Page 42 of Oath of Revenge

He couldn’t let that happen to Scarlet. She was his mate, and he had to protect her from them. Protect her like he couldn’t protect his wife.

His heart skipped a beat. Damn, he’d had a wife, one that he’d loved… and failed to protect. Rationally, he knew he couldn’t stop the fever that had spread through their village. But in his soul, he knew there was more he could’ve done.

He couldn’t let anything like that happen to Scarlet. She mewled in her sleep and turned onto her back. The last streaks of moonlight fell on the bed. A red bite mark around her nipple made him grimace. Guilt hit him like a blow to the head. He’d lost control and bitten her in the heat of the moment. He’d tried so hard to be careful, to keep the wolf caged.

His end of the mate bond was done, wasn’t it?

Maybe. He really didn’t know enough about the process. Damn it, he needed to talk to the Elders. It was supposed to be such a natural thing, instinctual for animals like them. But he was so worried about hurting her and taking away her choices. She was so independent; losing that would hurt her.

His heart started racing, and the walls closed around him. Carefully, he eased off the bed and walked on silent feet out the door. Slipping down the stairs, his heart pounding in his ears, he pushed open the front door and shifted onto four feet.

The bracing, frigid air was still in the early morning light. Birds chirped in the trees, no longer caring about the Growler in their midst.

The cold seeped under his fur, sharpening his mind. Shit, why hadn’t the Elders warned them that fated mates would be this instant, this futile to fight?

He didn’t want to fight against it. But admitting he’d had a wife whom he’d loved had forced him to compare the faceless woman to Scarlet.

There was no escaping this. He wanted Scarlet more than his own breath, which currently puffed white into the freezing air. He’d known her for less than a day, yet the Elders had spoken the truth about mates at least. When he knew, he knew. She was his mate, his world.

Frustration welled inside, and he wanted to howl. He refused, instead sucking in an icy breath and jogging around the house in ever widening circles.

Why was he so upset? Was it just because he’d realized some of his past?

His mind tried to search for more of his past but to no avail. It was like the flood had been damned, but there were leaks here and there.

He knew he’d been a soldier, and he’d lost a wife and child. The gnawing loneliness that had left him feeling so empty wasn’t just because he was a Growler and had lost sight of who he was as a man.

He remembered feeling like this after his wife died.

The ripping pain in his chest was now a dull and familiar ache. He’d mourned his wife for the past ten years of being a Growler, even if he couldn’t remember her. This heartache was as familiar as his own face.

No, this frustration now was because of Scarlet, his beautiful bunny who didn’t realize her own power and might. He would do anything for her. If she realized that, would she use it against him?

If she’d been a Growler woman, she would’ve. But with her unique characteristics, he couldn’t be sure.

Either way, he had to get to know her. He had to win her trust and her heart. That mission hadn’t changed even though they’d slaked their lust in the dark of night.

He also had nothing to offer her yet. Nothing but a Growler life that she feared and despised.

Thank the gods he’d not lost his mind and turned her by accident during their mating. She would’ve seen it as yet another curse thrust on her. He needed to speak to the Elders to see what would happen if she never claimed him back. Would he be the only one to die of a broken heart or would it be Scarlet because she rejected him?

When the other two Growlers had refused to mate, they’d both ran in opposite directions. They’d been from different tribes, but the strength of the mate bond had scared them both. Their families had recognized it, tried to convince them both to go to the other.

But they had remained stubborn and separated, and eventually they both wasted away to nothing. The Elders had said the gods had punished them for going against the goddess. When word had come from the other tribe, the Elders said they’d both died within the same hour.

He didn’t want Scarlet to die for not claiming him. And if he died, he couldn’t protect her. Silently, he sent a prayer to any gods who’d listen, asking for answers...and for Scarlet to claim him back before it was too late.

The gods smiled on those who helped them out, though. He had to convince Scarlet to take a chance on him, and he only had a few more days to do it.

When the full moon rose and broke the bond of the berry, she’d bolt like a deer running for her life.

He lengthened his stride, dodging silently around tree after tree. He needed to eat. If he was going to prove himself as a worthy mate, he needed to feed her too. A plan formed in his mind, and the first stop on the campaign to win her heart was breakfast.

Thankfully, he was fully healed with only a few scratches and scars left of his fight. The light outside grew brighter as he hunted, sniffing out a worthy offering to his mate.

Rabbits wouldn’t do. Somehow, he couldn’t imagine her eating one of her own kind. Same with deer. What would she want to eat?

It had to be something he could find nearby. He couldn’t go too far away or they’d both end up sick. A fresh scent caught in his nose, and he turned to track it.

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