Animal Heart(46)

They made their way inside the diner. To her surprise, she felt hungry. She hadn't expected that. But the numbing effect of shock was wearing off. She now felt strained and had a constant dull pain in her chest, and a streak of hunger was clearly evident based on the growling emptiness going on inside her.

They both chose to have chicken salads and sat at the far end of the almost empty diner to talk. Their drinks arrived, and Aden took a sip of his coke and then held her hand.

“So... What do you want to know?”

“When you said I belong to you, and you belong to me... what did that mean?”

“It means just that. We belong.”

“It's not official, is it?”

“Not if you don't want it to be. I realise it's early days. Besides, you might dump me when you see my wolf.” He said with a touch of humor and a delightfully sexy grin.

“Oh ha ha... Aden, there's nothing about you I won't like. Even if you've got two heads and a pair of forked tongues, I'll still like your wolf. In fact I'm sure I'll love it.”

“Well that's good to hear, because I ain't pretty. But anyway, I don't want to push you Maddy. We can take our time, okay?”

“What's supposed to happen next, after declaring that we belong?”

“I ask you to be my mate,” he said looking at her cautiously.

“I see, and what does that entail?”

“I ask, and if you accept, we mark each other privately. Then we mix our blood publicly and have a celebration with the others. It's a serious commitment, kind of a wedding for werewolves, I suppose,” he explained in a solemn voice.

Panic suddenly arose in her chest, mixed with a wild sense of delightful joy that he felt enough for her to consider being with her in that way. Pretty seriously, it would seem. Her mind swung from one thing to the other, back and forth. Joy, panic, joy, panic... She couldn't explain it. But it was far too soon for things like this, she reasoned.

“Maybe you're right. It is too much for my brain to cope with just now. I shouldn't have asked.” She forced herself to say. His face dropped with obvious disappointment and she felt guilty about that, but at the same time, it was too much. Too much for today anyhow.

Her parents had just died and were yet to be buried. She had her job issue to resolve, her changing form to experience fully, and her new life to adapt to. She knew she loved him, but it was a very young, fragile relationship. One that needed to grow before things became 'for life'.

Or did it?

She began to argue within herself like a mad woman. Could she really hope to find anyone she wanted more? He had to be a werewolf of course. So it was very unlikely. He'd been delivered to her. Her perfect man, with a few added extras. And she loved him already. He was kind and sweet, yet strong and tough. He was her hero. What the hell was she waiting for? She should be begging at his feet to be his mate and declaring her undying love for him.

An inner brake made her hold back from doing anything extreme like that. He'd been commitment phobic for years. She'd seen how he reacted with Mia. Cool and detached. He obviously didn't like clingy, needy females. Supposing she scared him off by being too intense? But then again, he'd mentioned their future mating, as if it were a natural progression for them. He must feel strongly and intensely enough himself to even consider it.

“There you go...” Their beautiful, large salads were placed on the table by the smiling waitress.

“Oh, thanks,” Aden said, smiling back. The waitress looked at him a little too sexily and for far too long. She felt a rush of possessiveness over him and tried to drown it unsuccessfully.

Who the fuck was she kidding? Not herself, that was for sure. She'd die for him. She wanted him so much her whole life depended on it.

She plopped some mayo on the plate and dipped her cucumber in it, munching it hungrily, and as she looked at him, she felt even hungrier. For him.

She was thinking herself in circles. She needed to calm down. There wasn't any race here, so why the hell did she feel so desperate?

They spoke on and off, about the food and the ranch, avoiding the subject of her parents, as they ate their meal and then got back in the truck, continuing their journey back.

She sat silently, staring out of the window, her mind tossing around dreadful thoughts of her mom and dad and haunting memories of her childhood. Her eyes and heart burned so painfully, she couldn't bear it.

How could they be gone?

She needed a big diversion, something else to talk and think about so she didn't cry all the way back. She wanted to learn more about him. She realised she didn't know a thing in fact. He knew a lot about her now. He'd met her relatives, having been there in the thick of it all with her. He'd even seen the lilac color of her childhood bedroom walls and the field where she used to ride her pony. He knew her background, where she was from.