It was Reno.
Dallas had never been a big fan of technology and phones in general. Although, texting was nice because it felt a lot easier to type the words than to speak them.
R: Heard about the excitement in town. What are you going to do?
D:?
R: Come on, Dal. We both know what I’m talking about. Mel is obviously your mate. It was made clear from the moment you swiped the water pitcher from me.
Dallas frowned. Reno had a good point there.
D: So what if she is?
R: So what? With the incident in town, she’s getting even closer to realizing that shifters exist, and she’s not likely to stop searching. I don’t think I need to remind you that you are a shifter.
D: I’ve got it under control.
Even as he typed the words, he could feel the lie hidden beneath the letters. Truthfully, Dallas had no idea what he was doing. He’d never expected to find a mate. Nor had he ever expected her to be the one person who was set on exposing the one thing he was sworn to protect.
R: You do? Well, I’m glad then. Because I’ve been hearing news of… other things.
D: What about? Basilisks?
R: No. Just other things. Shifter things.
Dallas read the text, then set his phone down on his knee, eyebrows turning in thoughtfully. He knew Reno still had connections to wolf society. After all, wolves made up the majority of the shifter world, so they controlled most aspects of the society.
That was pretty much all Dallas knew about the subject. Although Reno could be incredibly smiley and friendly, he tended to keep his past, his alpha status as a wolf, and pretty much everything else close to the chest.
D:?
R: Sorry I can’t say more. I’m still looking into it. Just… keep an eye out. All I can tell you is that there’s more going on right now than meets the eye. Talk to you later.
Dallas shook his head as he deposited his phone back into his pocket.
More than meets the eye.
What the hell was that supposed to mean? How was that information helpful in the slightest? Damn Reno. It wasn’t like Dallas needed any more mystery in his life.
Right as he picked up his knife to go back to his carving, Mel stepped out of the trailer, looking as beautiful as ever. Her dark eyes sparkled in the waning evening sun.
“I’m tired,” she said, yawning. “Can I come up and join you?”
Dallas nodded, holding a hand out to pull her up. Once up, she sat down next to him on the edge and leaned in against him, laying her head on his shoulder.
He put an arm around her, pulling her close, and when she sighed peacefully, he thought about how perfect this all was. Them together, atop this trailer, her fitting snugly against him.
Part of him wished that he could tell her everything, just lay it all out for her, tell her what he was. But he disregarded the idea quickly. Everything they had hung from one tenuous thread: the fact that she didn’t know about shifters.
Everything could change once she did. Even among shifters, Dallas was unnatural. Tigers weren’t born. They were made. And for all he knew, he was the only tiger out there except for rumors he’d heard a while back about a trio of tiger brothers that lived up north.
He’d never looked into it, as the bosses of Dragonclaw made a point to keep out of mainstream shifter business. It had worked fine for them so far.
Even more concerning was the question of what she would do if she knew. Mel had the power to expose all of them. Rumors were rumors, but if real, hard proof got out about the shifter world, that actual dragons lived at Dragonclaw, what would happen to his family? What would happen to the only home he had ever known? He couldn’t risk it.
It was like playing with fire. The most beautiful, perfect, wonderful fire he’d ever seen. But fire nonetheless.
He felt a small nudge in his side and looked down to find her staring up at him.
“What are you thinking about?” she asked.
Dallas just shrugged at that and squeezed her a little closer.
Mel cuddled closer to him for a second, then pulled back. “No, seriously, talk to me. I want to hear more about you. I’ve told you about my past, my family. Now I’d like to hear about yours. Talk.” She smiled. “Please?”
He could never refuse her, not when she looked at him like that. Like he meant the world to her and she wanted to know him on a deeper level and was willing to push past his barriers.
Dallas had never had anyone look at him like that before. He guessed that was probably part of her being his mate.
Mate.
Damn, the word was beginning to sound too good in his head.
“Why?” he asked.
She pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Well, I think it’s because I really care about you, and you always listen to me, and it makes me feel heard and cared for. I know you don’t talk a lot, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have things to say, and I want to be there for you.”
Dallas blinked, staring down at her with wide eyes.
Did she have to be so damn perfect all the time?
“I didn’t… really have a normal family growing up,” he said finally, choosing his words carefully.
Mel cocked her head. “Oh, were you fostered? Adopted?”
More like created.
“Something like that. They were…” He paused. “Mercenaries. Violent people who built a life on violence.”
“How so? Like a gang or something?”
They were professional assassins, hoping to raise him for a bloody purpose that he had never really understood as a child. But it wasn’t like he could tell her that.
“Worse than that,” Dallas replied.
She frowned. “I’m so sorry. You deserved better.”
“I escaped when I was little.” He shrugged. “Found a new home.”
Dallas couldn’t remember the last time he had talked this much. It was almost weird to hear his
