Cindy’s face fell, and for a moment, I thought I’d done the wrong thing. That she’d get up and walk away from me. Out of my life. Call the whole thing off.
No. Whatever happens, make sure she knows that you’re wolf enough to be her mate...
“I’m so sorry,” she finally said.
Fuck, I didn’t want her to pity me.
Don’t give up on her, just because you’ve given up on yourself, my wolf cautioned. I was about to argue with him that I never gave up on myself, but the beast could wait. I had to salvage this night.
“Nothing to be sorry about. My wolf will be back, better than ever.” I leaned forward. “He’s got a lot of opinions about you.”
Her eyebrows rose. “So he’s still there.”
I nodded. “He got real quiet for a few weeks. Scared the shit out of me. Didn’t think it was possible to totally lose him. But you’re bringing him back to life.”
She steeled herself. “Would it be weird if I said I understood what you were going through? The only times I’ve shifted since the boys were born was to stop pack nonsense dead in its tracks. And when I did, it felt all wrong. Like I’d forgotten how to wolf. No wonder my pack’s willing to turn their backs on me.”
“No,” I growled. “A real pack would rally around you. Make you stronger.”
She didn’t say anything.
“I say that, but I know it’s bullshit,” I added. “Doc suggested I go home to be around other wolves. But if they found out I couldn’t shift, they’d consider me useless. They already hated that I’d made a living shifting in front of the camera. Said I’d made a joke out of what we were. Didn’t want my money, even though they desperately needed it.”
“Is that why you started acting? To help your pack?”
“No. It was because I knew I’d go crazy if I stayed there. My mate wasn’t there, and I wouldn’t let them push me into taking someone into my bed that didn’t belong to me.”
Cindy’s eyes shone with emotion. She shifted her gaze to the rail. Night had fallen, and as Bibi had promised, the stars looked like they were close enough to touch. “As soon as I saw you come around the corner last night on that stage, my heart dropped. Because I thought to myself, what on earth am I going to have in common with this rich, famous wolf? But it turns out, it’s everything.”