this meeting slammed into me. I was finally qualified to sit at the big table. Or so they all thought.
I knew I needed to move forward but my feet felt as though someone had super-glued them to the floor. More than moving forward, I knew Lindsey was right. I needed to confess my deep, dark secret. I knew I did. I knew it was wrong to place my butt in a chair that rightfully belonged to a warrior. I needed to just suck it up, accept the reality of—
Lucas grinned at me, his silver eyes teasing. “Come on, Brittany. I don’t know anyone who’s wanted—or deserved—this moment more than you.”
So true. No one else put in the hours working out like I did. No one else ate as healthily—and boringly—as I did. Chocolate hadn’t passed between my lips in years. I’d wanted to be the best Dark Guardian ever. No reason I couldn’t be. I was smart and strong. I’d trained in the martial arts. I knew this wilderness as well as I knew every feature of Connor’s face. I’d willingly die for the Shifters—without hesitation or regret.
What did it matter if I hadn’t yet shifted? I’d been prepared to pull my weight before my full moon. My devotion, my readiness hadn’t changed.
With a deep breath, I strode forward to stand behind the empty chair beside Connor. Dark blond bristles shadowed his face as though he hadn’t bothered to shave since the last full moon. His hair was combed back in its usual style but looked as though he’d merely used his fingers rather than a comb to arrange it. He’d never looked sexier. As wrong as it was, I drew strength from his nearness, as though I could actually feel the warmth of his body reaching out to mine.
With a scraping of chairs over the stone floor, everyone took a seat.
Connor leaned over and I caught a whiff of his unique earthy scent. “Welcome to the big table,” he whispered in a low voice.
Holding his blue gaze, I fought not to grin like an idiot, not only because I was sitting at the big table but because he was there beside me, acknowledging me. “Thanks. How’s the arm?”
His eyes hardened and I realized that was not exactly the best conversation starter. I should have gone with, “What did you discover out there about the snare?”
“Healed,” he said curtly, and whatever camaraderie might have been developing between us came to a screeching halt. He turned his attention to Lucas.
Because I could feel Daniel studying me, I smiled at him. He gave me a thumbs-up. He really was a nice guy. We just didn’t have any chemistry.
“As most of you know,” Lucas began and I directed my attention to our leader, “we recently found a lab that Bio-Chrome had set up at the northeastern edge of the forest. They captured Connor, Kayla, and me—but we managed to escape with help from Lindsey and Rafe.”
I slid my gaze over to Lindsey and Rafe. His hair was as dark as mine, but that was where our similarities ended. His eyes were brown and so full of adoration for Lindsey that I was stunned to realize how much inner strength it must have taken for him to keep all those emotions hidden away. But was I really any different when it came to what I felt for Connor?
We believed in destiny, that our mates were kindred souls. I shifted my gaze over to Connor and it collided with his. My heart slammed against my ribs with the intensity of his stare. Was he watching me so closely because he was suddenly interested or was it because he was beginning to sense that I didn’t belong at this table?
Soul mates were supposed to be able to decipher each other’s thoughts. Could I even afford to have a mate now? Or would my thoughts always be locked away from other Shifters?
“Then on the way back to Wolford, Brittany came across a snare,” Lucas announced.
I heard a couple of sharp intakes of breath as the other Guardians turned their attention expectantly to me. As much as I wanted to lie about it, I knew doing so would put Shifters in danger. “I don’t know if
I knew I needed to move forward but my feet felt as though someone had super-glued them to the floor. More than moving forward, I knew Lindsey was right. I needed to confess my deep, dark secret. I knew I did. I knew it was wrong to place my butt in a chair that rightfully belonged to a warrior. I needed to just suck it up, accept the reality of—
Lucas grinned at me, his silver eyes teasing. “Come on, Brittany. I don’t know anyone who’s wanted—or deserved—this moment more than you.”
So true. No one else put in the hours working out like I did. No one else ate as healthily—and boringly—as I did. Chocolate hadn’t passed between my lips in years. I’d wanted to be the best Dark Guardian ever. No reason I couldn’t be. I was smart and strong. I’d trained in the martial arts. I knew this wilderness as well as I knew every feature of Connor’s face. I’d willingly die for the Shifters—without hesitation or regret.
What did it matter if I hadn’t yet shifted? I’d been prepared to pull my weight before my full moon. My devotion, my readiness hadn’t changed.
With a deep breath, I strode forward to stand behind the empty chair beside Connor. Dark blond bristles shadowed his face as though he hadn’t bothered to shave since the last full moon. His hair was combed back in its usual style but looked as though he’d merely used his fingers rather than a comb to arrange it. He’d never looked sexier. As wrong as it was, I drew strength from his nearness, as though I could actually feel the warmth of his body reaching out to mine.
With a scraping of chairs over the stone floor, everyone took a seat.
Connor leaned over and I caught a whiff of his unique earthy scent. “Welcome to the big table,” he whispered in a low voice.
Holding his blue gaze, I fought not to grin like an idiot, not only because I was sitting at the big table but because he was there beside me, acknowledging me. “Thanks. How’s the arm?”
His eyes hardened and I realized that was not exactly the best conversation starter. I should have gone with, “What did you discover out there about the snare?”
“Healed,” he said curtly, and whatever camaraderie might have been developing between us came to a screeching halt. He turned his attention to Lucas.
Because I could feel Daniel studying me, I smiled at him. He gave me a thumbs-up. He really was a nice guy. We just didn’t have any chemistry.
“As most of you know,” Lucas began and I directed my attention to our leader, “we recently found a lab that Bio-Chrome had set up at the northeastern edge of the forest. They captured Connor, Kayla, and me—but we managed to escape with help from Lindsey and Rafe.”
I slid my gaze over to Lindsey and Rafe. His hair was as dark as mine, but that was where our similarities ended. His eyes were brown and so full of adoration for Lindsey that I was stunned to realize how much inner strength it must have taken for him to keep all those emotions hidden away. But was I really any different when it came to what I felt for Connor?
We believed in destiny, that our mates were kindred souls. I shifted my gaze over to Connor and it collided with his. My heart slammed against my ribs with the intensity of his stare. Was he watching me so closely because he was suddenly interested or was it because he was beginning to sense that I didn’t belong at this table?
Soul mates were supposed to be able to decipher each other’s thoughts. Could I even afford to have a mate now? Or would my thoughts always be locked away from other Shifters?
“Then on the way back to Wolford, Brittany came across a snare,” Lucas announced.
I heard a couple of sharp intakes of breath as the other Guardians turned their attention expectantly to me. As much as I wanted to lie about it, I knew doing so would put Shifters in danger. “I don’t know if
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