Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 44191 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 221(@200wpm)___ 177(@250wpm)___ 147(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44191 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 221(@200wpm)___ 177(@250wpm)___ 147(@300wpm)
“Give it up. We know where she is, and the longer we wait, the greater the risk.”
“We don’t know what we’re dealing with,” said the other man. “What if it’s a ranger? I couldn’t find anything on a map or deed for a house.”
“If it was a ranger, she’d be home and we’d have the law chasing down our asses. She’s scared and we can end this here.”
“We have her car, her address, everything. If she tries to leave, we’ll find her before she goes to the cops.”
“No, we end this here. A dead girl can’t make problems for us.”
Wilder counted five men and many packs of supplies, and he assumed weapons as well. It was worse than he thought. The poachers had been watching them and knew Poppy was at his home, and they’d seen him, too.
Only they’d be much safer with a ranger than with him. In fact, he’d start lessening the threat tonight. Wilder shifted into his fur, his bones breaking and elongating, his fur covering his body. He tensed as the power of the shift took over, finally leaving him as an animal.
He sniffed the air and pawed the ground with his mighty paw and claws. It felt good to be one with his beast again. They were in sync, Poppy the priority for both of them.
The human taking a piss on the periphery of their temporary campsite was his target. He bound in, slashing and tearing with claws and teeth before the man could make a sound to alert the others. It was fast, precise, and lethal.
Now there were four. His hope was they’d find their mutilated friend and it would scare them into leaving the forest. He was being merciful for now, even though they didn’t deserve it.
Wilder needed to be home with Poppy. Reassuring her, courting her, and protecting her. If the hunters didn’t leave his forest soon, he’d deal with the other four.
Once he got home, he found Poppy on the sofa, reading one of the old classic books he’d salvaged long ago.
“The bees okay?”
He stopped in his tracks for a minute, then went along with it. “Yes, the bees are secure.”
“That’s good, because I know how much you love your honey.” She barely looked up from the pages.
Wilder sat on the wooden coffee table he’d built, taking the book from her hands and placing it carefully beside him. “I want to show you something. Are you up for a bit of cooking?”
“Well, after everything, I’m not very sleepy.”
She followed him over to the kitchen area. He’d been wanting to share different things with her, and he couldn’t keep waiting. “Have you ever had honey marshmallows?” he asked, as he got all the simple ingredients together.
“Definitely not, but they sound amazing.”
After adding the ingredients to the pot, he instructed her to keep stirring. He stood behind her, telling her what to do every step of the way. She was so small compared to him. He breathed in her scent, closing his eyes to savor the delicious smell. His mate. He snaked his arms around her waist from behind, bending over to breathe deeply along her neckline. She didn’t pull away or flinch from his touch.
Wilder kissed her neck just below her ear. “They’re perfect with hot chocolate.”
He heard her breathing change, and felt her desire like perfume in the air.
“I’m excited to try them,” she said. “I love trying new things.”
They’d gotten to the final step and had to let the honey marshmallows cool before cutting them. She washed her hands, then turned around, drying them on her pants.
“Can we talk?” she asked.
“Yes, what about?”
Did she know about him? Did she question if he was human? Did she want to move away from his cabin and back to the city and her comfortable lifestyle? He tried to keep stoic, terrified of her talk.
“About us.”
Fuck.
“Okay. Let’s sit down.” He took her hand, leading her to the plaid sofa.
They were close, and he couldn’t stop staring at her. Her blonde hair was almost dry, and she looked so beautiful and natural. Like an angel.
“I know you said I could stay here, but I don’t want to be an inconvenience or something to be tolerated. I just want to know your real feelings for me, no matter what they are. Please don’t lie or tell me what you think I want to hear. If there’s any chance of this working, it has to be two sided. I hope this all makes sense.”
“This is what you wanted to talk about?” His hackles eased.
His little mate actually wanted to be here, and only worried about being accepted. Happiness and relief flooded his body. He thought he’d been fucking up his mating, but maybe things were going better than he’d thought.
“I’ve made you uncomfortable.”
“No,” he said quickly. “But I haven’t done my job well if you have to second-guess my intentions.”