Page 119 of Wolf's Endgame

I sat bolt upright in bed, my hands reaching for his collarbone, demanding he put on a light so I could see. The mark, the mating mark, was so faded that I could hardly see it.

“Cannon!”

Large hands clasped mine, bringing them to his lips as he kissed my knuckles. “It’s okay,” he soothed me. “I love you with or without the bond.”

Pushing off him, I shook my head. “No! I am your mate! Your bonded mate!” Tears spilled and Cannon pulled me into his body.

“Kezia, it’s okay, we can test the bond when you’re stronger, and if it’s broken, we’ll be fine.”

“What if we aren’t?” Scrambling over his body, I pulled my shirt off. “We need to have sex, now.”

Cannon pulled me close once more. “Kezia, you just woke up after a month in a dreamless state of limbo. You need your strength. This is something we don’t need to fix right now. Rest.”

“The bond’s definitely broken,” I told him flatly. “I’m half-naked on top of you, and you want me to sleep.”

Cannon tugged me down towards him, and the kiss he gave me was so thorough, so hot, I was panting by the end. “I will always want you,” he whispered against my lips. “But I need you to sleep.”

A wave of exhaustion washed over me. “Fine, but you better screw me into next week tomorrow.”

His low laughter caused me to smile in the darkness. “My mate…the sex addict.”

“You know it.”

I drifted off to sleep in his arms, worry gnawing at my gut that my bond to my mate was gone.

CHAPTER 30

Kezia

He didn’t have sex with me the next day. Instead, Doc gave me a thorough examination, and between him and the shaman, I was given a clean bill of health.

With Doc’s supervision, I visited Landon, finally hearing the whole truth of his subterfuge. In true Landon style, he’d tried to play both sides. Not for an advantage but so he could figure out what the hell was going on. His dad knew him better than he thought, and when Landon insisted he capture me, Bale became even more suspicious.

Landon hadn’t been lying; he truly thought I could help free his mom and sister. He believed that Cannon would be hot on my heels. He hadn’t known the plan to kill Cannon, hadn’t counted on it at all, and then was left scrambling about what to do with me since he’d dragged me into the mess. When he had disappeared, saying that he was at Cannon’s funeral, he’d been locked in a cell until he was persuaded to go along with the lie. He told me Bale thought Tev would kill Cannon, they were expecting his death, but when I hadn’t reacted like someone who had just lost their mate, they knew Cannon lived. Which is when they locked up Landon.

He also had never suspected his father’s true hatred for me. His horror as he relived his last days within the compound made us both cry.

I knew that Cannon and Kris were fed up with him, but I knew why Landon lingered in the bed—he feared he had nowhere to go. I promised him he was welcome in my pack, but I was sure he would go where his twin settled.

Cassandra was blooming. There was no other word for it. She looked radiant, and I felt drab beside her. Pregnancy suited her, and with the threat of the bond gone between me and Cannon, I admit, I felt slightly broody when I left her.

Doc argued heavily against it, but I left the house and went out to see my pack. Cannon had been called to an emergency at Anterrio Pack, and from his grumblings, I guessed it was a regular thing. He’d left this morning with the warning I was to rest.

In the streets, I was swarmed with my pack. They let me go at my own pace, and they were never far from me in case I got tired, but their love surrounded me, and I felt so blessed to have found this pack.

My pack.

When Cannon came home, he found me in the food hall, surrounded by friends as I caught up on all I’d missed.

“I thought I said rest when I left this morning,” he murmured as he sat beside me.

“You did say rest,” I told him as I stole a chicken wing from his plate. “I’ve rested enough.” He went to argue, but I leaned over and kissed him softly. “Our pack walked beside me and made sure I had company. I have spent the day with our pack, my love, I was fine.”

His eyes searched my face, but he said nothing further about it. Instead, he dipped his head and brushed his lips over mine. "My love?" he said, a smile hovering over his mouth. "I like that," he told me, kissing me more firmly this time.

When he leaned back, he reclaimed his stolen chicken wing, winking at me as he bit into it. The pack watched us, smiling at our open playfulness. As Cannon began to eat his meal, he lifted his arm in invitation, and I eagerly snuggled into his side content to be close to him as we spent an enjoyable evening with the pack.

Days passed and my strength and color returned. Cannon and I had made love, slow, sweet, and tender, and I had cried halfway through at how gentle he was, at how much he loved me. I was healing, but one thing still bugged me, and it would bug me until I had an answer.

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