Page 34 of Moon Fated

Finally, he let himself look. I shifted on the bed and lifted my legs to allow him to pull my pants free. He tossed them on the floor, his eyes traveling over my bare legs. I was instantly grateful I’d worn nice underwear. It wasn’t sexy, but at least it was new. Ish.

“Any man who took you for granted is a damn fool.” He lifted my right leg and ducked underneath it, resting my knee on his shoulder.

My wolf practically salivated seeing him there between my thighs, and my head spun like a top. I had no idea what he was going to do next, and the possibilities both thrilled and terrified me. Trust him.

I wanted to. I wanted to give myself over to him so much it physically ached. But Nathan had been kind once, too. He’d lavished me with gifts and praise for months before the first time he hit me. Was that what alpha’s did? Lulled you into a sense of security before they took everything they wanted?

A desire to please him flooded me, making me desperate to keep this feeling—to keep him interested so this would never end. I put my hand out, feeling for his belt, but Rowan circled his hand over mine.

“No, Strawberry. You don’t need to lift a finger.” He placed my palm on the bed. I couldn’t keep the fear from flickering across my face, and Rowan read me like a book. “There is nothing you could do or neglect to do that would make me walk away right now. Do you understand?”

I bit the inside of my cheek, and Rowan slid closer, draping my leg over his back. “You deserve this. You deserve to lie back and close your eyes and be touched. Be kissed. You don’t have to earn this, Evelyn.”

A tear slipped from the corner of my eye and rolled down my cheek. Rowan reached out and swiped it away with his thumb, then pressed it to his tongue.

“I want to believe you.” My voice was barely a whisper.

He nodded and turned his head, pressing his mouth against the inside of my knee. “Wanting to believe is enough.” His eyelids shuttered closed as he wrapped his hand around my thigh, rolling his tongue slowly over my skin.

Rowan took his time kissing every part of me. Almost. He never flirted with the lines of my underwear, even when I was desperate for him to try. When he finished, after flipping me onto my stomach and rubbing every muscle in my back, he lay down next to me, pulling me against him.

For long moments, we simply lay entwined, Rowan's hands skimming up and down my arm in gentle strokes. My core felt like it was filled with hot coals, but all the tension had seeped from my limbs, and I breathed deeper than I had in years.

"Tell me a story," I whispered into the silence. "Something happy."

Rowan hummed thoughtfully, the sound rumbling against my shoulder blades. "Remember that summer before..." He trailed off, and I knew he meant before everything fell apart, before the pack splintered.

“It’s okay.” I ran my fingers over his. It was. Somehow hearing Rowan talk about my past didn’t seem nearly as scary as it had the first time that topic had been broached.

He cleared his throat. "We found that hidden swimming hole in the woods."

A smile tugged at my lips, the memory rising hazy and golden. "I remember. You dared me to jump from the top of the waterfall."

"And you did." Pride warmed his tone. "Fearless, even then. I think—” He exhaled, and I squeezed his hand.

“You think what?”

“Maybe my wolf knew something even then.”

My breath caught as Rowan's arms tightened around me.

"I know this isn't the time or place," he whispered. "But I need you to know, Evelyn...how I feel won’t change. I won’t ever force you to accept this. But I’m not going to stop trying.”

Tears pricked my eyes, emotions too tangled to name rising in my throat.

Rowan shifted, tugging me until I rolled over on my back, then cupped my face, tilting it up until our gazes locked. "No expectations. No alpha demands. I just want you to know that you're loved. Unconditionally. Irrevocably."

A sob hitched in my chest. I pressed my face into his neck, letting his heartbeat anchor me. "I don't know what to say," I rasped.

And for the first time in longer than I could remember, I felt exactly what he’d set out to do. The first sentences of a new story.

One where I was cherished.

Treasured.

Safe.

Rowan held me until my breathing settled, then pulled back to look at me. “I do have one request, though.”

---