The sound of her name in his deep tone sent a thrill down her spine, and her heart was suddenly at war with her head. Every muscle in her body was tense with the effort of keeping herself from closing the gap between them, for her mind was telling her such closeness was inappropriate for having just met someone. Though the battle between emotion and reason was raging within her, her smile only very slightly faltered. She was hoping he wouldn’t notice, that his silence meant he was deep in thought despite his unchanged facial expression.

Elowen typically took comfort in solitude and the quiet that resulted. Today, however, she longed for the company and conversation of this earth-toned male. The moments he took to gather his thoughts felt like an hour to her, as she wondered what he would say, what he would think of her. It was a very new sensation for her, and she still did not know what to make of it. The levelheaded, reasoning side of her personality told her that she had no need to worry over the opinion of a stranger, but the odd feeling tugging in her gut said that Maddox’s judgment was the only one that should matter. She tilted her nose downward and studied the ground pensively to hide the conflict in her eyes.

Another question from the intriguing man drew her gaze back to his, and she found that now she did not feel compelled to look away from the emotion she saw there. She did feel slight discomfort at the mention of her looks; after being told of her unremarkable looks for much of her life, it was difficult to believe anyone could find her more than average.

Yet she saw his grin and felt it was sincere, and so replied kindly and with a hint of laughter in her voice. “Is that what this place is called? I arrived quite awhile ago, but mostly I’ve kept to myself.” She paused, wondering if it was wise to reveal her solitary lifestyle and subsequently finding she did not care. Her mouth opened to speak again, but he looked away from her for a moment and her words caught in her throat. This she also found confusing, so that when he turned to look at her again, her face was wrinkled with confusion.

His flattering words had been forgotten, and she was now focused on the strange force that was toying with her personality. “Sorry to change the subject, but I feel more…comfortable than I usually do around strangers. Do you know why this is?” Her head tilted to the right as she finished her inquiry and awaited his reply.

elowen

five | female | no mate | no pack | ali
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