“Of course you do.”
“Trust me. I’ve tried.”
“How could you while collared by Giles?”
She snorted. “Actually, he encouraged me to hang out with people my age. Said it would make me a better operative.”
He had to know. “No boyfriends?”
“Outside the compound, no. I dated mostly other handlers. Men like me, more comfortable around animals than people. Nothing serious, except for one, Frank.”
“You loved him?”
“Yes. Only he turned out to be married with kids. When I found out…” She shook her head. “A bear I worked with almost mauled him. Lucky for him, he ran into a cage and locked himself in.”
Good. Ass deserved it. “I bet he quit.”
“Giles fired him. Not because he lied to me about being married, but because he thought I’d end up having an animal attack and kill him.”
The jealous type. They had that in common. “Would you?”
“That’s part of the reason I never tried to escape again. I feared my emotions would get the better of me and someone might end up dead.”
“Just as I can control my wolf, you can learn to control your charm.”
“I have gotten better as I’ve gotten older, but two years ago with Frank, I felt like I was back to square one.” She sighed. “When I’m upset, every creature around me picks up on it. That’s when I quit dating.”
Kane regarded her over the rim of his coffee cup. Gaby’s biggest fear appeared to be having her heart broken. No wonder she wanted to keep romance out of the picture. Not until she made sure he didn’t have a mate or family waiting for him god knows where. His wolf could be wrong about him being single. He couldn’t imagine hurting her like that. “Frank sounds like a real son of a bitch.”
“That he was.”
“I never told you about the dream I had after Avery drugged me.”
“Oh?”
“I dreamt of a castle, hunters chasing me and then a female beta who called herself Lunara, showed up. She seemed surprised I was alive.”
“A mate?”
“No. She said we knew each other in passing.”
“Could mean your pack thought you were dead.”
“Or that I’m supposed to be dead? Or mind wiped.”
“Is that all you remember?”
“No. I heard you call for help. Lunara told me to wait, but I took off after you and then woke up.”
“After the way they drugged and caged you, it makes sense you thought I was in trouble.”
“Possibly.”
“Did you dream last night?”
He sipped coffee and regarded her. “I mostly slept, but just as I woke up, the same wolf named Lunara appeared.”
“Did she say anything?”