Midway through one of the tunnels, they came across Gabe. Jaime gave him a huge smile.
“Hey there. Aren’t you going on the pack run?”
He returned her smile. “No. Hope and I have plans. Look, um, I’d like to talk to you alone for a sec.” He flicked a brief glance at Dante, who Jaime suspected wasn’t pleased.
“Sure.” At the sound of the objecting growl behind her, she sighed. “He’s my brother, Dante.
I’m pretty sure he’s not about to make any sexual advances if you leave us alone.”
“It’s not anything bad,” Gabe assured Dante. “I just want to talk to Jaime about something before I mention it to anyone else.”
Dante didn’t like that there might be secrets between him and Jaime, but he knew that Gabe often went to her for reassurance or advice. They had a close sibling relationship, and that wasn’t something Dante would ever impose on. He kissed her temple and nodded. “I’ll wait for you outside.”
“Nothing’s wrong, is it?” she asked Gabe as soon as she knew that Dante was out of hearing distance. Although he’d assured Dante it was nothing bad, she wouldn’t have been surprised if her brother had simply told Dante what he thought he’d want to hear to make him leave.
“No, not at all. It’s good news.”
“Don’t keep me in suspense.”
He inhaled deeply. “Hope and I have begun imprinting on each other.” That had not been what she’d expected, though maybe it should have been, considering how much time they spent together. “Oh, wow. Gabe, that’s great.” His perceptive eyes narrowed slightly. “You don’t seem as though you really mean that.” Knowing he would sense if she was lying, she held her hands up in a placatory gesture. “Hey, look, I’m not going to ask you if you’re sure this is what you want. I know you well enough to know that you’d never forsake your true mate unless you loved Hope. I just…let’s just say that I know someone who was partially imprinted with someone who then met their true mate. What happened afterward wasn’t pretty. But if you care enough about Hope to risk that, then I’m happy for you.” His expression softened at her support and approval. This was what she had wanted for him when they came here. She had wanted him to be happy and settled here in case she had to leave. Gabe being mated was more than she could have hoped for, and it meant that he would never follow Jaime if she left.
“You’re thinking this means I’m trapped here now, aren’t you,” he guessed with a smile.
He was a pain in her ass. “Stop reading my mind.”
“I just know how that brain of yours works. Thanks for being so supportive. I appreciate it.
And I hope the same thing happens for you and Dante someday.” There was no denying that she wanted that, but it wasn’t something that could ever happen.
Hearing Gabe bring it up only served to put salt in the wound. “Gabe, you know that—”
“What I know is that the guy absolutely adores you. Look at all the things he’s done for you, all the changes he’s made. You don’t do that for someone unless they mean a lot to you.”
“It doesn’t mean he wants to be bonded.”
Gabe snorted. “You’re not dumb, Jaime. It’s only a matter of time before imprinting starts.
You must already know that.”
She shook her head. “Dante would never want that. Especially when there’s no guarantee that Trey won’t make me leave the pack at some point. I’ll keep fighting my wolf every step of the way, Gabe, but I won’t ever allow myself the luxury of thinking that I’ll always be able to. Trey would be right to throw me out if my wolf got too strong. Dante would have to choose between going with me or breaking an imprinting bond”—again—“and I know he’d never choose the latter. I wouldn’t let him.”
“You know he’d never let you leave, no matter what anybody said. If you try to go, he’ll track you down and drag you back here. We both know that you’d never be able to hold out against him if he fought to keep you or wanted to imprint on you.”
Damn her brother for knowing her so well. Her words were quiet and sad. “I’d be risking his life if I imprinted on him.”
He put his arm around her and pulled her to his side. “Jaime, you must realize how much better your wolf has been. She responds to Dante—he makes her feel secure. It stands to reason that she’d feel even more secure if you bonded.”
“I can’t ever take that risk, even if he wanted me to.” She knew for sure that he wouldn’t chance going through that pain again.
“At least you’re admitting that you want to. That’s more than I expected. If you’re scared that you’ll lose him to his true mate, don’t. If he wanted her, he wouldn’t be in so deep with you. And if you’re feeling bad that you’re not waiting for your true mate, don’t do that either.”
“Don’t you feel bad that you’re not waiting?”
He sighed. “A part of me does. But there’s no guarantee that I’d find her. Lots of shifters don’t.
I’ve found somebody I love enough to bond with them. I’d be an idiot to ignore that. And so would you.” With a kiss to her forehead, the pain in her ass released her and continued down the tunnel.
He’d always had a way of jumbling her thoughts.
Outside the main door, she found Dante waiting impatiently. “You could have gone without me. I’d have followed.”
He took her hand in his and dragged her to him so that he could plant a kiss on her mouth. “No.
We go together.”
He often did that—ate up every single bit of personal space she had. She shouldn’t have liked it, should have instead felt threatened by it or found it imposing. Instead, it made her feel safe, cared for, protected, and cosseted. The way his body heat swathed and encased her only added to that feeling of safety, only made the close contact more comforting. It scared her how much she liked it, because she wasn’t sure how she’d cope if she no longer had it. A little of that anxiety must have shown on her face, because he cupped her cheek and breezed his thumb over her mouth.
“You okay, baby?” Her bright smile settled and invigorated him.
“Fine. Let’s go.”
In a small clearing far into pack territory, they found the rest of the pack. Having watched them out of her bedroom window many times whenever they gathered near the lake, Jaime knew which wolf was which. She smiled as she watched a wolf with the salt-and-pepper fur—Dominic—