Proven Heart

Six: Heart and Skin

Nathaniel attempted to remain as composed as he could. Surrounded by wolves, all he could manage was a welcoming face. He was used to this. Wolves flock around him, eager to get his attention.

Their talk of business, pack gossip, and all the minutia of everyday life was nothing short of mentally taxing.

But decorum, a blasted principle held by every wolf dictated he needed to humor them, or at least pretend he was thoroughly interested in the gigantic watermelon Alpha Lyngard grew in his garden or about Luna Guerrero’s allergy to spices.

“Cinnamon is quite the nightmare for me. I can’t be near it. Honestly, being half-wolf has a lot of drawbacks.” The Luna in front of him muttered.

“I feel bad for you,” he drawls out, coating his voice with a worried tone. “Does your wolf reject human medicine, too?”

He asked in a passive tone. Nathaniel had no interest in anything except his mate. He glances at where Selena stood before, only to discover that she wasn’t there.

His wolf churned with fright as he scoured the area until he saw her, standing next to a couple of wolves, men who were too close for his comfort.

“Yes,” the Luna spoke. “How did you know?”

The Luna’s question flew by his ears. Every ounce of his attention was narrowed to the wolf that stood beside Selena. It was Beta Harland of pack Waterford. His flushed demeanor irked Nathaniel to the bone.

The wolf looked like a stupid young pup in love.

Nathaniel had no problem with Selena mingling with other wolves, but when it came to known Lotharios like the men that surrounded her, he wanted nothing more than to pull her away from them and bash their brains in.

The only recluse he had in the situation was her oblivion for their flirtatious advances.

Selena seemed more interested in the surface of their stories and not the malicious undertones.

“Excuse me, Nathaniel.” the Luna called his name. “How did you know my wolf rejects human medicine?”

He purses his lips, prickled by his memories. The only reason was Katie. Her wolf detested medicine produced by humans and instead of making her feel better, it often made her sick even more.

“Oh, didn’t you know?” A wolf interjected. It wasn’t just a wolf, it was an Alpha, Rafael San Ignacio. “Nathaniel’s mistress before was a half-wolf, too. A sickly one.”

For as long as he worked and was acquainted with the Alpha, Nathaniel never felt eased around him. It didn’t take a detective to spot and realize that Rafael disliked him severely. As far as he knew, he did nothing to spark the wrath of Alpha Rafael.

“Alpha Rafael,” Nathaniel gritted his teeth. “How good it is to see you.”

Rafael rolls his eyes.

“I mean, as far as mistresses go, she was a fine selection looks-wise. Too bad she opens her legs as fast as you can blink.”

The Luna gasped.

“Rafael!” she exclaimed. “Do not be so crass, please. Why do you enjoy plunging your thumb into everyone’s plum pie?”

“I’m merely jesting, of course. Isn’t that right, Nathaniel?” Rafael raised his brows.

The Alpha’s stoned expression faced him. He copied the same plain face the Alpha wore and nodded.

Rafael’s attempts to rile him up never ceased to chip his patience away successfully. His first encounter with the Alpha was nine years ago, and it simply went terribly wrong. It was during a charity event and Rafael ended up raking the donations, offering hundreds and thousands of dollars for future projects.