I downed the rest of my whiskey in one shot. I could blame her for my behavior, but that would be a wussy move, and I was no wuss. “No. God, Bryn! I'm happy for you, and I'm sorry I've been absent so much. I've just had a lot going on.”
“I know!” She pulled a frustrated hand through her hair. “Aylin, you've been there for me since day one, but I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong!”
I'm imprinted!! I wanted to shout. I needed her to be there for me, but I couldn't take the disappointment of not knowing who my other half was. Bryn knew even before she laid eyes on Liam that he was her forever. I, however, had no clue who my forever was. The Elders could be playing a cruel game on me for tempting them so many times with my antics and magic. If so, they had one hell of a sense of humor.
Instead of confessing everything, I replied, “It's all good, Bryn. Just give me some time to figure things out. I promise things will come together.”
“I will—”
Bryn's words were lost with the pounding in my head, which matched the steady thump of work boots on hardwood floor. I knew that gait. My body stiffened, my nerve endings sparking with awareness.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Connor pulled a chair to our table. He placed a firm hand under my chin and forced me to face him.
For that moment in time, nothing else existed. I lost myself in his gaze. The heat from our bodies melded. Sparks flew. Our attraction sizzled.
I needed to spray more of my anti-imprint perfume. It was a delicate potion that I have been perfecting for the past few months. Its main purpose was to weaken the effect of an uncompleted bond. It dulled the sexual attraction of the unmated pair until they chose to complete the bond. I used it to hide the fact that I was imprinted. I had first used it on Bryn to prevent unwanted sexual advances until she and Liam completed their bond.
Sinking back to reality, I jerked my head from Connor's grasp. “Nothing's wrong with me. Why are you even here?”
Instead of answering my question, he leaned forward and sniffed. “You smell different.” He sniffed again. “I don't smell your wolf or the scent of rain.”
He never said it, but I knew he liked my perfume. It's why I bought it in bulk, but I couldn't get my anti-bond potion to match my perfume. Instead, it smelled of cedar and mint. The scent was just about the unsexiest smell one could wear, but it was effective. “Thanks, and you smell like dog, so I guess we're even.”
He forced a laugh between those firm lips. I imagined them moving across my neck, nibbling on my ear, trailing a path to my lips.
“Hello?” Connor snapped his fingers. “You zoned out on me.”
“Sorry.” And those hands. They were big and callused from his work on Lowell property. He did a lot of construction and had the body to prove it. Rock hard abs, well-defined biceps....
“Stay away from Brad. No more accepting drinks from the men of the pack. They expect something more in return—if you catch my drift.”
I lifted my shot glass to take another sip, remembered I had downed its contents moments ago, and slammed it back on the table. “I can have drinks if I want. I make it very clear that I'm not putting out just because they give out. You catch my drift?” I mocked.
“Aylin, this is serious.” He grabbed my hand.
My heart stopped.
The earth shifted beneath my feet.
I jerked away and stumbled from the table.
“Aylin.” Connor grumbled, but Bryn rose from the table and walked to me, hand extended in caution.
“Connor, it's okay.” She practically cooed at me. “I'll take Aylin home and make her some tea. She's had a bit too much to drink and appears to be a little unsteady.”
Unsteady? How can one be steady when the earth is shaking?
“Bryn—”
“No, Connor. I got this.” She placed a hand on my back and ushered me through the door. I allowed her to lead me, dazed at the impact of Connor's touch. He hadn't touched me since the imprint. I never gave us the opportunity. But now that my body had connected with his, I knew without a doubt that my mate was sitting beside me in the bar.
He just didn't know.
I was his.
He was mine.
I tossed Bryn my keys and got into the passenger side.
Bryn hopped into my black beast of a truck with a huff. “I don't understand why you have to drive something that is unnaturally high off the ground. I shouldn't need a stepladder to get into your vehicle.”
She turned the ignition, and my baby roared to life.
I laughed.
Bryn started down the road, more cautious than I would have been. When she stopped at an intersection, she turned to me. “So, how long?”
My heart raced. “What?”
She ripped my long-sleeved shirt, revealing the half-moon imprint on my wrist. It illuminated the dark car with more power than before. “How long have you been imprinted?”
Well, fuck!
Chapter Two
Connor
My stomach churned.
Aylin was in trouble.
Bryn's intervention stayed me from pursuing Aylin.
Needing to cool down, I grabbed a beer from a passing tray and sat at a corner table. Aylin stumbled from the bar, with Bryn hot on her heels. My grip tightened around the cold glass. In the twenty years I had known her, I had never once seen Aylin act this way. She was defiant, isolated, and distancing herself from the pack. And, for once in her life, she downplayed her beauty, as opposed to magnifying it.
Something was definitely going on with Aylin, and Bryn knew what it was.
I took a sip of my beer and frowned. Aylin intentionally dressed down, hiding herself. Sure, she
