Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 87848 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 439(@200wpm)___ 351(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87848 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 439(@200wpm)___ 351(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
I turn my head enough to see behind me. Last time he came after me with a pack. This time it is just him. He is racing after me, his mouth open, tongue lolling in the effort to keep him cool as he sprints after me.
In human forms, a female is slower than a male over shorter differences, though not over longer ones. Women have always known how to endure. I don’t know if males are faster than females in wolf form. I never raced one before. I suppose I’ll find out.
Armand
I let her run.
I let her run because I want her tired out and calm later on tonight. I would rather have her falling asleep in the soup course than have this amount of energy when encountering the senior members of the pack in this state.
She is truly a handful, an absolute terror, I imagine, if not given the necessary attention. I can see why the director of the orphanage said she was going to be trouble. I have not been able to take my eyes off her since I bought her.
I don’t mind that. She’s worth the trouble. The moment I entered her body and felt her soul trysting with mine, I knew that she truly belonged to me, that she was not merely made for me, but a part of me.
This wild, rebellious little female is part of my wholeness. I won’t ever be able to change her nature, but I might come to know myself through it.
So I let her run. I let her run because she needs this, and because I need it too. I need to feel her glee through the mate bond, her excitement and her true joy at being able to be herself with me. I also don’t want to panic her and send her into a blind sprint. There are a lot of cliffs around here that a hapless young wolf could tumble from.
Fortunately, she runs toward the lake, where willows line the shores. There she slows and sniffs at the edges, scenting deer and other little creatures, and enjoying the sun filtering through the willow trees. She laps at the pristine waters then lies down in a patch of half-sun, half-shade, waiting for me to catch up.
When I arrive, I do not take my human form, as she does not take hers. I stay in my speechless animal self and I lie down beside her, nuzzling under her chin.
I want her to know that she is accepted with me. I want her to know she is safe with me. And I want her to know that being the wild thing she is will never lead me to reject her in the way she has been rejected and punished before.
There are expectations for my mate. The pack and my parents, when they finally meet her, will want a well-bred young virgin with good manners and a pleasant demeanor. Someone soft and nurturing who will provide the pack with new alpha pups and an heir.
Beatrix is not ready for that responsibility. She has no idea of the weight on her shoulders, or how much scandal is potentially yet to be uncovered if something has in fact happened between her and another wolf before our meeting.
If there is an ex, I need to know, so I can kill him. If there is not, how the hell did she have access to her wolf form?
I try to force myself to stop thinking about those problems. In the end, the breeze and the scent of the wild washes them away, accompanied by a soft snore as my darling mate falls asleep in the long soft grass beside the lake.
We nap together for most of the afternoon, but inevitably it comes time to go back to the house and prepare for the welcome dinner. I can smell it being prepared even from this distant lake.
I nudge her up.
She lets out a little growl, not wanting to go back.
I insist, getting up and ambling back toward the house. The message is clear. Follow me, or stay out here by yourself.
I am slightly concerned she will stay out there. I think Beatrix could easily survive out in the wild on her own. I am sure she could bring down a deer and feast on its flesh, find a den and curl up in it overnight.
My retreat is a calculated risk. If she follows, it will show willingness and connection. If she doesn’t, well…
She nuzzles up along my side and accompanies me back to the chateau. Everything that had been knocked over has been righted, and the two of us pad up the stairs together, no intention of shifting back until we are in the privacy of our chambers.
There, we slide back into our human selves, naked and relaxed in ways we have not been before.