Page 31 of His Wild Mate

“I do own pajamas. My mother buys me a new set every Christmas, I just prefer not to wear them. But if it bothers you, I can dig them out.”

“No, it’s not that. I need to shift into my fur to sleep.”

“Why? I just told you that you're safe here.”

“I know, but they're just words right now. I do trust you mean them, but just in case, I'm a lot stronger and can protect myself better in my fur. It's just safer this way.”

He growled.

“I'm not trying to make you mad.”

“You aren't. I just hate that you've been through so much that you feel it's necessary to always sleep in your fur.”

“It's not so bad. It's warmer that way too.”

The grunt that broke through the darkness told me he wasn't happy to hear that either.

I sighed. A part of me truly wanted to please him. Just talking to him had even helped take a bit of the edge off being in heat. But I feared there wasn't much I could do or say to make this situation any easier. I wasn't going to compromise and suddenly live as a human. It left me too vulnerable, and even though he said he would protect me, I knew from experience the only person I could ever truly count on was me.

Emmett

Chapter 9

I was restless through the night worrying about Paige. She didn't have to go into graphic details for me to understand that life hadn't been easy for her. But I was here now, and that was all going to change.

When the sun finally rose, I was just starting to fall asleep. I groaned as the alarm sounded to start my day.

I really wanted to call and tell them I wasn't coming in, but things were still a little dicey with my transition into being in charge. I couldn't risk any setbacks.

“I have to go in for a bit. I'll try to get out early. Do you like kids?”

The responding sound told me she was still in her wolf.

“Could you maybe shift so we could talk for a second? I don't have much time. Things are a little touchy at work right now, so I don’t have the benefit of calling out.”

Much to my shock and relief, she did as I asked and even stepped out of the closet to sit at the foot of my bed.

It was the first time I truly got to see her.

My eyes drank in her body. She was gorgeous. Long dark hair that stopped at her breasts, not fully covering them but leaving me with the urge to reach out and push it aside for a better look.

I frowned as I looked lower. I knew she was thin and malnourished in her wolf form, but it was evident in her skin too.

“Breakfast?” I blurted out.

She looked confused, but her stomach rumbled with hunger.

I tried not to let it show how much it bothered me.

She went to cover her body like she somehow knew what I was thinking.

“Don't. You don’t have to hide from me. I'm not going to hurt you.”

I reached out to take her hand, but something stopped me just shy of touching her.

I growled in frustration and cursed Thomas's name under my breath.

She looked confused.

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