Small Town Love

Chapter 15

Freedom is what you do with what's been done to you.

Jean-Paul Satre

"You know, only because you said yes to trying and being his mate, it doesn't mean that Luke has the right to...push you into anything you aren't ready for."

Oliver's words pulled Daphne out of her worries for that first school day. She hadn't slept more than a few hours that night, her hand never straying from Luke's fur.

Still, that hadn't kept her from repeatedly waking herself up with a wildly beating heart and fear gripping her.

She hated this. She hated that she was using Luke as some kind of crutch that magically made everything better. It was ridiculous...and she couldn't help herself to want him around her as long and as often as she somehow could manage.

But still...

"What do you mean, Ollie?" Daphne asked her cousin and he sighed, staring out of the windshield while they were stuck behind some grey pickup truck.

"Wolves tend to move... fast after the initial meeting. I just want to make sure that you know that you can tell him to stop. Whatever you are doing. Luke doesn't want to hurt you but his wolf can get a bit...overzealous at times."

Oh god.

Really, that wasn't a conversation that Daphne wanted to have with Ollie. Or with anybody for that matter. But especially not with her cousin.

"Ollie, it's...nice that you are trying to look out for me but...the only thing we have done is holding hands!" Daphne cut him off before he could get any other ideas.

"That's good! It can stay like that for a little while," he told her enthusiastically and Daphne bit back a retort about Ollie and Grace doing far worse than Daphne holding hands with Luke.

The two of them were well-known for kissing at practically every opportunity that presented herself.

She didn't say that though, only amused smiling, a bit touched that Ollie was trying to look out for her even when it clearly made him uncomfortable.

It was sweet and well-intentioned, even when Daphne didn't want to think about that part of her life right now.

She wasn't ready for that or anything else that came with mating with Luke. She just...She just wanted to try and figure out their relationship before she threw even more into the mix. Werewolves were enough right now. Thank you very much.

Still, she couldn't help herself from smiling brightly when she saw Luke as they arrived at school.

She happily jumped out of the car, careful not to fall on the ice that was on the parking lot and then smiled at him.

"Hey," she brought out, and he leaned down to hug her tightly.

She loved it when he did that. She just wanted to bury into his arms for as long as he led her, closing her eyes and breathing him in.

He smelled like the forest and the ocean and something else that she couldn't place, a smell of wilderness that was...very attractive.

It made her feel safe and protected and a part of her brain wanted that smell around her always. Daphne didn't want to think about that part of her brain anymore.

"Are you okay?" He asked her softly as she held on to him for a moment longer and she nodded.

"Just...a bit worried," she admitted hesitantly.