Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 55491 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 277(@200wpm)___ 222(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55491 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 277(@200wpm)___ 222(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
He nodded. “Yes.”
“So that means Remy’s a wolf.”
“Yes. But she won’t shift until puberty.”
I shook my head in disbelief. “Amazing.”
I didn’t know why Wes had thought I’d freak out. I couldn’t be more thrilled. It was like finding out magic was real.
Wes glanced over at me. “You think it’s amazing?”
“I think it’s incredible.” I remembered how he looked as a giant black wolf. “You’re incredible.”
“You’re not over there losing your shit while faking being okay?”
I laughed. He had me all figured out. “No, not faking. Should I be losing my shit?”
“No, honey. Well, there are a couple of things I haven’t explained yet.”
“Only a couple?”
It was his turn to laugh, which was a rich, deep sound I loved. “Fine. A lot more than–”
I gasped as I had a lightbulb moment. “You heal quickly, don’t you?”
He flicked his gaze to mine then back on the road. “Yes. That was why I panicked with you up on your roof. If I fell off, it’d hurt like a bitch, but I’d be fine in a matter of minutes. If something happened to you–fuck. I’d never forgive myself.”
“That’s why Remy’s little cut healed up!”
He turned to look at me, confused.
“That night I watched Remy, she was doing clay, and she poked herself with one of my tools. There was a little blood, but it healed before I could even find BandAids in your bathroom.”
“I don’t have any.”
Huh. That must be nice.
We pulled into his driveway and parked. The silence of the night settled over us.
I looked to Wes. He looked to me.
There was something different in the air now. Not a scent or anything but a feeling. Knowing his huge secret, I felt like we were closer. Like there were less barriers between understanding each other. Between knowing who we really were.
“What are the things you haven’t explained yet?” I asked. I wanted to know everything.
Things with Wes were new, but I was already committed. Everything about him felt right, including his adorable daughter and that wonderful group of people I’d spent the evening with.
“What Marina mentioned–about marking you as my forever mate?” His voice was tentative, as if broaching a tricky subject.
“Yeah, what does that mean?”
“Wolf shifters can have what you would call normal relationships. They can date. Some follow human traditions and legally marry. They have families–all that. But there’s also the potential for finding their fated mate–what you might call ‘the one.’”
I tried and failed to swallow. For some inexplicable reason, my heart started to beat hard against my ribs.
What was he saying?
“The story goes that a wolf will recognize his fated mate by her scent. You don’t know what that means until you experience it. At least I didn’t.” His eyes glowed green in the darkness.
I was seeing his wolf eyes. Was he saying–
“Am I… am I your mate?” I whispered.
He brought our still-joined hands to his mouth and kissed my knuckles once more. “Yes. I should have known the second I caught your scent, but I was all riled up about Remy being missing. Your scent sent me into, well, a ravenous fit of lust, but at the time, I didn’t know it was because you’re my mate.”
I laughed again. “Ravenous fit of lust?”
His eyes narrowed, and his voice went deeper. “What would you call it then? How we came together. I remember you on your knees for me.”
I swallowed hard. It was a night I’d never forget.
“Fit of lust works,” I squeaked, squirming in my seat.
My panties were wet for another round of him being ravenous.
“Now, honey, I want you to be mine. I want you to be my mate.”
The idea of it thrilled me, but I still didn’t understand completely. “What does that mean exactly?”
“Male wolves mark their fated mates with a mating bite. It permanently embeds their scent into the female, so all other wolves know she’s been claimed.”
“Claimed? Sounds a little sexist,” I teased, while recognizing I was getting wetter and wetter the longer this conversation continued.
Wes’ lips twitched. I loved seeing even the start of a smile on his handsome face. “Male wolves are very territorial. If you’re at least marked, it allows my wolf to calm some of his aggression trying to keep other males away from you. The other day when I asked Colton and Johnny to help with your roof, I wanted to kill them both for being near you.”
I laughed. “You did?”
The two men were attractive, but they had nothing on Wes.
“Honey, when a wolf has a mate, he’ll do anything in the world to protect her, provide for her, and keep the other males away from her.”
I smiled. I kind of loved knowing he felt territorial over me. It gave me a sense of feminine power to know he thought I was worth defending.
I held up my free hand. “Um, also, did you say bite?”