Page 36 of Oath of Revenge

Finally, she turned back to the wash stand and wiped her face and hands. “I’ve not even decided to go with you,” she mumbled.

Her belligerent tone was like a child who knew she had to do something but didn’t want to. He grinned in triumph behind her back, but otherwise remained still as he responded.

“Yes, you have. You want the Elders to change you back into a human. Or are you satisfied with the changes from the berry tea?”

He didn’t tell her that they’d never done that in all the years he’d been with them. He didn’t even know if they had that ability. But they had to stay together so he could convince her to accept the mate bond.

“No, I’m not satisfied.”

“I can satisfy you, if only you’ll take the chance.”

She didn’t reply for several minutes. Then she picked up the lamp and strode to the door where she paused.

She looked at him with her big green eyes, and he carefully kept his expression neutral. Every fiber of his body screamed at him to jump up and keep her close, but he denied himself. If his time as a human in the army had taught him anything, it was self-discipline. He thought, anyway, since he couldn’t remember those years at all.

Finally, she sighed. “I’m not keen on walking into a death trap. I’ll think about it more. Good night, Growler.”

She slammed the door behind her, and his entire body tensed at the separation. He was mostly healed, but shifting had drained him. Without the attraction between them to keep him awake, his eyes grew impossibly heavy.

The pressure on his chest tightened at being separated from her, but he wrestled with his mind. He would not be a savage, a barbarian, a mindless monster. That would not win her favor at all, not with what Growlers had done to her mother.

He had to bide his time with her, wait her out, even though it went against his nature. He doubted she’d be able to resist the mate call for long, if the stories from the tribe were true. How those two fools had run away from each other and then died would not happen to them.

He couldn’t lose her. Not when he’d just found her and could finally feel the icy fingers of loneliness easing from around his heart.

Damn, it was going to be a long night while he waited for her, though.

Chapter 11

Scarlet floated through the clouds, different auras flying by on the snowy breeze. Snippets of conversation floated with them.

“She may be a Hunter, but she won’t take the risk.”

Scarlet tried to frown, but she wasn’t in her body. Were they talking about her?

“But this is her chance to break the curse. All she has to do is mate with the Growler and let the Elders perform the ceremony.”

What the fuck were they talking about? All she needed was the ceremony. She didn’t need to mate with Wulfric.

“Exactly, so she’ll never break it. Ten gold says she’ll dig in her heels and refuse to even go to the Growlers’ camp.”

The wind shifted and the auras floated away. The clouds parted to reveal the night sky, and the constellations came alive. The wolf chased the woman across the sky, catching her dress with a paw until it slid from her body. She stumbled, and the wolf pounced on her.

Only the woman opened her arms and accepted the wolf with a smile.

Scarlet sat up, drenched in sweat and the fresh rush of desire. The room was dark, as the moon didn’t shine on this side of the cottage. The chilly wind whipped outside, but inside she was too hot.

Did she have a fever? Had she contracted some sort of wolf sickness from being close to him? Fleas, ticks, who knew what kind of infection she could pick up from the fucking Growler.

She rubbed her burning eyes but the image of him standing outside, proud and naked, tormented her. The look in his eyes said he knew how to use that dick to please a woman. Her breathing grew ragged and her breasts felt heavy.

She threw back the covers and paced across Olive’s room from the bed to the door to the window while her grandma’s voice echoed in her head. Trust him. Open to him. Take a chance on love.

She wiped her eyes and shook her head. Grandma hadn’t actually said those words, so why were they on repeat in her mind?

Suffocated by her tight clothes, they were a constant reminder of her need to be on high alert. She had slept in them, unsure if she would have to defend herself from the Growler. The heat and sweat trapped against her skin only added to her discomfort as each step caused friction between her pants and her sensitive clit. Her body was aching with desire and she struggled to keep control, taking shuddering breaths to calm herself down. The conflicting sensations between her body’s arousal and the need for self-preservation left her in a state of inner turmoil.

And she was in control. She could do this.

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