gazes just as penetrating as mine, and I realize with a start that this is my favorite part of the game—having an excuse to stare at these men.
The candlelight casts their faces in shadow, making them look beautiful and almost otherworldly. Archer’s blond hair gleams like gold as he runs a hand through it, and Dare presses his full lips together as he contemplates whether to call or fold. Trystan’s gaze slides to mine, and I can practically see the glee dancing behind his turquoise eyes.
He’s having fun.
They all are. And so am I.
It’s a little thing in some ways, just like their willingness to take the time to teach me. But in other ways, it’s everything. For entire years of my life, “fun” was something foreign to me, so far outside the realm of my experience that it might as well be another language.
But right now, sitting around a table with four burly men—four wolf shifters—it feels easy.
It feels right.
I could happily spend months out here in this cabin, with nothing to do all day but cook, eat, talk, and explore the woods. Part of me wishes we could stay here forever, even though I know that’s not possible. I might not have responsibilities beyond these four walls, but the men do. I can tell that all of them, even Dare, worry sometimes about the duties they’re neglecting while they hole up here.
They have packs that rely on them, and once my wolf finally appears and makes her choice, this blissful little bubble will burst and reality will come flooding back in.
It will happen sooner or later. I know it will.
Nothing this good can last forever.
But as I glance around the table at my four companions, narrowing my eyes in mock suspicion as I hold my cards close to my face, I wonder how on earth my wolf will ever choose.
How can she, when I can’t?
26
Sable
The sun is setting over the mountains, already casting a purple twilight over the cabin.
It’s hunting time.
Since Dare’s arrival at the cabin nine days ago, he’s joined the hunting party every night. I get the sense that he likes spending time as a wolf, that he needs it, almost. A break from the stresses and strains of being a human, I guess. I don’t know.
Archer gives me a sweet kiss on the cheek, and Trystan taps my nose with his finger, grinning at the way I scrunch up my face at him. Dare’s gaze lingers on me before he joins the other two in the yard.
“Don’t be gone too long,” I say.
“We’ll be back before you know it,” Trystan promises, before giving me a wicked smile and shoving his shorts to his ankles.
A hot flush rises in my neck, and I fight the urge to fan myself as all three men disrobe in the front yard. Before I can fall into the trap of looking at things I shouldn’t be, they shimmer with the magic of the change. A moment later, three large wolves dash off into the forest to find dinner.
I’ve started to love watching them shift, but in the same breath, I feel… envious. Shifting is this beautiful, magical thing that seems incredibly out of my reach.
I find Ridge in the kitchen, chopping carrots on a beat-up cutting board while a pot of water boils on the wood stove. I love watching him cook. Where Archer is lively and talkative about cooking, Ridge goes silent and contemplative, working with an impressive precision. The two of them have made every meal a delicious experience.
His posture shifts a little as soon as I walk into the room, the same way it always does. These men are so attuned to me that it sometimes feels like they’re attached to me somehow, like some kind of invisible cord connects us at all times.
He glances over his shoulder with an easy smile and points at the counter behind me. “Want to cut potatoes?”
“Sure.” I grab the mesh bag he’s indicated and carry it across the kitchen to his side. There’s only one cutting board, but luckily it’s a big one, so I grab another knife and set to work halving the potatoes to throw in the pot. I don’t mind being so close to him. In fact, I love it. I crave it.
The need to be near them has grown from a subtle impulse to an undeniable, constant pull over the course of our time here, and I’ve given up fighting it.
They’re all careful to avoid pushing