Page 15 of Wolf Fated

“On the contrary. I think this area is in dire need of a skilled reporter, someone with a keen eye and an unwavering commitment to uncovering the truth. Our community has needed someone to bring it together, and words are a great way to do that,” I say.

She regards me dubiously, her eyes narrowing as she tries to discern if I’m simply placating her or if there’s a deeper meaning lurking beneath my words. “You’re making that up,” she accuses, her tone laced with challenge.

I can’t help but chuckle, my amusement only deepening at her quick wit and fiery spirit. “Not at all. It’ll save Sally from having to tell everyone news events when they wander in to her diner. It can get a little long in the tooth for her repeating herself all of the time. In fact, we’re having a mid-winter festival in town tonight, a celebration of the changing seasons and the promise of new beginnings.”

It’s also an opportunity for the town to shift and go for a midnight run in the forest, but everyone will know to be careful with Sarah here.

That is until she wears my mating bite.

The thought of that sends a surge of heat to my cock. I shift, hoping she doesn’t notice my swelling crotch.

Her brow tenses further, but I can see the flicker of interest kindling in her eyes and I press my case. “You could document the festivities, capture the essence of our town and its traditions, and in doing so, earn a tidy sum from our central fund to tide you over until we can sort out this mess with your accounts.”

I let the offer hang in the air between us, watching as a myriad of emotions play out across her expressive features. Curiosity, intrigue, and just a hint of wariness all vie for dominance, but it’s the spark of determination that ultimately wins out.

“All right. I know you’re only asking to be kind, but I’ll do it. No payment necessary other than a place to sleep on credit, if that’s okay.” She holds up her palm when I start to object. “This is only until I can get a proper job and pay with real money. And if I could use your computer to look for real jobs since I have no reception on my phone.”

“This is a real job…” I say.

“That may be so, but it still relies on kindness and as far as my experience goes, kindness doesn’t pay bills. Of course I’ll do my best Mitch, but I’ll still need to get another job. Just until I can get back on my feet.”

I want her off her feet. I want her in my bed, revered and spoiled for the rest of her life as is her right as the fated mate of an alpha wolf. But I’m getting to know this exquisite woman with each passing moment and she would hate to be coddled like that.

No, Sarah needs to be heard. She needs to be given choices. She needs to make decisions on her own terms. She needs to know what true love and respect looks like.

And I’m determined to show her exactly what that is.

I’m not going to argue with her, especially since it gives me the perfect excuse to spend more time with her for our bond to strengthen. “The Lunar Frost festivities begin at five in the afternoon. Before then, I’ll show you around town so you can orient yourself.”

Her eyes flare. “I couldn’t possibly ask you to do that. I’m happy to take a wander on the way back to the Wolf’s Bite.”

She won’t get out of this. She doesn’t know exactly what a wolf shifter will do for his mate. “You haven’t had breakfast yet. I’ll take you to Sally’s and she can see for herself that you’ve survived the night, and then you can come on patrol with me so you can orient yourself with the town which you’ll need to do for your job.”

Her gulp of breathless air is music to my ears when I take her hand and bring her to her feet. “Sheriff…Mitch.”

The bond flares in my chest, bright with desire, awareness and arousal. They mix into an all-powerful urge that I give in to. I pull her toward me so that her breasts are crushed against my chest.

Sarah’s eyes blaze with barely restrained hunger, her full lips parted ever so slightly as she draws in a trembling breath. Her answering interest sparks to life in our bond as she begins to feel an echo of the red-hot desire thrumming through me.

My wolf roars in triumph at having our mate in our arms, so tantalizingly close that our air mingles.

Mate.

Mine.

Touch. Take. Taste. Kiss.

Need.

The last vestiges of my restraint slip away, as a wave of pure, unbridled want and longing crashes over me. With a low, rumbling growl, I cup her face in my palms, reveling in the silken warmth of her skin beneath my touch. Her pupils dilate, swallowing the vibrant emerald of her irises until only a thin ring of jade remains.

“Mate,” I rasp, before I claim her lips with mine.

The kiss is searing, scorching in its intensity. Sarah’s body is tense against mine, but I swipe my tongue along the seam of her lips and she melts against me. Even watered down, wolf shifter blood is too powerful to deny a fated mate bond. She is no less immune to it than I am.

A guttural groan tears itself from my throat as her fingers tangle in the fabric of my shirt. My wolf howls in triumph, a feral, possessive sound that echoes through the very core of my being.

She draws back, lips shining, eyes glazed. “Did…you hear that?”

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