Page 22 of Fated to the Feral Wolf

But Kane was engaged with Ilana, and two other members of the Athabascan pack who had wandered up to pay homage to the high alpha. Gael, however, was in front of Leigh in a heartbeat.

“What’s wrong?” His voice was all gravel, a barely concealed threat that his heavily muscled physique left no doubts he could make good on.

“Just a friendly chat, but your friend here seems to have taken offense. Why is he shifted? It’s considered quite rude for a diplomatic envoy.” Iaoin answered Gael, but never broke eye contact with me. I put subtle pressure on Leigh’s hip, slowly edging her further behind Gael and out of my way.

But the stubborn bitch wouldn’t go, angrily shoving at the male’s shoulder instead to try to get him clear.

“Please, we have no intention of rudeness,” Leigh said as soon as she edged past Gael, which earned her a stony glare from him. “Dirge here is more comfortable in fur, and their mate bond is very new, which has them both… edgy. If we could just give them a little space?—”

Iaoin threw back his head and laughed, the first time he’d broken eye contact besides flirting with Shay. “New, and he won’t shed his fur?” There was heavy censure in the male’s tone. “I challenge for mating rights.”

Kane and Ilana both stopped, stunned for a moment at our sides, having disentangled themselves from the others to see what was happening.

“Iaoin,no!” Ilana gasped and tugged on her brother’s arm,but he wouldn’t budge. “We cannot dishonor Father with this bullheadedness. My sincerest apologies. He will rescind the challenge immediately.”

“I mean no dishonor, but I will not desist. Her scent… It calls to me. They have not consummated the bond. Do you bear mating marks?” He directed the highly impertinent question to Shay, and I charged.

SIXTEEN

Shay

“Goddess’s tits!” Leigh swore as Gael dragged her back from the charging wolf.

I stood frozen in horror as Dirge leapt for the unshifted Iaoin’s throat. Time seemed to slow, every ripple of his fur in the wind clear and outlining the deadly muscle underneath. Something inside me snapped.

My own wolf ripped free of my body in one hot wave, taking control as she had so many times before. When I needed her most, she never, ever failed me. She was already in motion before my conscious mind had caught up to the need. My relief at her reappearance was strong, but I didn’t have time to dwell on it.

The impact of my shoulder slamming into Dirge’s left me breathless, but did as intended, knocking Dirge’s deadly flight off course. We both landed roughly off to the side, and somewhere in the dim distance, I heard gasps and shouts, but none of those mattered. Because for the first time, I was standing nose to nose with my mate, in the same form.

His eyes glowed a startling green, more vivid in this form. We stared each other down and paced in a circle. Was he goingto leap? Attack, unable to stop now that he’d been triggered by Iaoin? I stopped pacing, lowering my front end, ready to spring if he made the wrong move.

But he did the only thing I wasn’t ready for. He threw his head back and yipped, a joyful, celebratory sound. When he pounced, it was playfully, tail wagging like a pup instead of a full-grown man. Wolf.Whatever.

My wolf took over then, dancing with his and exchanging yips and playful swipes. A rush of warmth suffused me as I connected with him on a new level. I froze midcircle when I realized we had an audience, the human side embarrassed at such an unfettered moment being witnessed by strangers. As I cast a look over my shoulder at the gathered crowd, though, Dirge didn’t stop. He took full advantage and pounced, knocking me onto my side and then following as I rolled over onto my back.

It was the most vulnerable position for a wolf, and mine didn’t like it one bit. But then he was there, over us, eyes glowing a merry green. I held his gaze, staring deeply as we shared the moment. He broke eye contact after a moment to lean down for a better angle to lick my muzzle. First one tentative swipe, then another, and another.

It took me longer than it should have to realize what was happening. He was grooming me. Emotion swelled in my chest, even in this form, at the primal rush of connection that flowed between us then. He might not have been able to speak to me, not in human form, but the intent here was crystal clear.

He cared for me. Wanted totake careof me.

And my human heart broke just a little bit, even as the wolf reveled in the attention from her mate.

I couldn’t sayhow long we stayed in fur, as time passing rarely bothers wolves. All I knew was that the crowd wandered off, night fell, and the only human who stayed with us was Leigh. Well, not the only one. Gael hovered fifty yards back at the corner of the building, keeping an eye on all three of us.

That male was confusing most of the time and then painfully clear at others. Their plight was far from my mind, though, by the time the urge to shift back finally came over me. Hunger gnawed rabidly on my belly, but I didn’t want to risk hunting on lands where we were guests. So, with regret, I shifted back.

The cold night air hit me at once, sending goose bumps flying over my skin as a violent shiver racked my naked body. Dirge whined, pressing himself against my now-human legs.

While we were no longer in the same form, I could still feel his sorrow at the loss of familiarity plain as day. It was anchored in my chest like one of my own ribs.

“Here, I thought you might need these,” Leigh murmured, offering me a pair of thick, lined leggings and a hoodie to pull on. I accepted them gratefully and dressed, the familiar scent of my bestie’s clothes settling around me like a cloud.

“Better?” she asked at my contented sigh, and I nodded.

“Thank you.” I paused, the ramifications of my afternoon-turned-evening interlude hitting me afresh. “Is Brielle mad? We messed everything up.” My voice was small, faint in a way it usually wasn’t with my best friends.

Shame pulled at me, the dereliction of my duty to someone who’d been nothing but loyal to me like a crushing weight over the fragile high of shifting with my mate. Everything with Dirge felt fragile. We had no mating signs, not truly, and if he couldn’t shift, we might never.

---