I unlocked the door, placing both hands on the edge, ready to close it at any sign of Rush. There was no one in the hallway. I quietly made my way down the kitchen and grabbed a container of leftover food from one of the large fridges. I peeled the lid off, trying to understand what was inside. I kicked the fridge closed with my foot and set the food on the counter.
It needed to be warmed, and I turned to the microwave and jumped back slightly. A man stood casually near the stove, arms resting back on the counter. He grinned at me, his bright smile contrasting with his dark skin.
“Hi,” I said, my face showed only confusion.
“You’re Sloane?” he asked, knowingly. I nodded. He relaxed and smiled brilliantly. “Good, then I’ve got the right girl.”
I stood back, lifting the container of food like a weapon, apprehension, and worry clearly painted across my face. He laughed and shook his hands in front of him.
“No, no, nothing bad. I promise.” He grabbed the food from my hand, placed it in the microwave behind him, and turned back to me. “Rush is my best friend. He’s been whining to me for the past two hours about his mate, and I had to meet the girl who tore him off his damn high horse.”
“That’d be me,” I accepted quietly but cheerfully.
“It’s lovely to meet you, Luna.” He bowed his head in respect. “I’m Jonah.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” I nodded, unsettled by his friendly attitude.
He seemed to notice that. “Is something wrong?”
“No,” I denied, pursing my lips. “Your pack just hasn’t taken a liking to me. They think I’m either working with the enemy or a deranged animal.”
Jonah rolled his eyes and took the container out of the microwave. “This pack was built on gossip. I’m surprised the bricks of this house aren’t made of it,” He joked.
“Is Rush-,” I paused, gnawing on my lip.
“Okay?” Jonah guessed.
“A good guy,” I decided to phrase it. He gave me a knowing look and slid the food over.
“Rush is a really good Alpha.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
“He’s been my friend since we were six. That boy did not know the word ‘no’ until he was probably fifteen. He has a really good heart; it just gets a little lost in translation sometimes. He means well.”
I sighed and stabbed the chicken with my fork. “He’s difficult.” Jonah didn’t deny that. “One moment, we’re kissing in the middle of the woods, and the next, he’s telling me that I’m basically nothing.”
“I’m sure he didn’t mean that,” Jonah offered, cringing at the cliché. I smirked; Jonah’s kind face didn’t stay still for long.
“He did.” I chuckled, a little sadness forcing my smile into a flat line. “He admitted he didn’t want to share his power with me.”
“I mean,” Jonah started and stopped, opening his mouth again. “This is new for him, it’s new for you, too.”
“That doesn’t excuse it,” I mumbled angrily. Talking about Rush made me tired.
“You’re right,” he confirmed. “And you should make him work for it. I haven’t seen him this torn up about something since we were boys. But just…forgive him after a while. He’ll be a good mate.”
Jonah and I continued to make small talk while I ate. He told me about Rush as a young boy and told me some of the culture of the pack. Things were different here than in my old pack. My pack was small, close-knit, this one was distant.
Jonah excused himself after a while, and I slumped on the counter. My forehead rested on my crossed arms, the darkness in the space made me close my eyes. I started to drift off, unaware I was falling asleep.
Something touched the corner of my elbow, and I shot up, shaking the sleep from my face, overly alert of my surroundings. Rush stood on the other side of the island with his hands spread out in innocence.
I ran my left hand over my face and forehead, brushing my hair back.
“Come up to bed,” Rush said softly. His eyes were glossy and sad as he looked at my face slowly.
“I just woke up,” I trailed off, slipping out of the tall stool. I took my bowl and placed it in the dishwasher before turning to leave.
Rush moved closer to me. “You’re still tired, obviously. Come to bed, we can talk.”
“I don’t really want to talk right now, Rush,” I hesitated. He sighed loudly and threw his head back. “I just want to be by myself. I need some time alone.”
“And I need to talk to you. I need you to know that what I did wasn’t really me. That’s not the kind of mate I want to be.”
A few pack members crossed the hallway and tried not to look at us. Rush sighed and pushed me up the stairs, his hand on my back, guiding me into our room.
He closed the door behind us and turned to me, where I was already sitting on the edge of the bed. He walked slowly, trying to catch my eyes that were fixated on the ground.
“I’m sorry,” he began. My eyes didn’t move from the spot on the hardwood floor. “Sloane, I’m really sorry. I know that I’ve been hot and cold, and I don’t mean to be it’s just…you weren’t what I was expecting in a mate.”
My eyes watered, and I turned away from Rush’s gaze.
“Sloane.” He reached out and touched my thigh just above my knee. I brushed his hand away with mine and brought it up to my face, shyly wiping a tear from below my eye. “Are you crying? My god, Sloane, please look at me.”
I didn’t.
He dropped off the bed and stopped over, bending down to look at me. “Goddess, I’m fucking this up too, aren’t I? I’m trying to apologize, damnit. Please don’t cry, Sloane.”
His voice was
