and explored her shoulder blades, making a path down her arch and up her spine. He was trying to learn all her angles and wanted to beg to take in more of her body.
Tatum finished looking over the names and dates. She tucked all the materials under her arm and stood up. When Tatum turned around, Cora and Eddie were kissing in the middle of the barn. She couldn’t believe her eyes. Why was he kissing her? Cora had just been with Eli a couple of days ago. Now she was kissing Eddie? What a tramp!
Tatum decided to put an end to this madness. She walked toward them. “Excuse me!” She slammed her hand on her hip. They pulled away from each other, looking at Tatum. “Cora, you should run along and go find Eli,” Tatum huffed.
Cora looked embarrassed, but Tatum didn’t care. “You’re still here.”
Eddie gawked at Tatum like he had never seen her before. “I haven’t taken her picture yet.”
Tatum rolled her eyes, headed into the office, and emptied her arms of all the stuff she was carrying. She stormed out of the office, slammed the door behind her, and headed out of the barn.
“He’s my mate,” Cora yelled after her.
Tatum froze. What did Cora just say? Was Eddie her mate? She wanted to ask Cora how in the hell she knew that, but she didn’t. She knew deep down that something had to have happened. Why else would Eddie be kissing all over a female he didn’t know? He was a good guy who was doing her a huge favor. If he wanted Cora, who was Tatum to get in the way of their happiness?
This was the exact scenario Tatum had been thinking about, though. Eli would be thrown to the wolves, as the humans would say. It didn’t matter if shifters spent years together, making love and learning all there was to know about one another. Off to the dump with you the minute the other shifter found their true mate.
Tatum turned around. “Okay.” That was all she could say.
Eddie gave her an “I didn’t know this was going to happen” look. Yeah, that makes two of us.
“You should get your picture taken. Move all the equipment after you take the picture, and talk with Enoch about this mating. He already said if a shifter found their true mate and if the mate was human, he wanted to talk with them. If you don’t mind, break it to Eli. He has the right
to know.”
Tatum didn’t glance in their direction. Keeping her eyes on the ground, she walked to the entrance of the barn. She would come back later and put everything back the way she had found it after Eddie was gone. There was a slight pain in her chest, and she was trying to place it. Perhaps Tatum was a tad bit jealous, but he had been her friend this whole time, and she wanted to keep him that way. But that’s not how things went when you found a mate, and she knew it. His best friend now was Cora.
She didn’t want to be around him right now, even though she knew this situation wasn’t his fault. If it was someone’s fault, it was hers. But in the grand scheme of things, would this matter in five years? Probably not. The IDs would, though. And maybe with this little twinge of guilt between Eddie and herself, Tatum could get him to do things for other packs. Yeah, he’s not my true mate because I wouldn’t want to use him in that way if he had been. She would also be more upset over what had just taken place.
Tatum walked across the farm, noticing everyone busy around her. Some were plowing the fields, while others were at the milking station. She looked over the land. Jenny and Enoch were teaching Sissy and the three young Hale females how to ride a horse. Things didn’t appear to be going well with Birdie and her horse lesson.
This pack is worth it. All of it! Any sacrifice she had to endure was minuscule compared to the shifters’ positive outcomes inside Tatum’s pack. It wasn’t about one of them. It was about all of them. She hoped this mating between Eddie and Cora was a good thing. She hoped they would be happy living the rest of their lives together and that they would have lots of pups. The bad feelings came when she worried about Eli and how he would react to this.
Luke jogged up to her. “Hey, are the pictures finished?”
“Yep, they should be cleaning up soon.” Tatum wanted to talk with Luke and have a serious conversation between the two of them. “Can we go for a run? I want to go someplace where we can talk.”
“Sure.”
“I’ll go to the shed and shift. I’ll meet you in the clearing near the back of the farmhouse.”
Chapter 23
A fluttering heart and sweaty palms didn’t begin to describe what Tatum was going through. Yes, the shock of Eddie kissing Cora was fresh, but more than that, Tatum had a very important question to ask Luke. She wasn’t one hundred percent positive, but she had a feeling they were true mates. And she was dying to be with him as a true mate, mentally and physically. It would explain all the tingles and coming from just his touch. There was definitely something between them. Did he feel it too?
Tatum met Luke at the clearing in wolf form. “Follow me.”
“Don’t mind if I do.” Luke’s head tilted for a better view.
Tatum turned and ran with Luke on her heels. She headed for the brook where Cade had hurt her. Tatum loved it there and refused to let memories of Cade ruin it for her.
As she came upon the cool flowing water, she slowed down, remembering she would be naked when she shifted. Tatum pushed her words out to Luke, “I’m going to shift even though I’m a little embarrassed, but I’m working on it. Just be cool.”
“I’m always cool.” Luke went ahead and shifted first, standing in his gorgeous naked form for a moment longer than necessary. He sat down on a large smooth rock. It was facing the brook.
Tatum shifted next and walked up to him.
His head jerked up, and his eyes traveled over her body, eyes that looked hungry for her. “Sorry. I couldn’t stop myself.” He returned his gaze to the running water. It looked difficult for him to avert his gaze. “Your body is beautiful.”
Tatum chuckled and sat down beside him, tucking her knees into her chest. “I took a peek at your body too.”
“Oh, really?”
“Mm-hmm. You look good.”
Luke laughed and shook his head like he was surprised by her. They both sat there awkwardly for a few moments.
Luke tapped his knee with his finger. “So what did you want to talk about?”
“How much do you know about true mates? I mean not mating as in just sex, but a true mate, like Enoch and Jenny?” Tatum looked over at Luke, who was staring at her.
“Well, a true mate is more like a true love or a match made by Destiny or something. Some say the minute you see your mate, you just know. But there are different circumstances with different mates, from what I’ve heard.”
“Like what?”
“Well, some shifters don’t recognize their mate right away, or they fight it, but eventually they figure it out. That’s rare, though. Most of the time, both shifters know pretty early on.”
Tatum nodded but was finding it hard to ask him her question. Did she just blurt something like that out? Dammit. She didn’t want to sound stupid.
Luke tossed a rock into the brook. “Why do you ask?”
“Eddie and Cora were kissing in the barn. It was weird for me because they don’t know each other, and Cora had been with my brother. I may have caused a little scene. Cora told me they were true mates.” Tatum scrunched her nose. “I’m just trying to understand it.” Tatum poked the water with her finger. “Are we true mates, Luke?”
Please let him say yes. Please let him say yes, she thought.
Sometimes, he stared at her like he longed for her. Was it because he wanted to put her down as another female conquered, or was it more?
Luke looked down and back to Tatum’s face. “I wish we were, but no, we aren’t. I do like you. You’re sexy as hell, but we aren’t true mates.” He let out a long sigh, and the silence drew on for a moment more.
Tatum’s heart fractured. It hurt way worse than she had thought it would. He had stomped her hope of being with him out of existence with one word—no. This could only mean one thing. She was just desperate to feel loved and horny on top of that. Shit, this sucks.
Were they not true mates because she was different? She was beta. Did he feel submissive around her? She hated to think of him or herself that way, and she didn’t want to dissect this much more. Being like this, who she was, wasn’t right. She might have been strong in some aspects, but she felt weak around him. Maybe she would never find a mate. On a good note, he was at least interested in her for mating. And he was obvious about it, which made her feel good. The ache in her chest got worse.
Tatum held back some tears and looked away. “What happens if a shifter spends fifty years with someone they love? The shifter mates with their lover for a long time, but when they bump into their true mate, what happens?”
“The truth is, no matter what you’re doing or who you’re mating with, the minute you find your destined mate, no one else matters. Your true mate is the one you want to mate with, no one else. Your mate is all you can think about and is the shifter you want to protect, even to the point of dying for them. A truly mated couple never wants to leave each other’s side. That’s how my dad explained it to me, anyway.”
Tatum swirled her fingers in the water below. “If we aren’t true mates, I don’t want to get involved with you. It’s not that I am not sexually attracted to you. Believe me, I am. Big time! But if I’m with you, and I fall in love with you, and if we spend years together, in love…then one day, you’re mated with another female, I couldn’t handle you leaving me.”
“I understand. It’s too bad because I’ve been dreaming about your sexy ass. But…I understand. You would be an easy person to fall in love with.”
Luke tapped her. When she turned around, he gripped her chin and placed a small kiss on her lips, whispering into her mouth, “I needed one last kiss.”
Tatum didn’t know how they were going to do this. The urge to mate with Luke was so bad that it hurt. She could scream from the throbbing going on down below, but she also cared for him, and it sucked shit. There was no way she wanted to lose him just because Destiny wasn’t playing fair. It would rip her heart out of her chest, and it would hurt way worse than a throbbing lady part.
Maybe if it were just someone she didn’t know, it would be okay. But she refused to give in to this urge. If Luke—no, when Luke—found his true mate, they could remain friends for the next two hundred years because his true mate would have no reason to be jealous of them. It wouldn’t be easy if they mated. The minute he found his true mate, it would be goodbye to the old mating partner. And to hell with losing him.
Luke sighed. “If we don’t find anyone in the next few years, you better reconsider me.”
“Deal.” Tatum laid her head on his shoulder. “Can you just talk to me for a while?”
Luke smiled and told Tatum about the old territory. He talked about Sissy’s birth and how she had a hard time making it through infancy. He spoke of his parents and Cade. After a while, Tatum told Luke about the other packs that she had made contact with during her travels. She told him about her idea of bringing the outskirt packs food and seeds to help them out. Luke liked her idea.
Tatum sighed. “Luke?”
“Mm-hmm.”
Tatum closed her eyes, fighting back tears. She wanted one shifter on this whole damn planet to understand her, and she was going to put herself out there and let Luke know the real her. “I have doubts about myself. I don’t know who I am or who I want to be. When I’m sitting here with you, and everything is calm, I feel like you are stronger than me, and when I stand in front of the pack, I feel like I’m over them.” She ran her hand over her face.
“What’s wrong with me? Why am I not like other females? I don’t think I’m ever going to find my true mate. I have so many things wrong with me. Including my memory.” She snorted. “It only goes back seven years. I think it’s from trauma.” Tatum sighed, feeling relieved to finally tell someone her deepest thoughts.
Luke laid his head on Tatum’s head, which was still resting on his shoulder. “You are absolutely perfect. Your differences are what makes you unique, and nothing is wrong with that. Being different isn’t wrong. It’s just different. You need to love yourself the way you are.”
