Page 55 of Oath of Revenge

He chuckled, his breath tickling her neck. “I didn’t kiss you to shut you up. I’d never do that, bunny, just like I’d never harm your brother. What hurts you will hurt me. It’s part of being mates.”

If an ancient dragon and a magical princess could be together, surely there was hope for the wolf who had invaded her dreams and the weird freak of a woman that she’d become.

She pulled back and scowled, cupping his cheek. “We’re not mates. How many times do I have to tell you?”

He held his hand over hers on his face as he kissed her palm. “We are mates, whether you believe it or not. You’re part of my pack now, and so is your brother, his wife, and even your grandmother. I’ll keep you all safe, don’t worry, bunny.”

She stared up at him, afraid to hope, afraid to believe. The familiar flick of anger up her spine brought comfort, and it mingled with the grief and heartache that never left her alone.

They may be mates, but that wouldn’t stop the heartache. She was the only one who could protect herself, the only one she could rely on.

She eased off his lap and sank into the dirt, grabbing a dagger and picking at the leftover meat. “My dad said something similar before he went to war and ended up dead. You can’t control everything, Wulfric.”

She glanced over at him, but he jerked and stared into the fire with a distant gaze. Her chest grew tight at the look on his face, so reminiscent of her own pain.

Her words triggered another memory. His wife had scolded him like this too.

“You can’t control everything, Wulfric.”

Frustration climbed his spine as he raked a hand over his face. He closed his eyes, praying the memory of his wife’s face would come.

Surprisingly, it did. He’d given a free round of drinks to the soldiers who had just returned from war, and his wife had been mad because he was getting drunk with them.

“What is it, Wulfric?” Scarlet asked softly, her hand settling on his forearm and grounding him in reality.

He felt the tension melt at her touch. “I remembered,” he finally choked out.

She frowned and poked at the fire. “Remembered what?”

“My wife used to scold me like you just did,” he growled.

Scarlet’s jaw dropped. “You’re married?” she gasped, her hand falling away from him.

He turned to the fire and shrugged, leaning back on their pack and tucking his hands behind his head.

“I don’t know if it was the tea Olive gave us, the head injuries and being so close to death once more, or something from the mate bond. But for the past few days, I’ve been remembering my past life for the first time in ten years of being a Growler.”

“What do you remember?”

He told her of the few snippets he’d had so far. It wasn’t much, but it was more than he’d ever had before.

“And you’ve never had memories pop up like this before?” She handed him the canteen, but he just shook his head as he took it and sipped.

“No, never. The more I remember, the more hopeful I feel about the future. It’s like puzzle pieces are finally snapping into place. I don’t know if I can describe it very well.”

She handed him a cooked fish, an egg cooked in the stomach cavity. He sat up, and they ate in silence for a few more minutes. With his Growler metabolism, he could’ve easily eaten four times that much.

But it was a simple, delicious meal made all the better by being shared with his mate. By having a piece of his past back.

She finally leaned back against a log and nursed her canteen. “And that’s all you remember?”

He nodded and sighed, tossing the bones into the fire as he settled back next to her. “I know I was married, and we had a daughter. I hope I worked in the tavern; otherwise, I was there a lot. I don’t want to think I was the type of person who would leave a wife and babe at home while going off to the tavern, but…”

His voice trailed off as he worried.

“But you don’t know,” she said softly.

He frowned, staring into the fire and nodding. “Exactly. I just don’t know who I was. What if I was the kind of guy who screamed at his wife? Or ignored her? Or worse, hit her?”

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