Page 41 of Half Wolf Mate
“Damian likes you,” he stated. “That doesn’t happen with just anyone.”
I shrugged. “He’s been stuck with me for hours at a time for days. I had to grow on him at some point.”
His lips lifted into a tight smile, and he shrugged out of his jacket.
So far, I’d accomplished getting into the good graces of a few members of the Moon Guardians pack. Violet, Damian, and Alex seemed to like me. Even Dominic had mellowed out a bit around me. The Alpha, however, was a hard sell. He hadn’t shown me any sign that helikedme.
“How are you?” he asked.
“Okay. What about you? Busy day?”
“I’m fine, and yes, as always. Running a pack while keeping up a legit business can get hectic.”
He’d shared that it was his father’s idea to start Moon Guardians Private Security as a way to keep up a legitimate human front. The company had barely gotten off the ground when his father was killed. Cole had stepped into the roles of Alpha and CEO and had managed to direct the company toward incredible success.
His drive was inspiring, and I got a better understanding of why he was always so stern, and stoic. He had a lot of responsibility. He took care of everyone. But who took care of the Alpha?
He caught me studying him and asked, “What?”
“Nothing. I, um…made you dinner if you’re interested. It’s the least I can do for your generosity.” Maybe I could take care of him to an extent while I was living in his space.
Cole didn’t respond immediately. He just gazed at me with an unreadable expression. I thought he’d turn down my offer, and I braced myself for the humiliation, but he nodded and said, “I’m interested, but only if you’ll join me.”
“Of course.”
Fifteen minutes later, we sat side by side at the island, enjoying Spaghetti Bolognese. “This is good,” Cole said. It was the only thing he’d said after about ten minutes. He wasn’t very chatty.
“Thanks. It’s one of the few dishes that my aunt taught me. I’m not the greatest cook, but I excel at making coffee.”
Cole smiled a real one that reached his eyes. It was an incredible sight, considering he didn’t do it much. His features relaxed, and he looked younger, carefree even.
“Really? I’ll have to put your skills to the test,” he said. “Coffee machine is there whenever you’re ready.” He pointed to the deluxe espresso machine.
My smile nearly split my face in two because we were chatting, and it wasn’t awkward. Even if he never claimed me as his mate, maybe there was hope that we could be friends. Although, being friend-zoned by my fated mate sounded like a lot of emotional suffering.
Pushing the negative thoughts aside, I shared, “I worked at a café in Nebraska part-time to help pay my tuition. Hopefully, I’ll be able to go back to school eventually. Of course, I’ll have to put in some overtime at Dupart’s Diner to save up enough money.”
“You can go back to school whenever you like,” he said. “Don’t worry about tuition.”
“I couldn’t accept that much money from you.”
He glanced at me. “Why not? I’ve funded plenty of pack members’ education.”
“It wouldn’t be appropriate. “We’re not…”Together. “I’m not a member of your pack.”
He must have heard the dejection I tried to hide in my voice because he sighed heavily. Putting his fork down, he turned to me. “We haven’t really talked since you’ve been here.”
“You’re busy, and I get it.”
“Look, Sydney, as much as I now know that you’re innocent, it won’t—”
“The pack still won’t accept me. I get that too.” My appetite was fleeing, and I pushed food around on my plate. “Despite you not hating me anymore—at least I hope you don’t—you can’t force the others to accept me.”
“I never hated you. I rejected you because I really thought you were a threat to my people and me. I shouldn’t have assumed you were guilty by association. You have nothing to do with what your parents did. For that, I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
He frowned. “I still can’t openly claim you. Not only are you half werewolf, but the reputation of your parents has stacked the cards against you. None of the pack members will accept you as their Luna.”