Tristan
After that first disastrous evening on the campground, he was determined to try again. He didn't want that to be Violet’s memory of him at her workplace, him distracting her to the point where the trees caught on fire.
Even though he was now on the best date of his life, Tristan was still a little freaked out from the fire.
It had been twenty-four hours, so his nerves were getting a little better. After the fire, he'd spent the entire night sitting with Violet. He felt so guilty. She kept blaming herself, but it was his fault too. She'd been trying to do her job when he interrupted her. Luckily, she handled it well.
He really admired how tough she was. She’d run straight for that fire even while he had nearly frozen. And then she jumped in, doing everything that needed to be done. She had no concern for her own safety, only those of the people she was protecting.
She had no connection to those humans, other than working for the campground, and yet she was willing to endanger herself to protect them. Not that he liked the part where she’d been in danger. He would be much happier if she didn’t put herself in danger at all.
But he was not her boyfriend, and it wasn't his place to interfere with her life.
However, he found himself wanting to keep her safe. Which was unusual for him. He never had these urges toward any other female or any other person at all. He cared about all of his pack members, but she was clearly something special.
He was supposed to leave in three days. He couldn’t imagine it though. While she was ordering her food, he fantasized about telling Roman to go back without him. He wasn’t sure what this relationship might turn into, but he wasn’t willing to just walk away, not if there was a chance he could have more.
Tristan had been an adult shifter for a while now, and this was the first time he'd wanted to have a second date with someone. A powerful feeling that strong was worth exploring. Even if it made Roman mad that Tristan was going to stick around in Nova Scotia longer.
Tristan had no idea what Violet was thinking, and he wasn’t going to spook her by asking. He’d just try and stay around for an extra week or two and see how things went. If they went well, then he'd have some serious thinking to do. And if it didn’t go well… Well, at least he tried. He was already so captivated by her that he was not willing to walk away and spend the rest of his life wondering what might've been.
At the steakhouse, she ordered the ribeye just like he did, and they both got a glass of Merlot. She wanted to hear about his pack, and he told her every detail he could think of. He wanted to ask about her past too, but he could tell she didn’t want to talk about it. He really wanted to know how bad it was for her. He still had half a mind to go visit her Alpha and teach him a lesson about treating his pack members so badly.
After he paid the check he smiled at her. "Thank you for coming with me. When can I see you again?"
"I thought you were going back home," she said
He stood up and moved toward her, holding his hand out, helping her out of the booth, even though she didn't need his assistance. "I can extend my stay if you're willing to see me."
"I thought your Alpha was with you."
Tristan shrugged. "He'll just have to go back by himself. He'll be fine."
Her eyes got that wide look again, and her mouth flattened out. "Are you sure?” she whispered. “I don't want you to get into trouble with your pack."
He started to dismiss her concern, but then he realized he didn't want to blow her off. He didn't want to make her feel like her feelings weren't legitimate, because she was so obviously used to being on guard all the time. He was sure her vigilance had kept her alive. But it wasn't necessary for him.
Roman wasn’t that kind of Alpha. He would understand.
Tristan did not want her worrying about him. "I'm certain. If he has a problem with it, he'll tell me. If I'm needed back at home for something critical to the pack, then I'll get a flight back immediately. I promise."
Her shoulders relaxed a little. She seemed to accept his answer.
"How long can you stay?" she asked, which was just what he wanted to hear her ask.
For as long as you want me. That’s what he wanted to say, and his wolf was in full agreement.