Page 52 of His Wild Mate

“My wolf likes having you close. It was a hard day being away from you,” he confessed.

“Really?”

He groaned. “Yours wasn't bothered at all?”

I shrugged. “I was a little on edge, but then there was a house full of strangers, too. What can I do to help?”

“You're doing it. Just having you close helps. The closer the better.”

I shuffled closer to him and laid my head against his chest.

“Better?”

His resounding sigh told me everything I needed to know.

“Better.”

I didn't know what to do with my hands though, so it ended up being a little awkward. Finally, I was resigned to just laying my hand across the tight ridges of his stomach.

“Is it okay if I put my hand here?”

I'd never laid this close to another person, so I truly didn't know what I was doing, but it felt comfortable for me, natural even.

His voice was deeper again when he replied.

“Better than okay. There is no way you can touch me that I won't like. It brings peace to my wolf too.”

“Okay,” I whispered, feeling a little sleepy and more content than ever as I laid there with him.

Wolves weren't meant to be alone. I had always known that, but until now I really hadn't understood it. It scared me a little just thinking about leaving him and returning to the wild. Inevitably it was going to come to that. I couldn't stay here and risk the Alpha order weakening. It wouldn’t be safe for me or for him.

My wolf's anguish was clear, but my resolve was there. In a few days this cycle would be over, and I would need to move on and get settled before the next. That was just my life, and there was nothing I could really do to change that.

I had been told that when I took a mate, the curse would lift. Well, I was here, and I had my mate, yet nothing had changed. I knew if finding my mate hadn't stopped the curse then nothing would.

It made me sad to think about leaving him behind. He clearly had a life here. It wouldn’t be right to ask him to go with me. I wasn't quite ready to think about leaving though.

Feeling sated and sleepy from the excitement, the wine, and the best orgasm of my life, I drifted off to sleep atop my mate.

Emmett

Chapter 13

It had only taken us three days to fall into an easy routine. There had been no signs of the stranger the girls had seen, but Lily or one of the other girls still came by each day to keep Paige company while I went to work.

The ranch was operating at a much more efficient pace, and I was satisfied with how things were going. The fact that there were no grumblings or further complaints filed helped me relax.

Brady had healed from his injuries quickly once he was given the okay to shift. And I had come to rely on him, Cruz, and Ridge more than I expected with the day-to-day operations. The men respected them, and they were thriving with having a boss willing to listen to their concerns and needs. It helped me relax some and not stress so much about work. I really didn't know what I would do without the three of them.

Normally there was no such thing as a weekend for a cowboy. The animals still needed to be cared for and the work around the ranch and farm was never ending. Being the boss did have some perks. I wouldn't make a habit of it because I strongly believed in leading by example, but this weekend, I scheduled myself off, and I couldn't wait to spend it alone with Paige.

As luck would have it, everything went smoothly on Friday, and I was out early and heading home with a grin on my face. Despite the irritation of not being able to touch her, we'd found a few workarounds and things were going really well. I hadn't bonded with her yet because while I could use my mouth to please her, I wasn't certain that biting wouldn't fall underharming her. It was a fine line and not something I was not willing to risk screwing up even though my wolf demanded it every time we were intimate.

I swung by Kate's to grab dinner on my way home. It was still early and ahead of the dinner crowd. Kate used to be a workaholic and you could guarantee she was always there, but since the birth of their quads things had changed. Her priorities were different now. She spent more time at home with Wyatt and the babies. And Wyatt only works part time at the ranch now. If he thought he could get away with it, he'd be a full-time stay-at-home dad.

When I walked in and saw they were both there, I was pleasantly surprised.

“What are you two doing here? Where're the babies?”

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