Page 42 of Cursed Wolf

We left her alone just before the moon’s full strength without a bite, even though she begged us for it, he kept reminding me. We did not give our mate what she needed. We failed her.

There will be another full moon. She needs time to understand what we are. I tried to soothe him, but my animal was not having it.

If she hasn’t moved on to another male already, my wolf huffed. A male who will not deceive her, who will treat her exactly as she deserves.

My wolf wasn’t wrong about that. Emmaline did deserve better than someone who lied about who he was and left her bed in the middle of the night. But when the moon was full, and the shift therefore yanked out of my control, how would she feel about the man in her bed turning into a huge, four-legged predator?

She thinks I’m handsome, my wolf reminded me. Let me go see her.

And risk you biting her? No.

My wolf let out a frustrated growl. She wanted our bite.

She didn’t know what she was asking for.

My inner beast remained sullen and argumentative. He couldn’t understand that Emmaline had a whole life as a human. She was destined for a fulfilling career as a veterinarian. Even if she didn’t react poorly to finding out what I was, what she most likely was, she might not want a life as a shifter. I couldn’t just bite her and let the pieces fall where they may. I liked her too much, respected her too much, to take that choice away from her.

Even if she didn’t choose me.

The thought of Emmaline not choosing me made my wolf absolutely feral with rage and hurt. I had to break away from the pack for a while and run a few laps through the woods so that I wouldn’t inadvertently attack a packmate.

Such was the way of being a shifter, always trying to balance your animal and human sides. The full moon put the animal in charge for one night, forcing the human side to take a backseat. It took all my effort to draw my wolf away from expressing his anguish in a violent way.

By the time I returned to the pack, the moon had passed its peak in the sky. Its magic that had tightened its grip on us for the last several days had loosened again, allowing our human sides more control.

Everyone was gathered around the pond, the same one Emmaline and I had seen on our first date. It was cute that she had called it a lake.

About half the pack was still in wolf form, relaxing on the pond’s shores or gnawing on some bone of the buck we brought down. Those who had returned to their human forms either relaxed in the grassy meadow or had waded into the water for a quick wash.

We were all as naked as the day we were born, and no one cared. Nudity was natural, whether you were animal or human. Although some couples had snuck off to the taller grasses of the meadow or to the cover of trees. The moon’s magic was also responsible for hormone surges and increases in fertility. More pups might be conceived tonight.

Sawyer had shifted back to his human form and stood in a waist-deep area of the pond. I approached the area of shore closest to him as he washed the buck’s blood from his mouth, neck, and chest.

“Good kill,” I told him once I had a human mouth. Being a human felt better right then, even though I was envious of him. My wolf was too volatile at the moment.

“Thanks.” He splashed water on his face, then raked his fingers back through his hair. “Couldn’t have done it without you diving for his legs like that. I thought you’d get trampled.”

I shrugged. I did get some hoof kicks in my ribs, but it was no big deal. They’d bruise for a day or two, then heal away.

“Did you get your portion?” Sawyer emerged from the water and sat on the grassy shore next to me.

“Nah. I’ll get some cuts at the lodge when we butcher properly. How’s Riley feeling?” I needed a subject change, one that wasn’t focused on me.

His brow creased with worry. “Shifting has been making her nauseous, so I told her to stay home and rest tonight. Literally everyone is telling me the nausea is normal, but I just hate to see her suffer.”

“It’ll pass. Anyway, she’s strong. She’s been through worse.”

He nodded, leaning back on his elbows as he stared pensively across the water. “I’ll take a rack of ribs, I think, and make a stew for her. Something easy on her stomach.”

“Have you talked to Shiloh?”

“Yeah. Riley’s got a big pot of this enchanted tea from her. She says it’s been helping.”

“That’s good. She’s going to be a great mother.”

That got a smile out of him. His teeth, still pointed and slightly wolflike, shined as brightly as the moonlight. “Yeah, she is. I can’t wait.” He nudged me with his elbow. “How’s it going with your mate?”

I sighed. This was the question I’d been hoping to avoid. “I don’t know, to be honest.”

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