Page 24 of Wolf Fated

It’s a half-truth, a careful omission that skirts the true significance of this night. Tonight is the longest night of the year when the boundaries between our world and the natural forces of nature are thin and permeable. It’s also a time when shifters are at our most vulnerable.

The whole town of Willowbrook will answer the call of their wolves to run wild and unfettered through the forests that surround our lands together. It unites us in both our human and wolf forms.

A pang hits my heart. That, as a human, she probably won’t shift into her own wolf, but she will feel the strength of the goddess through our bond, at least. There are some of us in our pack that don’t have wolves, but they are no less important than anyone else. Unlike other packs, I make sure to keep it that way.

I reach out with my senses, tracking each ward that lines our packlands, relaxing a little when I don’t detect any disturbances. Especially along the Ironjaw border. The last thing I want is to have to deal with the Ironjaw Alpha, Jonah Cooper, tonight. Not when everything inside me wants to protect our mate.

That thought alone is enough to have my wolf bristling beneath my skin. A low, rumbling growl echoes through my consciousness when my wolf agrees. Mate. Mine. Bite. Claim.

Soon.

I clench my teeth and force my wolf back down, my own growl rumbling in my chest.

“Are you all right?” she asks. “Is something happening, like before?”

I open my mouth to respond, to offer some semblance of reassurance or explanation but before I can form the words, a familiar voice cuts through the din, warm and rich with affection.

“Well, if it isn’t my two favorite people!” Sally’s cheerful tone breaks through my thoughts.

She approaches us with her usual warmth and exuberance, her eyes twinkling with mischief as she pulls Sarah into a warm embrace. “You’re just in time for the real festivities to begin. Has the sheriff filled you in about them?” she says, raising her brows over the fiery crown of Sarah’s head.

“Yes. The sheriff has told me all about it. Holding a festival on the longest night of winter is a great idea,” she says.

Sally gives me a sharp look and I stiffen. “Did he also tell you the festival goes back to the root of Willowbrook?”

“I was getting to that,” I say.

“Oh, I need to know everything. That would be a fantastic addition to the article,” Sarah says.

Before I can sweep her away from Sally and her pointed stares, Cindi pushes through the crowds, her eyes sparkling with mischief. I tense when I see the light green of her wolf shine though, but she quickly shoves it down.

“Sarah, you must try one of our famous Howling Wolf Dogs,” she says, thrusting the piping hot delicacy into Sarah’s hands with a flourish. “It’s a true taste of Willowbrook, made with pepperjack cheese to give it a fiery kick, symbolizing the fierce and untamed nature of a wolf. It’s also served on a black charcoal bun. To represent the darkness and mystery often associated with wolves in folklore and mythology.”

Cindi offers me a sly wink, her lips curving into a teasing smile as she continues her explanation. Is everyone out to undermine me tonight?

Sarah’s brows lift in surprise. “You have a special hot dog for your festival?”

“You could say something like that,” Sally mutters.

Sarah regards the strange concoction with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension, but after a moment’s hesitation, she lifts it to her lips and takes an experimental bite. An appreciative moan slips from her throat, the sound sending a jolt of pure need lancing through me.

“It’s delicious,” she murmurs, her eyes slipping closed as she wraps her mouth around the black bun. “And spicy. Just the way I like it.”

I groan, my cock quickly swelling.

Cindi shoots me a wicked grin, her eyes dancing with unholy glee. “My brother also likes things a bit spicy, don’t you Mitch?”

Heat floods my cheeks and my wolf snarls in outraged embarrassment. Sarah, for her part, flushes a delicate shade of crimson, her eyes widening as she struggles to formulate a response.

Sarah begins to choke on her bite. I tap her back as she leans into me. I hold my water to her mouth, watching her lips close around the top and her throat bob when she drinks. Satisfaction bolts through me, knowing I’m taking care of my mate and I need to stifle another low growl vibrating in my chest.

“I think my job here is done. Come on, Sally.” Cindi grabs Sally and sweeps them both away with a merry laugh.

Sarah regards me, her cheeks still flushed with a delicate rosy hue. “I...thank you. For the water…and…”

I don’t need her to finish the thought, not when the sweet scent of her arousal swirls around us and the bond clearly vibrates with her desire.

Have to have her.

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