Silver Creek Get Ready

He waited for her lips to spread into her typical flirting grin, for her to head over to him and nip at him like she normally would. Except she didn't. She turned her eyes to him with a sorrowful gaze and spoke. Her words hit him like a blow and he jerked his head back in surprise. He gaped at her, a hurt look in his eyes. "But who...who's your mate?" He managed, still reeling. "How...how did you meet him?" Why isn't he here? He wanted to say. His mind spun to the joining process, was the male a tentative join?

It wasn't that he had claimed her, or truly had any conscious intentions...but he'd thought they were friends at least. To hear that she'd been courting another man and hadn't so much as breathed a word hurt him. And truthfully, he was stung by the sudden slamming of the door of possibilities. He was stung by the fact that now she was taken, and by his ethics code: not someone he should openly flirt with. It wasn't honorable, it wasn't polite to flirt and smooze another male's mate, or even another female's mate. He took mateship seriously, he didn't think it was something that should be easily begun or broken.

Her comment about Spring caught him off guard. Had Spring said something to her about him? About their time together? He very nearly asked that, but knew better than to do so. Of course he found Spring attractive and he wanted to spend more time getting to know her. He thought there was a possibility of something good with her. He wasn't mated to her yet, and hell, did she even look at him that way? If she did...well, of course he'd be overjoyed. He favored courtship though. He didn't like to leap into another's heart and wreak havoc. Nor did he want more pain in his own heart.

He had connected more with Spring recently, yes. Her story had spoken to him on many levels, they had shared a connection over their loss. He didn't know Amber deeply, not the way that he felt he now knew Spring. It was only now, faced with Amber that he realized yes he did have an attraction to Spring. A crush or more. Could it truly be more? 

Regardless, Amber had never been marked out as a possibility. Not until now. He was hurt, angry, but he didn't let it show. For all he knew this male was an old friend, someone she'd only recently reunited with. It would still hurt him, he'd still leave this interaction angry that a decision had been made for him: Amber was off limits. He swallowed and looked away from her, thinking. "Why didn't you tell me you were courting another male? Did you think I wouldn't want to talk to you anymore?" He voice was gruff, the hurt was thinly veiled. Surely she didn't think him such a loser as to only speak to her with romantic intentions....did she?