The Mating(72)

“Right. That’s why—”

“And Kane is an Alpha, so—”

This time, Bryan interrupted her. “Elise, are you happy with Kane?”

Was she happy? Two weeks ago, she’d thought her world was coming to an end but now... It didn’t take her long to come up with an answer. “Yes, Bryan. I...I like him very much and I’m happy.” She reached out a hand in anticipation of comforting him, but paused in surprise when she heard his response.

“Good. That takes a lot off my mind. As I was saying earlier, after you left I did a lot of thinking and... Well...” He hesitated and then spoke in a rush. “After seeing you again today, I’ve come to realize that while I still love you, I think it’s more of a brother-sister kind of love. We’ve known each other all our lives and we drifted into a relationship but after you left, I found that I wasn’t as devastated as I thought I’d be.” Bryan seemed to be a bit apologetic and was holding his breath, waiting for her response.

Elise blinked. That wasn’t what she’d been expecting at all and yet it mirrored what she’d been coming to suspect. She gave a dry laugh. Here she’d been thinking he wanted them to run away together and instead he was letting her down easy!

“So you’re basically ‘breaking up’ with me?” She smiled at him so he’d know she was teasing but even still, he squirmed looking a bit uncomfortable.

“Yeah, I guess I am. Have I hurt your feelings?”

“No. I was coming to the same conclusion myself. We shared some great times but now we’ve grown up and moved beyond the ‘puppy love’ stage.”

Bryan groaned. “Puppy love? Oh, Elise that’s a really bad joke.”

“Well, what else would you call it? We were puppies and we thought we were in love.” She defended herself with mock indignation. This was what she’d always enjoyed about their relationship—the friendly camaraderie, the teasing and bad jokes. They grinned at each other for a moment then Bryan’s stomach growled, sending them both into a fit of laughter again.

As they ate, they talked about old times and Bryan questioned her further about her relationship with Kane. Strangely enough, she found it very helpful to talk to someone from outside her new pack. Helen, Carrie, and Julia all saw Kane not only as their Alpha but also as a much beloved friend. Bryan had very few preconceived notions and Elise felt he’d be able to interpret things in an unbiased fashion. By the time they had finished eating, they’d reached the conclusion that she was definitely falling in love with her mate.

“After all,” Bryan said as he walked Elise to her car. “What’s not to love about the man? He’s done everything he can to make you happy and except for sticking you with Marla, he hasn’t made a wrong move, has he?”

“No, and even Marla isn’t that bad any more. I think Kane and I will have a good future together. He seems to like me and maybe one day he’ll... Well, who knows?” Elise turned to look at Bryan, placing her hands on his chest. “Thanks so much for listening to me ramble on about Kane. It was really good to see you again...” She paused and frowned. “You never did say why you were in town.”

“No, I guess I never did. Well...” He shifted uncomfortably. “Don’t take this wrong—it’s nothing against your father, I swear—but I’m thinking of heading out and seeing a bit of the world, maybe even forming my own pack one day.”

“Really? Your own pack?”

“Yeah. I...I think I have it in me to be an Alpha or at least a Beta someday, though not for a few years to come. There’s this feeling that’s been growing in me for a while now, but I always ignored it because I knew, or at least I thought I knew, that my future was with you. Now that you’re gone, I’m starting to realize that I want more out of life and the chances of advancing in our pack are really limited. It’s too big, with too many other wolves in line.”

“But your own pack? You don’t have the money to buy land or even a house. What will you do?”

“Well, I’ve heard rumours that there’s another wolf who also wants to strike out on his own. I’m in town to see him and maybe we can work a deal.” Bryan shrugged nonchalantly but there was an excitement about him that she hadn't seen before, as if he couldn’t wait to start a grand new adventure.

Elise stared up at him, then smiled. She brushed his sandy brown hair from his eyes and, standing on tiptoe, pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. “I hope it works out for you, Bryan.”