She clasped his arm. “We do these mixers a few times a year, and it always results in some great matches. Supernaturals simply don’t have many chances to mingle with their own kind. Two mates can be living in the same city, sometimes on the same block, and never meet one another.”
“You’re doing good work,” he said, patting her hand.
She nodded, watching the crowd. “Kieran?”
“Hmm?” He looked down at her.
“The dinner with Melissa. Did you mean it?”
Understanding lit in his gaze. A soft smile curved his lips as he reached out to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear.
“I like your world,” he said. “Seeing what you do, how you bring these people together. You give them a chance at happiness. Maybe I want the same opportunity.”
The din around them ensured semi-privacy, even from those with acute hearing, so she didn’t have to censor her words. “You want me beyond the mating moon?”
“My wolf does.”
It was a non-answer, and they both knew it.
“What about the man?” she said.
He blew out a long breath. “He does, too.”
A smile started to tug at her lips, but he caught her hand, shaking his head. “I still don’t know what I can offer you, Chloe. I’m not sure I can ever be what you want.”
The words had an ominous ring she wanted to ignore. “Time,” she replied. “All I want right now is time.”
His eyes gentled as he raised her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss into her palm. “Being with you isn’t like being with anyone else.”
Even Lisette? The words hung on the tip of her tongue. But Kieran’s expression was open and happy. She didn’t want to dredge up painful memories.
“Me too,” she replied instead. “You’re unlike anyone I’ve ever known.”
He leaned close until his lips brushed her ear. “Just think of how good the sex will be.”
With faux outrage she pushed him back, only to realize he was laughing. Though she’d heard the sound before, it still brought an answering smile to her lips.
“One track mind,” she said. “This is what happens when you’re without a lover for too long.”
He shook his head. “No, my witch. You’re just special.”
Her heart twisted at the simple phrase. How many times had she wanted to hear those words since they’d met? Even though she’d heard it straight from his mouth, it still seemed unbelievable. The powerful alpha and the orphan witch? It sounded like a fairytale, a perfect fantasy.
One that would hurt when it shattered.
“What?” he asked, his smile sliding from his face.
She shook her head, not willing to offer up that particular confession. “Time. Promise we’ll have more than just the retreat.”
He pulled her into his arms, resting his chin on the top of her head. “We’ll have more than the retreat, witchling. I might not know much, but I know that.”
It wasn’t the promise she’d hoped for, but for now, it was enough.
Chloe closed her eyes, breathing in his earthy scent as she tried to forget the fact that the days that separated them from their future would be the hardest of their whole charade.
Chapter Fourteen
Leaving the confines of the city never failed to excite his wolf. This time, though, his inner animal was practically doing back flips the closer they got to pack territory. Even his human half had to admit he was excited. The retreat was something they all looked forward to, and this year was no different.
What’s more, he was eager to see Chloe’s reaction to his people. No doubt a tough road lay ahead of her, but she had the mettle to face it.
“Wow, you guys have a lot of space,” she said, pressing her nose to the window as they drove across the Clearwater land.
Pride swelled within him. The pack property had been in the family for as long as he could remember. Though acres of forest stretched out all around them, it was the heart of the property they were driving through.
Cabins appeared along the main road, signaling their journey was almost over.
“If you look to the left you’ll see the dining hall,” he told her as they drove through the center of the retreat. “It doubles as a meeting lodge, and as a day care for younger cubs.”
Continuing the drive, they passed a lake equipped with canoes and kayaks on the shores, a fire pit with bleachers for dozens of people, and paths leading into the dense forest ringing the retreat.
“We’re getting farther and farther away from everything,” she commented.
“The alpha’s lodge,” he replied. “It’s the farthest from the others.”
“Why?” she asked, looking back at him.