Page 27 of Knotting Autumn

“You figured out I was gone at the full moon?” Sawyer asked with a hesitant, strained smile.

“I’m not an idiot, Sawyer. I know how to read a calendar.”

“You’re brilliant,” he said, reaching up to cradle my face again. “So do you believe me?”

“No. It’s ridiculous,” I said automatically. Pausing, I looked into his eyes, filled with hurt. “I trust you. And I definitely experienced something not-human with Thorne.”

Sawyer tensed, his throat working. He was very unhappy with the fact that I slept with Thorne. And that seemed significant, even if I couldn’t quite see why.

“If you say you turn into a wolf,” I reasoned out, “and you’ve disappeared at every full moon for as long as I’ve known you, then I’d be stupid to still deny it.”

His eyebrows rose, face brightening.

“So I guess I believe you as much as I can without actually seeing it happen.”

His beautiful lips curved into a smile, and he stroked his thumb down my cheek again, removing the last evidence of my tears.

Bracing myself, I asked, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Sawyer hesitated, biting the inside of his cheek. I knew that look. My stomach dropped. There was more he wasn’t telling me.

“Sawyer?”

“I was worried you’d reject me. I meant to, eventually, but every time I thought about it, it wasn’t a good time.”

The idea that I would reject him stung. Frowning, I brushed my fingers through his hair, pushing his curls back.

“There’s no way I would have dumped you as my best friend because you howl at the moon once a month.”

Leaning into my touch, Sawyer took a deep breath. I could feel some of the tension leaving his muscles. A decade of keeping a huge secret from me must have been difficult.

He rose, moving to sit beside me. Eagerly, I curled against him, letting him hold me. After all of this emotional turmoil, I needed him as my solid anchor. And as he squeezed me, I felt my body start to regulate itself.

Sawyer cleared his throat. “Autumn, now that you know my secret, please tell me everything that happened with that guy. Is he the guy who freaked you out in the store the other day?”

Nodding, I quickly recounted the times I’d seen him, the apology sandwich, and our dinner. When I got to the truck, I tried to dance around saying what happened, but Sawyer knew me too well.

“You slept with him. And realized he wasn’t human.”

“Yeah.” I wanted to burrow into his chest and disappear.

“What are you thinking?” I asked, my voice rising. I wasn’t sure I’d like what else he had to say. He was too nervous, too anxious.

“I really don’t want you to be his mate,” Sawyer finally said, his voice strangled.

“Just because he called me that doesn’t make it true. And I certainly didn’t sign up for anything.”

His lips ghosted my forehead as he spoke. “I’m afraid he might be right. You had a huge reaction the first time he touched you. That could have been a fated mate bond revealing itself.”

“Oh.”

“But you don’t have to accept him. You can reject the bond. I’ve heard it’s unpleasant, but it’ll get better with time.”

“Do you think I should?” I asked, surprising myself with my own reaction. Was I actually considering beingwithThorne?

“I can’t lose you,” Sawyer whispered.

“You won’t.”