Chapter 3

3

Grant and I were the first ones home, which gave me time to shower and dress.

It also gave me time to stress even more, which I did not like.

I sat on the couch in the living room, my legs folded up beneath me and one of Grant’s big hoodie sweatshirts on for some comfort.

Jong-hyun and Jong-min came in together, heads leaned close as they whispered. They sat on the couch opposite me, deep frowns on their faces.

“Where’s Reed?” Grant asked as he sat beside me. He made sure our legs touched, giving me comfort through touch, and giving himself comfort as well. Shifters were big on physical affection for comfort.

“Here,” Reed answered as he came in through the back door behind me.

Reed and Grant were the first I had developed a connection with. They were the ones who had made me feel most welcomed in this quartet. Losing one of them would severely damage our connection.

“What happened tonight?” Jong-min asked and sat up straight.

Reed sat in the reclining chair to my right and ran a hand through his hair, disheveling it even more. “My pack came for me.”

“We’re your pack,” Grant snapped.

“Easy,” Jong-min whispered.

“I’m sorry I ran off,” I said quickly. “The drink hit me harder than I realized and I wasn’t able to shift back and it freaked me out.”

Reed wouldn’t look at me, his eyes focused on the coffee table before us. “They’ve lifted my exile.”

“Good for them,” Grant said. “You warned them that when you left, you would never return.”

Reed raised his head and narrowed his eyes. “So, you’re telling me that if your flight came for you, you wouldn’t consider leaving?”

“No, I wouldn’t,” Grant said. He growled deep in his chest and stood. “The three of you are my clan now. Those bastards may share bloodlines with me, but they don’t care about me. They only care about what I can or cannot provide them.”

So, Reed was considering leaving.

“Is it because I’m not a werewolf?” I asked.

“Our birthrate has decreased every decade,” Reed whispered. “Soon, there may be no werewolves.”

Ouch.

“That’s not your fault,” Jong-hyun said. “You providing a litter won’t change that.”

“My litter could help us repopulate,” Reed argued.

His litter …

“I thought you loved me,” I whispered, tears burning my eyes.

Reed shoved a hand through his hair and closed his eyes. “I do love you, Kass, but?—”

“I’m going to bed,” I announced and stood. I stumbled a bit and they all reached out towards me. “No!” I snapped and spun away from all of them. “I need to sleep. Sorry. Guess the Pixie Lite doesn’t work well for me. Sorry.”

I ran up to my room, shutting and locking the door just in time as the tears flooded. We weren’t officially mates yet, but we were courting. I had expected to finalize our bond soon, but now … now I didn’t know what was going to happen.

“Kass,” Reed called through the door and sighed. “Please, don’t cry. I haven’t decided yet. This is all crazy and out of the blue and I don’t know what to do.” He pushed against my door and then slid down it, likely sitting against the door. “At least try to see it from my point of view. What if the Atlanteans suddenly came to you and told you that your exile was lifted and you could return? Wouldn’t you consider going back? What if you returning could prevent your extinction?”

“I’m almost extinct as it is,” I whispered. “And I’ll never be welcomed back to a place that I can weaken so much.” Taking a deep breath I added, “You have to do what’s right for you and if I’m not what’s right … I just have to accept that.”

“Baby, it’s not you. There’s nothing wrong with you or anything, you?—”

I interrupted him, not wanting him to continue. “I need to sleep before work. Please leave.”

“Kass, don’t shut me out, please.”

“I can’t change what I am. I’m a shark, I’m not even a land shifter. If you care about repopulating, why aren’t you dating a human?”

He didn’t respond.

“When you’ve made your decision, you know where to find me.”

“Kass,” he pounded on the door.

Talking more tonight wouldn’t accomplish anything, so I jumped into the water tank in my room and shifted into my shark form, letting my mind blank as I swam in circles.

Reed was gone before I left the house, but the others wouldn’t say where he’d gone. They all wore somber expressions as we went to work.

Try as I might, I couldn’t get excited by the kids coming to see me or the other visitors smiling at me.

Halfway through the day, I saw Reed’s former pack enter, eyes scanning everything.

There were still three hours left before I was supposed to be off work, but I didn’t want to miss saying bye if he was leaving with them.

No, he wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye. I had to trust that he would do the right thing, in that at least.

Turning off my human brain, I resumed swimming in lazy circles around the aquarium. It was a relatively quiet day, with no schools visiting, so the day went by in a blur.

When it was time to shift and climb out of the tank, my anxiety returned, and I had to keep counting my breaths to avoid a panic attack.

Warm arms wrapped around me from behind, hugging me back against an even warmer chest. “It’s going to be alright,” Grant whispered in my ear.

“I’m hungry,” I said, instead of responding about Reed. “What should we have for dinner tonight?”

“Sushi?” he suggested.

I spun, mouth open and eyes wide. “You mean it?” We rarely had sushi because it was expensive, but it was one of my favorite things to eat. And yes, it was different than eating fish right out of the sea.

He nodded and smiled. “Yep. My treat. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a date with you, just the two of us.”

That was true. I hadn’t gone on individual dates with them in a while. That was something I would need to rectify.

I looped my arm through his and had to restrain myself from skipping. “Which sushi place are we going to?” There were two that we liked, but one was my absolute favorite.

“Your favorite, of course,” he said. “Only the best for my girl.”

Resting my head against his shoulder, I looked up at his side profile. We were still courting, but I had made up my mind that I wanted him, them, as my mates. If I could, I’d seal the bond right now with him.

“I love you,” I whispered.

He paused, hand raised to push open the door to exit the aquarium, looked down at me, and said, “I love you, too, Kass.” He pushed open the door and we paused when we found Reed’s pack members gathered around Reed.

Reed looked up, our eyes connected, and I tugged Grant away, averting my gaze. “Come on, let’s go on our date.”