Page 65 of Cursed Wolf

“Tryn?”

Sweet moon, her voice sounded so real too. So strong and close by. I could practically feel her lips hovering by my ear.

“Are you waking up?”

The next thing I felt was warm lips on my forehead, and the sensation pulled me all the way into the world of the living. I opened my eyes and saw her there.

“Emmaline,” I croaked, reaching for her. She looked exhausted, her brow furrowed with worry, but fuck me, she was here. I didn’t care if we were prisoners in a vampire den, as long as she was okay.

“Easy. Don’t move.” Her hands pressed to my shoulders and with surprising strength, laid me down flat. “You’ve been out for a few days, so take it really, really slowly.”

“Ugh, fuck.” As soon as my head hit the pillow, vertigo and nausea set in. “What happened?”

“You scared everyone to death, Bear.”

My head snapped to the opposite side of the bed where Gran sat in a rocking chair. She put her tea and paperback aside before fixing me with a grin. “Welcome back.”

“Uh, thanks.” I looked at Emmaline and then back at Gran. “So, you two have met?”

“More than that.” Emmaline chuckled. “Your Gran, Shiloh, and I spent hours elbows-deep inside you.”

“That’s, uh, frightening.”

“In your abdomen,” Gran clarified. “You lost a lot of blood and sustained serious damage to your internal organs. Shiloh and I kept you together with herbs and magic. Your little mate over there is quite the surgeon. She did all the dirty work.”

Emmaline dipped her head with a smile. “I couldn’t have done it without the two best witches at my side. So yeah, you could say your Gran and I are very well-acquainted now.”

“I wasn’t just talking about operating on him, dear.” Gran’s eyes twinkled. “The whole pack can’t stop howling about how you sent that vampire running like a cockroach.”

“The vampire?” I stared at Emmaline. “Running, how? You didn’t…fight him, did you?”

“Well…” She chewed her lip, eyes darting toward Gran, who stood from her rocking chair with a groan.

“I’ll leave you kids to that discussion.” Gran gathered up her things, then bent over me to kiss my forehead. “I knew you wouldn’t leave her, Bear,” she whispered in my ear. “Your fate thread was the strongest, brightest I’ve ever seen. The moon chose well for you.” She patted my cheek, then with a quick hug to Emmaline, left my room.

Once we were alone, Emmaline looked nervous. Not in a bad way, but in a giddy, brimming-with-excitement kind of way.

“So what happened with the vampire?” I asked, watching her stand from the side of the bed.

She chewed her lip, fiddling with the buttons on her shirt. “I should probably just show you.”

“Okay…” I only grew more confused as she walked to the foot of my bed.

My mate undressed in a fast, efficient way and I forgot all about vampires and nearly dying. She bared herself to me, all slender curves and swooping lines that formed the shape of the woman that was meant for me. The sight of her naked body took my breath away and I ached to touch her.

“Emmaline,” I rasped.

She held up a hand. “Give me a second. I’m still getting used to this.” Her eyes closed and she started a series of deep breaths.

Come here, were the next words on my tongue, but they never made it out with what happened next.

Her form changed. She shifted right before my very eyes. In place of the woman I had gotten to know and love, stood the most beautiful wolf I’d ever seen. Her fur was predominantly a cream color on her chest, legs, and belly, with a pattern of browns and grays coating her ears, back and tail.

Emmaline’s wolf placed her forepaws on my bedside, round amber eyes meeting mine with a shy, hopeful stare. Her tail swished slowly back and forth with cautious excitement.

“Holy…shit.” I whispered in awe. “Fuck me, Emmaline. You’re so…fucking moon, you’re fucking stunning.”

She let out a soft, happy bark and jumped on my bed, giving my face a lick before settling next to me.

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