Page 71 of Protected By the Wolf

“I was told you wanted to see me on my break?”

I turned around so I could face him. “Yes, I have a surprise for you.”

“A surprise, huh?” Bruno’s lips twitched, and he leaned down to plant a soft kiss on my lips. “What kind of surprise?” he asked as he rained more kisses across my cheek and down my neck.

“You’re not going to find out if you keep doing what you’re doing,” I laughed.

“Well, I’d rather just stay here with you in my arms during my break.”

With great effort, I gently pushed him back an inch and looked into his eyes. “You’re going to really like this surprise. I really want to show it to you.”

“Okay, fine.” He planted one more kiss on my lips and took my hand. “Where to?”

I could feel myself beaming; I was so excited. For the past week, Charli had been training me to make an illusion, and today, I was going to try it out on Bruno.

I led him outside and asked him to shift. He arched an eyebrow but did as he was told. I would never get tired of seeing him transform. It was magical, and his gray fur and black muzzle were beautiful. I ran a hand through his fur before stepping a few feet back. Looking at him, I imagined myself as a wolf, with gray fur and a black muzzle but a shade lighter.

Tracing a circle in the air in front of me, I recited the spell Charli had taught me. I watched as Bruno’s eyes left mine and lowered. In front of him appeared my wolf. She was an illusion, but if you didn’t touch her, she appeared as real as Bruno was in front of me.

He shifted back, and I saw his eyes had gotten big. I immediately dropped the illusion, and his eyes tracked back to mine.

“Lira! You . . . that was a wolf! . . . How did . . . Are you?—?”

“I’m not a wolf shifter,” I said with a laugh. “I can create illusions, though. That was my surprise. Charli’s been training me for the last week.”

He ran over and pulled me into his arms, spinning me in a circle before crushing me to his chest. “I had a dream about this—that my mate and I were running through the woods as wolves. I started thinking it was just a dream, but it’s real!” He pushed me back, and I could see the crinkles forming at his eyes, illustrating how happy he was. “Can you do something for me, Lira?”

“Anything.”

“Will you run through the woods with me in wolf form?”

“Of course.” This time I smiled. Charli had also been teaching me how to travel at great speed while keeping the illusion, so I knew I’d be able to keep up with Bruno.

He stepped back and shifted while I created my illusion again. As soon as my wolf appeared, we were off. It was the most exhilarating experience I’d ever had. We ran and ran until we reached a stream. There, we came back into our human forms and collapsed for a break. I leaned back on his chest as we enjoyed the view in front of us.

“You seem to be a lot more comfortable in nature now,” he mused.

“Yeah, I’d say I am.” I smiled at this. I never thought I would ever enjoy nature like I did now.

“That was such a special surprise. Thank you, Lira.”

I snuggled further into him, and he tightened his hold on me.

“I was wondering,” he began.

“Mm-hmm?”

“Now that you know we’re mates, I . . . ” I waited, and he added a few moments later, “I’m nervous.”

I turned to look at him and placed a hand on his cheek. “It’s me. You have nothing to be nervous about. What did you want to ask me?”

He studied me for a bit before asking, “Will you marry me, Lira? Will you spend the rest of your days with me?”

“Yes, Bruno. Yes! Yes! Yes!” I planted a kiss on his mouth so hard that he toppled backward, and I fell on top of him.

He rolled me onto my back and broke the kiss to look at me. “Lira, you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I love you.”

“I love you too, Bruno.” I brought his lips back down to mine and melted into him. I had no intentions of leaving this spot for a while.

---