“Nothing is stupid,” she said. “What are you doing here?”
“Figured you were here. I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“I’m fine.”
Daniel dropped down beside her. “Damn, that’s a pretty sight.”
“Shouldn’t you be getting ready to go on a date?” she asked.
“Nah, no date for me. I decided to change it.”
“Daniel, you can’t keep doing that to a girl.”
“And with the full moon and the run, I’m not going to ruin the moment with emotions already running high. If she doesn’t want to see me, then it wasn’t meant to be. End of story.”
She tutted. “How do you expect to find your mate without dating?”
“Why aren’tyoudating?”
“I don’t want to find my mate,” she said. The lie formed easily on her lips.
“Come on, Ashley. Everyone wants to find their mate. None of us wants to end up sad and lonely.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’ll go out and find my mate when the time is right. I have a little faith.”
He chuckled. “Is that why you won’t move out of your parents’ house?”
“There are more people out there, Daniel. More to life than the pack, and it’s been five years.” It was technically a lie.
No one knew that Phoenix was her soulmate … her fated mate. How cruel could the fates be?
“Maybe I should go with you,” he said. “Let’s face it, the past five years have been a bit of a bust. None of the women here are my mate.”
She shrugged. “They might not have turned yet.”
“True, but that means my woman is going to be so damn young.” He groaned. “I’ll feel like a freaking pervert.”
She chuckled. “Is that your problem? Feeling like a pervert?”
“Wouldn’t you?”
She thought about it. “I guess so. I hadn’t really thought about it.”
“If my mate isn’t of age yet, that could mean yours isn’t either.”
Ashley rolled her eyes. “We do not need to have this conversation about mates right now, do we.”
All she could see was Phoenix. Her true mate.
“Aren’t you interested in finding out where your mate is?”
“No, not really.” She got to her feet. “I’m heading back. Are you coming?”
“Of course. Heights scare the fucking shit out of me. I don’t know how you do it.”
The moment he got to his feet, he rushed toward her and wrapped his arms across her shoulders. “Maybe we should make some kind of pact.”
“Stop it, Daniel.”