Page 15 of Darrin: The Wolves

He lifted it and smiled at the screen.

Still on for dinner?she texted.

Of course. 6 okay?

Yep. What should I wear?

Nothing?

Ha.

He chuckled.I made a reservation at Tony’s. You said you’ve always wanted to try their cookie pizza for dessert sometime. Tonight seems good to me.

How cool! See you at 6!

He smiled at his phone and slipped it into his pocket.

Six couldn’t come fast enough.

Dinner had been spectacular. The Italian place was what he would have called a hole in the wall, tucked in the middle of a busy strip mall and ordinary looking. But the food had been anything but ordinary.

After sharing family-style chicken parm and spaghetti, they split a giant cookie shaped like a pizza with a scoop of hand-cranked vanilla ice cream in the center and lots of toppings.

While they ate, they talked about the little stuff first, how their respective days went, Sigh messing up a food delivery so they got ground chicken instead of ground beef, her telling him about the book she’d fallen asleep reading the night before.

“Would you like to come hang out Saturday at The Howl?” he asked. “We’ve got one more band auditioning before we open. So, it’ll just be you and me, the pack, and the band.”

“I’d love to.”

“Yeah?”

“Sure,” she said, taking a bite of cookie and ice cream. “I want to see more of your life.”

“You’re my life, Audrey.”

Her expression softened, but he caught the flicker of uncertainty in her eyes. He covered her free hand with his. “Was that too much?”

“No,” she said. “We’ve only known each other since Monday. It doesn’t feel like that, though.”

“I know it’s fast for you. And I know we haven’t really talked about wolves and mates, but I want to. I’m an open book. Ask me anything.”

She took another bite and put her fork down. Then she covered his hand with hers. “I heard you call me your mate that first night. Then I talked to Juliette on Tuesday at the bookstore and she said if you said it, you meant it. But you didn’t say it again.”

He frowned. “I didn’t mean to stop saying it. I was worried I was putting pressure on you so I eased off.”

She leaned forward a little, her voice low and warm. “Dare, we’ve tumbled into bed every day since we met. I adore you. I do think it’s fast, but I know that doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with it. We just kind of fit together. How else can that be described except with fate and mates?”

He hummed in agreement. “You’re mine, Audrey. My truemate. I don’t know why it took so long for us to cross paths, but I’m so glad you’re in my life.” He told her about marking with fangs and being mates, about her being part of the pack.

She squeezed his hand. “I’d like you to meet my parents. Before we do anything permanent.”

“When?”

“I’m supposed to have breakfast with them Saturday morning. You could come.”

“Perfect, then you can get to know my pack too.”

After dinner, he drove her home, and they tumbled into bed just like she’d said they’d done since they met. He was nuts about her, and soon he hoped, she’d be his marked mate.