Page 64 of A Beta Protects

After giving her left palm one more swipe to rid it of dirt, I toss the flannel into the bucket beside me. She’s still watching me curiously. “You’re really not afraid of me?”

“Bryce abducted me. You came after me, saved me, and killed him.” She lifts her hand to my face, her touch so gentle that I lean into it. “Even as a wolf, you’re still helping me. You’re still you, and I’m not afraid of you, Dom.”

There’s no keeping my hands to myself after that. I wrap my arms around her and draw her into another hug. “I thought I was going to lose you.”

“How did you know where I was?”

I kiss her shoulder. “Shawn called. Ivar, the postman, had his truck stolen. Shawn figured it was Bryce, and so did we.” I squeeze her again and pull away. “He called us a few minutes later, said someone had spotted the truck. We piled into our vehicles and came after you.”

“You didn’t have to do that,” she whispers.

“See, that’s where you’re wrong.” Even if Bryce had taken her to the other side of the world, I wouldn’t have stopped until I got Kira back.

She looks at me for several seconds, her expression inscrutable. Then she smiles. “Sierra said you had another side of you that was more growly, but still protective. She was right.”

I chuckle. “She told me she said that to you.”

“But you were afraid if you told me, then I would leave?”

I nod. “That’s right.” This is the time to tell her about what I did that I shouldn’t have, which I still, even knowing it was wrong, can’t find it in me to regret. "I did something to you that I should not have without permission."

Her shoulders tense. "What?"

"I bit you."

She stares at me for a beat then laughs, "Oh, that. I told you it was okay. I didn't?—"

"No. It's a problem," I interrupt.

Her smile fades. "Why is it a problem?"

"When a shifter male finds his mate, he’s driven to bite her. I'd say it was mostly the wolf side of me that wants to do the biting, but it isn’t just my wolf. It's me too."

She frowns. "And a bite is a bad thing?"

"Not a bad thing. It's a bond. Like a shifter form of marriage. You being human changes things, but I shouldn’t have done it without your permission."

"What does this bond mean?"

Again, she’s not running when I thought she would. My mate is sitting, with her hands resting calmly on her lap, listening to my explanation when I don’t deserve it. Or her.

"Nothing for you. Only a shifter feels the bond is even there. You'll have the imprint of my bite for a few days. It will fade, but any shifter who smells you will know you’re mine.”

“Oh, that’s…” Her voice trails off.

“Bad?” I watch her expression closely.

“No. Just… I don’t know. So, I smell different?”

I bite back a smile at her delicate question. “Not bad. You smell as perfect as you always do. Only a shifter will know you’re my mate.”

Her gaze sharpens. "And you? What does this bite mean for you?"

"It doesn’t matter."

"Why do I think it does?"

"You’re human." I skirt the issue, not wanting Kira to feel like she's responsible for anything that happens to me as a result of that bite. She isn't. The consequences are on me. "That means you can’t feel the bond the way I can."

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