Total pages in book: 42
Estimated words: 38523 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 193(@200wpm)___ 154(@250wpm)___ 128(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 38523 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 193(@200wpm)___ 154(@250wpm)___ 128(@300wpm)
“I hear you prefer clothes too.”
I already like her. “Yeah, naked isn’t really something I’m used to.” I follow Charlotte back to the bedroom and that sick feeling comes back to the pit of my stomach. I don’t like that she knows where the bedroom is. I rub my arm and look out of the window, trying to gather the courage to ask. Oh, fuck it. What’s it matter anyway? It’s not like I’ll be here long. “So you hang out with the Luke and Owen a lot?” It’s not really a question, just a statement.
“Yes, I do the promotional work for the company.” She gives me a tight smile. “They suck at marketing.” She shakes her head. “How the hell they thought they’d be successful with no advertising is beyond me.” Her eyes widen and she holds up her hand. “Don’t get me wrong, they’re smart and everything, but they really weren’t thinking when it came to actually selling. They had no clue.”
I respond for the sake of responding even though all I can think about is how comfortable she is in their bedroom. “I totally understand.”
She sits on the edge of the bed, and I’m surprised by the spike of jealousy that hits me. I suppose it’s natural to be jealous of a woman who’s slept with the men you’re currently sleeping with, even if you are trying to stay emotionally detached and planning your exit. I swallow the lump growing in my throat.
“So you do the advertising.” A thought resonates in me and I decide to take advantage of the situation. It’s good for an interviewee to feel comfortable. I can get some information out of her. “So do all the shifters here work for the company. Is that how a pack works?”
The beautiful woman broadens her smile. “No, we do whatever we like, so long as we contribute a fair share. The foxes like to garden, so they make sure to plant enough vegetables for those who want them. And a few of the bears like to build the houses. The cats like to do the nitty gritty, like plumbing and electrical.” I keep my mouth shut and try not to show my surprise. The foxes were shifters. Holy shit. We have foxes back home, they could easily be shifters and I would’ve had no clue. This is going to make such a good story. It will give us ammunition to demand more information about the shifters. The Authority keeps so much a secret it’s fucking criminal.
“I’m not sure what everyone does exactly, but as long as the Alphas approve of their role, we don’t question it. There’s no reason to.” Although this is all good information, I find myself focusing on the fact that she may or may not have slept with Owen and Luke. I shift my weight onto my left foot and decide to ask some questions to hint around it. I don’t want to make an enemy of her.
“So I always thought shifters were monogamous.”
She seems surprised by my confession, her brow arching. “Well, most are.” She looks down and toys with the threads on the comforter. The comforter that I slept under with Luke and Owen. “Some species don’t have fated mates, so they aren’t— Like dragons. Dragons aren’t known for mates at all anymore. But bears and wolves are, and cats prefer to be monogamous, but they don’t always have fated mates, so you know. It doesn’t always work.” Her eyes go sad at the thought, but only for a moment. “And then some mates deny the connection. Which is just really awful.”
“What do you mean?” That sick feeling in the pit of my stomach grows.
“About what?”
“About denying mates.” I hope I’m not giving her the impression that denying them is exactly what I plan on doing.
“Oh, well from how I understand it, it’s the animal part of the shifter that feels the connection. So long as the human and animal are on the same page, it’s easy to feel their mate. But if they aren’t, they could miss their mate or feel it, but not give in to the pull. And then there are instances where one person doesn’t feel the connection and denies their mate’s animal of their partner and it completely wrecks the animal.”
“Wrecks the animal?” I question as my blood pressure rises.
“Yeah like, sometimes they lose their ability to shift altogether. Or an Alpha who has a mate, like Owen and Luke having you, well they get more powerful, stronger, and their ability to use their dominance over others grows. But if they’re denied, they become weaker. So it’s fantastic that Owen and Luke found you!” Her voice is all peppy at the end as she fills with excitement.
“But they aren’t monogamous.” Suddenly I find myself hoping that she has fucked them. It would give me a good push to leave and forget the fact that I would be hurting them simply by leaving. Their wolves will get weaker, but that doesn’t seem that bad.