Page 74 of Fated to the Warrior Wolf

“Not scared, no, just not into voyeurism. You’re mine, andonlymine. I don’t share.” He growled the words against my lips, and my last lines of defense broke, not with a bang, but with a shudder. I needed him like oxygen, needed to feel that connection bloom between us again.

I poured all that need, that pent-up desire, into the kiss. He groaned against my lips, the sound of his need driving me wild.

“More.” I pulled back just enough to whisper against his lips, grinding down onto his dick like my life depended on it. “I know I said I wanted to be friends and take things slow, but?—”

“We can be friends with benefits.” He growled the words, pulling my hips down flush with his.

While I normally might have laughed at the ridiculous phrase, at the moment, I was too busy being consumed by his passion. I knew for a fact he only had two hands, but they were everywhere, driving me absolutely wild. In my hair, skimming down my back, teasing the strip of skin above the waistband of my thin sweats.

I ground myself harder against him—practically humping him at this point—the two thin pieces of fabric between us not blocking his panty-melting heat as I held on to his shoulders as if they were all that was stopping him from leaving, from setting me down and walking away.

But his grip on me was just as fierce, and I realized that webothhad something to lose here. And I stopped, just froze midkiss, and pulled back. My chest heaved as I held him at arm’s length—ridiculous, given my pussy was soaked for him at the moment—and we made wild eye contact.

“What’s wrong?” He murmured the words, hands still flexing against my hips. He didn’t want to stop, but I’d pulled the rip cord, and he was respecting it.

Damn, Gael was a good man.

That once-in-a-lifetime, strong-enough-to-rip-people’s-heads-off-but-he-never-turned-that-strength-against-you, only-used-it-for-you, so-handsome-I-couldn’t-breathe-half-the-time-if-I-looked-at-him-too-long, and yes, grumpy-and-domineering-as-fuck kind of good man. He was alpha, after all.

But none of that was who hewas. He was good, honorable, respectful, and caring. He’d stepped up for Petal and me without question. Defended me from judgmental males who I’d been fending off and getting put down by my whole life. My bottom lip began to tremble, and I cursed the pregnancy hormones.

“Shit,” he cursed, wrapping me in a hug. “Too fast. I’m sorry. I just thought?—”

“No, no.” I sobbed as I spoke, burying my face in his neck and dragging in deep, soothing lungfuls of his beautiful sweet, musky pine scent. “You’re perfect. That’s just it, BD, you’re perfect. And I’msonot. I’m a hot mess, I put my foot in my mouth constantly, I’m barely sufficient at thisadultingthing, and you’re over there keeping people safe, shouldering real responsibility, and I’m just not good enough for you. By any standard. And if it wasn’t for Petal…” I swallowed hard, breaking the eye contact because it was just too raw and too damn much.

“Don’t hide from me, princess.”

His fingertips on my chin were gentle but persistent as heurged me to look up at him. I resisted at first—let’s add petulant to my list of less-than-fine qualities—but he stayed patient, gentle. Finally, I conceded and looked up again.

His gaze was smoldering hot enough to put that cartoon guy toshameand send another wave of hot need tingling straight to my clit.

“If it wasn’t for Petal,” he started slowly, letting his fingertips trail lightly down the front of my throat until his grip was a loose collar around my neck, “it might have taken us a little longer of circling to figure things out, sure. We’re both too stubborn for our own good.”

I snorted at that. He wasn’t wrong.

“But we were drawn together because we’re mates—meant to be, blessed by the Moon Goddess. If the legends are to be believed, you hold the other half of my soul.”

That made me shiver for a different reason. I’d heard the legends, sure. But was it true? Was he quite literally my other half? The only one who could make me whole?

He continued, unaware of my mental gymnastics. “Petal or no Petal, I was always going to find you. Because you’re mine. And because you’re exactly what I need. And hopefully, in time, you’ll see that I’m exactly what you need too.” His thumb stroked the side of my throat, and I bit back a moan.

My wolf was on high alert. She was dominant, but something about our male being just that little bitmoredominant really did it for her. For me. I wanted him to take that choice, take control. Make me his so thoroughly I couldn’t ever deny that we were meant to be again.

Because the truth was, I already knew. He was everything I’d never dared dream I could deserve. When you grew up being told you were a mutt, a worthless half-breed barely fit to hold a wolf, let alone to belong, tomatter… having someone as perfect as Gael be your mate was intimidating.

I didn’t feel worthy. I felt ashamed. Ashamed of my past, ofmy alcoholic mother, my unknown wolf father who’d abandoned me. Ashamed of the fact that I’d been dumped by an asshole like Marcus. Ashamed that I was pregnant and broke, working among humans for barely more than minimum wage.

Shame was so deep under my skin, it was practically part of my DNA.

So how could he not see it? How did it not look like one of those red capes in front of a raging bull, a blinking neon sign saying, “Reject me because I’m not good enough?”

He was silent, studying me as he waited for an answer. And I, the girl who was never shy of words, who hadtoo manywords, couldn’t think of a damn thing to say.

“I already know,” I admitted, then bit my bottom lip. “I already know you’re everything I need. I’m just not sure I’m brave enough to take what I want.”

His lips lifted into a slow, sultry grin, his grip on my throat tightening just a little as he towed me forward. “All you have to do is let go. Do you trust me?”

Gael’s eyes were so fierce, his wolf’s glow lighting me up in more ways than one. I wanted him, wild and free and giving me every scrap of warrior’s strength he was holding back right now.

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