Page 39 of Fallout
When we get to my house, Parker quickly shuts off the Jeep and gets out. I open my door, but Parker is there to help me out. My soulmate is a gentleman—it’s one of the things that first attracted me to him.
My heart aches a little, thinking about the time before we knew we were soulmates. Yes, right now is hard. I barely get to see Parker. But at least I know he’s mine now. I’m not stuck pining after a guy that I can’t have. What’s happening now is just a blip in our lifespan.
Before I can head inside, Parker grabs ahold of my hand, stopping me outside the door. I look at him as I realize he’s not coming in. Of course he’s not, he’s in a hurry tonight.
“I know that you can’t come tonight,” Parker begins, his blue eyes carefully studying me. “Our entire lives, we will spend the full moon apart. But I don’t want you to feel like this changes anything for me. It doesn’t. You are my soulmate. I don’t care that you’re a different species than me. I like the parts of you that are different.”
“The parts of me that are different make life more complicated.” I can’t help but sigh, thinking about how much I complicate Parker’s life. He’d be better off having a wolf shifter as a mate.
He shakes his head. “No.”
“So your life wouldn’t be easier if some wolf shifter girl was your mate?” I lift an eyebrow, challenging him to say it wouldn’t be.
He runs his free hand through his hair. “Maybe. But I don’t want a wolf shifter as my mate. I want you. Besides, even if my soulmate was a wolf shifter doesn’t mean my life would be less complicated.”
“She’d be part of your pack,” I argue.
“You are part of my pack.” His grip on my hand tightens. “I hope you realize that, Henley. It doesn’t matter that you can’t shift and run with us tonight. You are just as much part of my pack as anybody else. And you’re important, not just to me but to the entire pack. Someday, when I take over as alpha, you will be the pack’s luna. You’re just as much of a leader as I am. The pack can’t exist without an alpha but it equally can’t exist without a luna.”
My stomach twists.
All I’ve wanted my entire life is to be accepted. Parker is accepting me, flaws and all. But when he reminds me of his role in the pack, I can’t help but feel a little sick.
How am I supposed to help him lead the pack? I know nothing about being a wolf shifter and I certainly know nothing about leading.
Parker leans forward and presses his lips against mine. All other thoughts melt away.
I shouldn’t worry about the future. A lot can change between now and the time Parker is old enough to take over his duty as alpha. We’re still in high school, still teenagers. It’s not like Parker will become alpha overnight. We’ll have years to prepare.
He pulls back, his hand gently cupping my cheek. “You’re beautiful, Henley Stone.”
I swallow hard.
Sometimes, I wonder what fate was thinking when it chose me to be Parker’s soulmate. But when he says things like that, I realize nobody else could be better suited for me.
“I’ve got to go.” He leans forward and kisses me one last night. “Good night.”
“Good night,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper.
“Lock your door,” he commands, then turns around and walks to his Jeep. I stand there, watching him walk away. When he gets to his vehicle, he turns around and watches me. I know he won’t leave until I lock myself inside. I wave at him one last time before shutting the door. I lock the door, as Parker instructed.
When I hear the gravel crunch beneath his tires as he leaves, I sigh. Looking around the empty house, I wonder what to do now. All of my homework is done—Blaine made sure I finished it during study hall. I just finished reading a book series last night and I’m not sure that I’m emotionally ready to start something new.
I sigh, sinking onto the couch. As I settle in for a long night, I can’t help the deep ache in my heart. No matter how much Parker says I am a member of the pack, I can’t help the part of me that screams I don’t belong. No matter what I do, I’ll never be a wolf shifter. We don’t even know what I am and the only guy who knows isn’t allowed on pack land.
The next morning, I wake up on the couch. There is a blanket over me, which must have been my father’s doing when he came home this morning. I stretch and look at the clock screensaver on the TV—it proclaims that it’s just after seven in the morning. I groan, wishing I wasn’t such an early riser. The rest of the pack won’t be up before noon, which means I’ve got several hours of boredom before anybody comes over.
Will I even see Parker today? Or will Blaine—or worse, Will—be forced to babysit me?
I make myself breakfast before heading outside. Even though most of the pack is sleeping, I’m sure Parker didn’t leave me completely without guards. I decide to take a walk to clear my head. Maybe later today, I can have Parker take me up the mountain so I can let my wings out.
As I walk down the well worn path, I note that the cool mountain air isn’t as bad as it was when I first moved here. Either I’m getting used to it or my supernatural abilities are kicking in. What else about me will change? If only I were allowed to talk to the other supernatural who is like me. Why won’t he just approach Parker or his dad and ask for permission?
I hear the sound of rustling leaves behind me. I turn around, expecting to see a wolf shifter following me, but instead, it’s the other supernatural—the one who is like me. I know that I should probably run or scream, but curiosity pins me in place. Other than coming on pack and without permission, he hasn’t done anything wrong.
“You are one hard girl to get ahold of,” the guy says. His brown eyes glow as he carefully watches me. He doesn’t move to step closer, which I am thankful for. Just because we’re the same species doesn’t mean I trust him.
“Hi, I’m Henley,” I say, introducing myself.