The soft-touch of her hand on my arm brought my attention back to her. Amora smiled and then glanced back over her shoulder. She turned back to me and wrapped her arm through mine. “Come on, Nolen. I think my family wants us over there.”
I let her lead me through the wolves from both packs. Every once in a while I heard soft growls around me. My eyes would cut to the she-wolf that it came from. Most dropped their gaze, but others were bold enough to flirt with me. I ignored them. When we came up to our families, I became aware that Danika’s and Sawyer’s eyes had frosted over, and a grin had plastered itself on his face.
My father shifted his gaze between Amora and me before they landed back on Alpha Roman. “Let’s get your pack to sleeping quarters, and Nolen can take Sawyer, Danika, and Amora to their rooms.”
Nodding to my dad, I motioned to Sawyer to follow me. “Follow me, guys. You all will be on the top floor with my family.”
Sawyer walked beside me, and Amora dropped back to talk with Danika. Sawyer nudged me as we made our way to the staircase. I already knew what he was going to ask me because he had done so many times. “So, are you ready for tomorrow? You get to shift and find your mate.”
I shook my head as we made our way up the stairs. We walked past my parents’ room and the room Alpha Roman and his Luna would stay in, then passed mine and then Archer’s old room. I stopped at the door after Archer’s and turned to Sawyer and Danika. “You both can stay in this room.”
Danika walked in, but Sawyer stayed beside me, his hand on my shoulder as he held my gaze. “Nolen, relax about tomorrow. Whoever your mate is, when she knows she’s yours, she will fall at your feet.”
“Is that how you got me?” Danika’s voice rang out from inside the room; Sawyer grinned and went to join her, closing the door behind him.
Amora giggled beside me, bringing my attention back to her. Goddess, I missed her these past few weeks, and after today I didn’t know when I would see her again. My heart constricted at the thought of this being the last time. “She has changed him a lot.”
“Yeah. Having that kind of love is something to strive for.” I turned from their door and led Amora to her room across the hall right next to mine. “Well, this is your room for the time being.”
She opened the door and stepped in. I stared at her as she took in the light-yellow room. She walked up to the door that connected my room to this one. My heart began to race, thinking that she would try to open the door. Amora turned back to me, her hand on the knob. “Where does this go to?”
Running my hand through my hair, I glanced down at my feet, trying to figure out what to actually say to her. I didn’t want to lie to her, but there was no way I could tell her that it was unlocked. “My room. It’s locked on the other side, and it can be locked on this side as well.”
I glanced back up to her, my heart racing since the door had not been locked in a very long time, and I hoped she did not test it. She turned to me with a smile and resumed walking around the space. The way the afternoon sun played upon her features made her skin glow. “This room is pretty. I can’t wait to see your wolf, Nolen.”
“Yeah, it’s going to be a wild night tomorrow.” I stepped further into the room, my back facing the door that connected my room to hers. Watching her wander about, I couldn’t help but follow her with my eyes.
She came back up to me, her eyes holding mine captive as they always did. This girl in front of me made me feel light on my feet. The way she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth had me aching. “You might even meet your mate.”
“Yeah,” She stood right in front of me. I reached up to her face and tucked her hair behind her ears. Amora’s lips parted, and her eyes dropped from mine to my lips. Her tongue wet her bottom lip before she pulled it in between her teeth again.
Both my hands cupped her face, and her soft hands went to my waist. I knew she wanted to save all her firsts for her mate, but her presence weakened my resolve. Amora’s body pressed against mine; our breath mingled together; my lips were about to touch hers when her hands went to my chest, pushing away from me.
Dejection swept through me until I felt the presence of another person in the room. Turning, I found my mother in the doorway, her hand on her chest and a bright smile on her face, giving us a side-eye. The joy that lit up her features made me realize she had seen the whole thing. “What are you two doing in here?”
Chapter Ten: Sarge
Amora
My heart was still racing after Nolen and his mother left my room. He walked out without saying anything to me. Which had me confused, and it puzzled me even more that I had not tried to stop him from kissing me. I wanted him to kiss me, and I would have let him, even though I didn’t want to compare anything to my mate. If Nolen’s mother had not been in the doorway, I don’t know what would have happened. She’d seemed excited that she had caught us about to kiss.
I walked into the bathroom and started to take a shower. Stripping out of my clothes, I turned on the water and stepped into the warm spray. Why was I so drawn to him? I mean, I was only fifteen; there was no way to feel the mate bond right now. I washed and then stepped out of the shower, wrapping a bath sheet around my body.
Walking out of the bathroom, I noticed my bag had been carried up and was sitting by the bed. Making my way over to it, I glanced over to the door that linked my room to Nolen’s. He’d said it was locked on his side. Dropping the towel, I stood naked beside the bed while I riffled through the duffle bag. I pulled out a pair of shorts and a tank top and got dressed.
I gazed back to the door, wondering if I should lock it on my side, deciding not to. I placed my bag on the ground and climbed into the bed under the quilt. Lying there looking up at the ceiling, the almost kiss still on my mind from earlier kept me from falling asleep. His phantom hands on my face sent shivers through my body. I sat up, pushed the covers off, and got up.
Creeping up to the door separating our rooms, I tried the knob, and to my surprise, it opened. He said it was locked on his side. My heart started beating in my chest as I opened the door. His scent overwhelmed my senses as I peeked into the room. The soft rhythmic breath sounds coming from the bed told me that he was in a deep sleep.
I decided to go back to bed, but before I turned to shut the door, my foot landed on a squeaky board. Glancing back to Nolen’s bed, I thought his eyes flashed open. Closing the door back, I returned to bed.
Tomorrow was going to be exciting. I would see my friend shift to his wolf.
The sun shone brightly through my window, waking me from my slumber. I opened my eyes and surveyed the room, panicking a little since the dream I’d had seemed so real. Sitting up in the bed, my breathing was rapid as the adrenaline left my system. I ran my fingers through my long tresses, working out any of the knots I could before brushing it. Glancing over to the door that connected my room to Nolen’s, I sighed. I hadn’t locked my side of the door, why—I had no earthly idea.
Throwing the cover off me and getting up out of bed, I made my way over to the vanity and plopped down, a sigh escaping my lips. I gripped the brush and began running it through my light brown hair, tugging out the rest of the knots that my fingers had failed to find. A knock sounded on my door, bringing my attention to the opposite wall. “Come in.”
The door opened, and Danika walked in. She smiled at me and came up behind me, placing her hands on my shoulders. She was already dressed in a long grey and teal dress; it had a deep plunging neckline. Danika had always been a beautiful girl, her long dark brown hair reached her waist, and her chocolate eyes drew you into them. I wanted to be just like her, a wonderful person and a loving mate. “Your mother told me to come in to make sure you were up. But since you are, I figure I can help get you ready.”