His wolf snarled in anger, and his pants were growing really fucking uncomfortable. Yeah, that's right. He should suffer for being an idiot.
Tristan's glance flicked between Page and the guy next to the witch, Maddie.
He didn't like the way Paige looked at him. Maybe it wasn't just him that she looked at though. Fuck, even Tristan felt a pang of want from the way this guy looked at Maddie. Like his entire world was her.
Tristan adjusted his stance. Yeah, he was jealous at the fact they were probably going at it like rabbits and satisfied.
His wolf was constantly on edge and it came from the fact they, he and his wolf, couldn't satisfy the soul-deep need for their mate. He'd been trying to find some kind of satisfaction for the last two years only to wake up just as frustrated as he was the night before.
Tristan smelled the air around them and could pick out Paige's scent. Calm and need somehow came hand in hand as he stood with her near, his wolf fighting to take over and push aside Tristan's human nature to do what was right.
"So, what did you mean by sort of?" asked Paige again.
Right there was some kind of conversation going on. Tristan couldn't think around Paige.
"We are mated," said the male.
Paige looked from one to the other, and Tristan was certain he felt Paige's body slump into him. Why though? Why did matings bring out the strangest behaviors in females? Like when Paige tried to fuck up her future two years ago. God, that night still sucked. His mother telling him to walk away. Telling him she wasn't good enough, telling him that the other male was better for her. Anger at his mother, at the other wolf, and anger at himself for leading her on when he'd known she was spoken for.
"I'm so happy for you, Maddie," Paige's tone strained.
He knew that tone. Paige was choking back her feelings, and for the life of him he didn't know why. What was wrong?
Tristan expected to waltz back into town and see her happy - without him. Instead, confusion filled him.
"Thanks, Paige. I'm glad I got to see you before I left," said Maddie.
Tristan shrugged. The women were getting all sappy. He gave a curt nod to the guy. This guy was a goner. He could see it clear in the shifter's face.
He saw this happen a million times with shifters. One minute they're all carefree and the next they're devoted and whipped. This guy had it bad, and you know what, good for him. He'd been happy to watch Kian and Ethan find their mates, but the same shit happened there, too. One minute going out drinking and the next they were content.
Tristan squeezed a little tighter around Paige. She was what he wanted. Finally. No, it was what he was finally willing to fight for. Yeah, he was an idiot.
Tristan sucked in a breath, feasting on Paige's scent. She always made him think of a field of wildflowers tucked within the mountains and mixing with crisp clean air. She was his air and without her, he'd only been breathing through a straw.
Damn it to hell. He was here to see his family. Not to torture himself. He'd blown it. His mother had made that clear over their glorious little lunch. The woman was harsh, but she was his mom.
Fuck. Tristan realized he was coveting someone else's mate. Odd, though. Paige smelled the same as what he remembered. Pure.
Maybe she wasn't mated yet and his mom had misheard. Even out of respect, he doubted his mother would have ever gone to Paige's mating ceremony, so maybe she just didn't know.
He should let Paige go.
He should back away.
He should do a lot of things, but instead of listening to reason he really, really didn't give a fuck. He’d win her back.
They, he and his wolf, had left her behind and regretted every day. Could he win her back? Was it too late?
"I haven't seen you around here? What did you say his name was, Maddie?" Paige's voice brought Tristan out of his self-destructive state.
"Kal. Kal, this is Paige. We know each other through Ellen. Anyway, I just came back to make good with my mom. So, now it's off to Kal's home."
Paige nodded, her muscles still rigid. Why wasn't she relaxing into him? Memories of how things used to be pissed him off. He'd been the one to leave, he couldn't be mad. But he was mad.
Right, she was supposed to be mating someone else. Awkward, since he was about to do something rash. If you were dumb enough not to mark your intended, was it really his fault for stealing her?
No. Tristan wasn't that guy. He wasn't an asshole. Right? No. He was a good guy. He'd left so she could do the right thing. He left so she could mate whoever she'd agreed to. Someone without his mom, that was for damn sure.
Reluctantly he pulled away. Paige wasn't going to fall, the pretense to stay close gone. He mourned that.
"Where is his home?" Paige asked.
Tristan was missing an entire conversation. Of course he was, because all he wanted was to get into Paige's pants and mark her. Claim her.
"He, it's. Well. Kal's a dragon shifter, believe it or not."
Paige and Tristan's looks mirrored each other. He was positive.
"Dragon?" Tristan asked. That had his attention.
Maddie smiled. Pretty woman, but not like his Paige. "Yeah. It's a long story. There's so many things we just don't know about this world." Maddie shrugged and smiled.
Thank God this guy was a mated fool, because Tristan sure as hell wasn't trying to fight anything dragon and winning. Wolf shifter trumps a lot of supernatural things, but he doubted dragon was one of them. Better news though, at this exact second no one stood between him and
