Read Online Keeper (Matefinder Next Generation Book 1) by Leia Stone - Free Book Online Page B

was nice to get to know him and talk like two normal people.
    “Well, she’s second in command of my dad’s pack, so being strong kind of comes with the job.”
    Gavin swallowed hard. “Right, you’re the Alpha’s daughter. Is he here?” He looked nervously at the doorway.
    “He’s talking to your grandfather.” What else should I say? Hey, you’re my mate and you’re dying.
    He rubbed the skin on his arms and I let my gaze run briefly over his bare chest.
    “Am I one of you?” His voice sounded hollow, a touch of fascination.
    So my mother hadn’t told him yet. Shit.
    “No, Gavin, you’re not.”
    Disappointment crossed his face but then was quickly gone.
    Shit, might as well rip the band aid off. “I guess you are a wolf shifter and a shaman. Essentially, a supernatural.”
    And you’re my mate. No, let’s leave that for another time.
    His mouth popped open in shock as the blanket fell to his waist giving me a glorious view of his fully bare torso.
    “So, I can shift to a wolf but I’m not a werewolf?”
    I shrugged. “I’m not really sure. The fur on your arms is … similar to mine. I’m just speculating here.”
    He nodded. “A shaman? What’s that?” He seemed confused and he had a right to be.
    Jax and my mother entered the room.
    “We have until the next full moon to figure those questions out, otherwise your dead, bro,” Jax spoke in his usual annoying bluntness.
    “Jaxon!” my mother scolded him, swatting the back of his neck hard.
    Gavin nodded like he already expected this. “I figured I was sick, that something’s really wrong. But I thought I was a werewolf. Late to bloom or something.” He stared at his palms as if he expected them to sprout hairs.
    ‘The day we meet your mate, I’m going to be an annoying asshole, too. Karma’s a bitch, Jax,’ I told my brother and gave him an Alpha glare.
    My brother only shrugged. ‘I’m just trying to give the guy a reality check. I would want to know. He might want to go skydiving or get laid or something before he dies.’
    I tried to suppress a growl at my annoying twin.
    My mother crossed the room in her elegant way and sat in front of Gavin. “There’s someone I would like you to meet. He may have the answers we seek,” she told Gavin, and all of a sudden I knew who it was. The elusive Nahuel. Jax tossed Gavin a pair of jeans and he stepped into them. No one gave him a t-shirt … for which I was secretly grateful.
    Gavin simply nodded to my mother and she returned the nod, giving him a small smile. Then she turned to me and indicated that I follow her and Gavin. Putting out a hand, she stopped Jax. He tried to mask the hurt that crossed his face, but I saw it. Following her through the house, a few moments later we were in the backyard that looked out onto the dense green forest. It was just the three of us standing out on the forest edge, and I kept looking behind me for Jaxon. It felt weird to be without my twin, but I was guessing that my mom thought this was a journey I needed to take alone. She pulled her treasured protection pouch necklace out of her shirt and emptied its contents. After selecting a black stone, she put the rest away and buried the rock just beneath the surface of the earth.
    Gavin looked at me like he thought my mother was crazy, and I smiled.
    “Who am I meeting?” Gavin asked nervously and crossed his arms against the chill. He looked healthier after Gretchen’s healing spell, but his face was still flushed from the fever and the whites of his eyes still held some broken blood vessels.
    I inhaled deeply, taking in the scents of the forest. I loved Mount Hood, this mountain, these trees with their thick patches of green moss growing on the bark. I had roamed nearly every inch of this mountain and it still held so much wonder for me.
    Looking over at Gavin, I noticed that he had been holding eye contact with my mother for a while, something that should be impossible for a human to do. He didn’t