Wolf's Secret (District Shifters Book 3) Page 9

  “So you were like, pre-studying? You realize the whole point of the lectures is to teach us things they don’t expect us to know, right?” Brianna chuckled.

  “On a rational level, I know that. But on another level, I feel like I have to stay ahead, like it’s the only way I can be sure I won’t fall behind.”

  Brianna didn’t really know what to say to that, and she was glad when Mark, another medical student, joined them.

  “Hey. Sorry to interrupt, but I just need to steal Brianna for one second, if that’s okay,” he said.

  Macey and Brianna exchanged a look, Macey’s look asking if she should leave. Brianna gave her a small nod. She was intrigued about what Mark could want that Macey couldn’t hear.

  “Sorry about that. Was it rude?” Mark asked.

  Brianna shrugged. It kind of was, a little bit, but she didn’t want to make Mark feel bad. He looked nervous enough. He kept pulling at a loose strand of hair that hung out of place over his left ear, and his other hand gripped the bottom of his jacket like he was clinging on for dear life. Brianna felt herself suddenly becoming nervous. What the hell could he want that was making him behave like this?

  “I… I wanted to ask you out on a date. I’ve wanted to since orientation, but I kept chickening out,” he said. “So, would you consider it? A date with me?”

  Brianna ran her hand over her lips to cover her smile. Now it was clear why Mark had been so nervous. He wasn’t really her type. He was good looking enough, but he was just so quiet and serious, and she had no idea what they would find to talk about. She was trying to think of a way to let him down gently. He shuffled from foot to foot and then peered at her face.

  “I’ve made you uncomfortable, haven’t I? Oh, God, I’m sorry. Just forget I asked,” he blurted out, and Brianna realized she had taken too long to answer.

  “It’s not that,” she said quickly. “Honestly, I’m not uncomfortable. I just… I’m not really looking for a relationship right now.”

  “I asked you on a date, not to marry me,” Mark said with a nervous laugh.

  Brianna found herself laughing with him. His quick response surprised her, and she thought maybe she had misjudged him. Maybe once he came out of his shell a bit, he wouldn’t be so quiet, and they would find things to talk about.

  She decided it might not be such a bad idea after all. Going out with Mark would surely help her to forget about Archer, and she didn’t have to feel bad about it. She had been honest and told Mark she wasn’t looking for anything serious.

  “Okay,” she said quietly.

  He grinned. “Okay, you’ll go out with me, or okay, you accept I’m not proposing?”

  “Ok, I’ll go out with you,” Brianna answered.

  “Great. How about Saturday, lunchtime? Maybe we could have a picnic in the park and get to know each other a little better,” he said.

  Brianna nodded. She liked the idea of a quiet park much better than a bouncing bar. “I’d like that.”

  “Give me your number, and I’ll text you a time and a meeting spot,” Mark said.

  Brianna gave him her number and hurried away to class, smiling to herself. Mark would be exactly what she needed to get over Archer, and maybe they had more in common than she thought.

  * * *

  Brianna laughed and shook her head when Mark offered her another cupcake. She lay back on the blanket and rubbed her tummy.

  “Oh, no, honestly, I couldn’t eat another thing,” she groaned. “I didn’t think I could even manage one cupcake after everything else.”

  “You have to have at least one, though, don’t you?” Mark laughed, laying back beside Brianna. “They’re the reward for eating the meal.”

  “True,” Brianna giggled.

  “I should probably stop saying that if I’m going to be a doctor, huh?”

  “Yeah. You have to tell people to eat kale and avocado and shit.”

  “Yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s not what I signed up for,” Mark said.

  “What did you sign up for?” Brianna asked, propping herself up on her elbows and looking out over the greenery in front of her. “What made you want to be a doctor?”

  “I want to make the world a better place,” Mark replied. It struck Brianna as a bit of a strange answer, and she frowned. “What? You don’t think doctors do that?” Mark asked.

  Brianna shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess they do. I just didn’t think of it that way,” she said.

  Mark sat up abruptly and then pushed himself to his feet. Brianna made a surprised sound and began to gather her things.

  “You don’t need to do that. I’m just going to the bathroom,” he assured her. “Would you excuse me for a moment?”

  “Yes, of course.” She watched Mark make his way to the brick building where the toilets were.

  She drew her knees up and rested her elbows on them. This wasn’t working how she had hoped it would. Mark was a nice enough guy, but he was doing nothing to take her mind off Archer. In fact, if anything, he was making Brianna think about Archer more, as she couldn’t help comparing certain things he said and did to the way she thought Archer would have responded in the same situation.

  She felt kind of bad about Mark. He was clearly making an effort, and she felt like she was just using him. If he asked for a second date, she would have to say no. That wouldn’t solve her problem with Archer, though. He would still be in her head, and she still couldn’t be with him.

  Except… she could. If she wanted to, she could become a shifter. She had the Sanmere protein in her blood. She couldn’t imagine herself becoming a part of the immortal world, but she was starting to think that maybe she could come around to the idea, given time.

  The thought of becoming a shifter had horrified her so much in the past because it had been something that had almost been forced upon her. It would be different if she made that choice for herself—if she chose an eternity with Archer. She let her mind go there for a moment, to a place where she became a wolf. The thought scared her, but it also excited her. Was it really so bad to have eternal love? Lots of people would kill for that kind of chance.

  But what if she did it, and she and Archer weren’t really meant to be, and their relationship fizzled out? She’d be alone for all eternity, and she didn’t think she could handle that. That was the trouble. There would be no going back if it didn’t work out. It was like making an eternal commitment, and that was too huge to just jump into. What if something happened to him? Something like a hunter, and she would be left alone, grief stricken, forever.

  Maybe I could take some time. Maybe Archer and I could test the waters and then see if I wanted to turn or not, she thought. That seemed unfair to ask of Archer, though. To expect him to put his life on hold and just hang around, waiting for her to make her mind up one way or the other.

  She sighed. It was all too much to think about, too much to take in. Why couldn’t Archer just be a normal student? Why couldn’t she feel for Mark what she felt for Archer instead?

  Of course those were questions she couldn’t answer. Not now, maybe not ever. All she knew was how she felt in that moment: confused. Lost. And it wasn’t like she could even talk to anyone about any of it.

  Her heart sank when she saw Mark walking back towards her, and she knew for sure that she wouldn’t be able to put Archer out of her mind by dating someone else.

  “Are you all right?” Mark asked, sitting back down beside her.

  Brianna nodded and forced herself to smile, reminding herself none of this was Mark’s fault. She was the bad guy here, not him. She was the one who had issues, not him.

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” she said. “I was just miles away for a moment there.”

  Mark looked at her and smiled, and then he reached out his hand towards her. She jumped back like he’d burned her, and he snatched his hand away, looking hurt.

  “I… I’m sorry. I just…” Brianna trailed off. She didn’t know what to say to save his feelings, only that she co
uldn’t let him kiss her.

  “You have a piece of grass in your hair. I was just going to get it out,” Mark said, looking down at the blanket and then out at the greenery. Anywhere but at her.

  Sheepishly, Brianna reached into her hair. She found the strand of grass and pulled it free. She kept it in her fingers, twiddling it back and forth, hardly daring to look at Mark. He hadn’t even been going to kiss her, and she had overreacted massively.

  “I’m sorry,” she said again.

  Mark finally looked up at her, a sad smile on his face. “You thought I was going to kiss you, didn’t you?”

  Brianna thought about saying no, but she owed him the truth about this, if nothing else. Besides, how else would she be able to explain her reaction?

  “Yes,” she replied. “I overreacted, and I really am sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”

  “I had no idea I was so repulsive,” Mark said.

  Shit.

  “You’re not repulsive at all,” Brianna said. “I just… I’m not looking to get into anything, and…” She trailed off again. Mark looked at her for a moment, and then he burst into laughter. Brianna frowned, totally thrown by his reaction.

  “Sorry,” Mark said when his laughter had calmed down a little. “That was cruel, but your face was a picture. You’re a nice girl, Brianna, and I’d very much like for us to be friends, but to be honest, I’m not really feeling it, either.”

  “You’re not?” she asked, fearing it was too good to be true.

  “You sound surprised.”

  “No, it’s not that,” Brianna said quickly. “I just… Are you just saying that to make me feel better?”

  “Make you feel better? No. If I was into you and you savagely rejected me that way, then I think it would be you who should be trying to make me feel better,” Mark grinned.

  Brianna studied his face for a moment. He regarded her with amusement, but she could see he wasn’t hurt.

  “Yeah,” she smiled. “I think you’re right.”

  “So to take advantage of that situation, if we do hang out again, you can bring the picnic,” he said.

  “Or seeing as we’re both kind of over the whole dating thing, we could go to a bar, and I could buy the drinks,” Brianna suggested.

  “Now you’re talking!” Mark chuckled.

  They sat quietly for a moment. Brianna couldn’t believe how well this had worked out in the end. Mark was funny, and she was enjoying his company, and she was happy he felt the same way. He would make a good friend.

  “So, after this, I had a romantic boat trip planned,” Mark said, cutting into Brianna’s thoughts. “There’s a lake on the other side of the park, and they have those pedal boat things. I think we can both say that’s going to be a bit of a bust now. But if you’re up for it, we could still have a walk over that way. There’s a great little coffee shop there, and I think you’ll like the lake.”

  “Sounds great. It would be a weird day if I turned down a chance for good coffee.”

  They gathered their things together and put their trash into a bin before Brianna followed Mark across the green. They cut into a narrow mud track that ran through flower beds and trees on either side.

  “It’s really nice here. I can’t believe I haven’t been through here,” Brianna said, looking around as they walked.

  “Well, you’re not from here, are you?” Mark asked. “This isn’t an official path. Only locals know about it. But it’s so much quicker to get to the lake this way.”

  “You’re a local?” Brianna asked, surprised.

  “Not really,” Mark said. “But I’ve been here a good few months now, so I know my way around the place. I’d offer to show you the sights, but honestly, there really aren’t any.”

  Brianna laughed. From what she had seen and heard so far about the town, she had to agree.

  10

  Archer sat at his desk, knowing he had work to be doing but unable to focus enough to get on with it. His thoughts were consumed by Brianna, which was nothing new.

  After he had sneaked out of her apartment the other morning, he had told himself they were done, but that hadn’t been enough to make him believe it. He just couldn’t get Brianna out of his head. Her kiss, the way she tasted, her scent, and the more days passed, the more he thought about her. He had known it wouldn’t be easy to let her go; he just hadn’t anticipated it would be this hard. His plan had been to throw himself into work, and he hadn’t banked on not being able to think straight enough for that to be feasible.

  A knock on his door pulled his attention off Brianna for a second, and he sighed to himself, glad to have a legitimate distraction.

  “Come in!” he shouted.

  When Sven walked in, his face was lit up with a beaming smile, laughing at Archer’s frown as he sat down opposite Archer on the other side of his desk.

  “Not the reaction I was expecting when I came in smiling.”

  “No, I don’t suppose it was,” Archer relented. “But so much has gone wrong, I guess I didn’t dare believe you’re bringing me some good news.”

  “Ah, but I am,” Sven said. “In fact, it’s excellent news.”

  Archer could feel his irritation level rising. Sven was a good beta. He got things done, and when there was a problem that needed to be brought to Archer’s attention, Sven always got to the point quickly. However, when there was good news, Sven had an annoying habit of drawing it out and making Archer work for it.

  “Spit it out then,” Archer demanded.

  “We’ve been following up on a few leads on the hunter, leads we got from an associate of Caroline’s, who incidentally had no idea she was a Matchmaker. Anyway, we don’t have a name or anything, but we were able to find the hunter’s last known address. He’s already moved on, but a couple of the guys posed as potential new tenants so they could get inside the property. They managed to get his scent. I have people working on it, and they’re confident they’ll have his new residence located by the end of the weekend. Probably by the end of the day. And then we just have to stake the place out.”

  “Good work,” Archer smiled. He felt some of the weight leave his shoulders at the news. Now it was only a matter of time until the pack would be able to end the hunter, keeping the rest of them safe, and avenging their fallen brother. It really was the best news Sven could have given him.

  Except maybe that Brianna was here and wanted to see him. But he really couldn’t think about that now. Not when victory was so close to being his.

  Archer stood up abruptly, a big grin on his face, and moved around to Sven’s side of the desk. He clapped him on the shoulder and pulled Sven to his feet, embracing him. Sven gave him a quick squeeze, and then they stood back from each other.

  “Let me know the second you have the address,” Archer said. “And we’ll move in on it immediately.”

  “I’m on it,” Sven grinned.

  He walked back out of Archer’s office, leaving him full of hope. The only thing that could make this moment better would be having the chance to tell Brianna all about it later. Even though he knew it really wasn’t an option, he couldn’t shake the fact that even this huge victory for the pack seemed a little less sweet without someone to share it with. He had never felt that way before he had met Brianna, and he realized, with a start, that it was a form of loneliness.

  Archer had never before missed having a mate, because he had never met anyone he felt so strongly about. Now, that had changed, and he found himself missing something he had never really had. He craved Brianna’s touch, her presence. He wanted her by his side every day.

  He reminded himself again that it couldn’t work out between them, but the argument was starting to hold a lot less weight with him. Yes, she was a mortal, but she knew of his world, and she didn’t fear him or what he was. In fact, she had embraced it, telling him his wolf eyes were beautiful.

  He had heard of shifters having relationships with mortals before, and now, for the first time, he was seriously
considering the logistics of it. Brianna was only in her early twenties. They could easily have six, maybe even seven happy decades together.

  The thought of her life ending hurt him inside, but surely it was better to spend her lifetime with her than to spend all of those years wondering what if. He didn’t know how Brianna would feel about the idea, though he knew she felt the same pull to him that he did to her. He had seen that much in her eyes. He had been able to smell the moment her scent changed as they connected. But that didn’t mean she was willing to spend her life with him. Only that it was possible.

  Archer had to see her again. He had to suggest this crazy idea to her. Maybe she would reject him, and if she did, he would accept her decision. He didn’t want to pull her into a world she didn’t want to be a part of. But he had to know for sure, because there was a chance she was feeling the same way about him.

  It wasn’t just about Brianna one day growing old and dying. It was also about her safety. Could he risk it? Would she be willing to risk it? He would lay down his life to save hers without a second thought. The pack kept to themselves. They didn’t bother anyone, and no one bothered them. It wasn’t like he had a town full of enemies. In some ways, being with him would keep Brianna safer than her wandering the streets alone. The whole pack would protect her life once she was his mate.

  Archer stood up, ready to go and find her, but then he sat back down again. Not yet. First, he had to deal with the hunter. He had waited centuries to meet a woman like Brianna. He could wait another day or two to go to her. While the hunter was still out there, being seen with him would be dangerous for Brianna; a danger he wasn’t willing to put her life in.

  He felt better already, just knowing that he had a plan to get the girl and protect her and love her for all her life. He turned to his computer, his heart lighter than it had been for days, and he found that he was finally able to concentrate on the work he had to get through.

  11