Hidden Fox

Thirteen

Xavier jerked his hand away, looking stunned. Or stung. Maybe both. I didn't blame him, I would be stunned too if the person I had been talking to suddenly revealed the fact they knew everything.

He shifted on his feet, not knowing how to respond to that. "You know? You knew, this entire time?" I nodded shamefully. He ran a hand through his gorgeous black hair, slicking it back so it no longer fell in front of his forehead. He shook his head at me, undoing the hair he had just swept back. A few strands framed his forehead now.

"I'm sorry," I said lamely for probably the hundredth time that day. "I wish I could take it back, but I can explain everything. If you'll hear me out." My voice grew timid at the end, knowing he very well could reject me, send me away for how I played him off these past weeks.

His sigh was full of exasperation, but he finally nodded, and I took that as a hopeful sign. He looked at me expectantly and I glanced around the campus.

"Not here."

Confused, he nodded, taking my hand back and pulling me with him. "I know where."

I followed as he pulled me to his truck. Reaching into the bed, he pulled out a quilt that had seen better days. Four weeks ago, I would have snorted and mocked him for keeping such a tattered thing in the truck. But I knew I had lost that privilege.

He kept my hand tightly in his, the blanket tucked under the opposite arm. We walked for a while, in silence except for my occasional questions of where we were going. Questions he did not answer, of course. Until we turned right around the corner of a building and I saw a large, open grassy field across the street. On the other end stood a children's playground.

We darted across the road and trekked to the middle of the field, the crunch of dying grass beneath our feet the only sound between us. The trees that skirted the field were lit up in vibrant colors of oranges, yellows, and reds. Some even already brown as their leaves died to prepare for winter. I had never been to this part of Harrisonburg, and it was beautiful. I'm sure October made it that way, but I could see it being just as wonderful in the middle of summer, when the plants were thriving and the stream to the east of the field was flowing, with children laughing as they splashed in the shallow waters, hunting for crawdads to show off to their parents.

Xavier spread the quilt down and pulled me on it. I kneeled down beside him, looking anywhere but his eyes. I knew he was expecting me to start my explanation for everything. But I couldn't shake the urge that someone was watching. I swiveled my head around several times back one forth, hunting, even though I had known when we got here that the park was empty. Maybe I was just nervous to tell my biggest secret to someone this important to me.

Which seemed backwards, I knew that. I probably should've been more scared to tell Emerald and River over my own destined soulmate. But nevertheless, I was afraid of what his reaction would be.

He sat there silently, not even shifting around as he waited patiently for me to start talking. When I did, his eyes never left mine, as if he was trying to soak every part of me up.

"I made a promise to my parents before I came out here." He already looked confused and I glanced down at the blanket. "I don't actually live down the street from the Williams. I'm from Utah."

His eyebrows shot up, obviously not expecting that revelation. Still, he stayed patiently quiet.

"I had to play the part of human around the Williams' pack and around any new wolves I met. To keep me safe, I guess."

"Why can't you feel the mate pull? Besides the obvious sparks, of course."

"How did you know?"

He licked his lips, leaning back on his elbows. "When I first saw you, barging into the dining room during my meeting with River, your eyes met mine but didn't stop. It was like you just jumped past me. Normally mates know the second you make eye contact. I knew you were mine in that moment, but you didn't seem to notice. And then I saw you in the window upstairs as we were leaving."