Page 24 of Mated

“You’re okay,” I reply. I know I probably walked in with a glowering expression, but that was because of Abel, not because of Kira. She is perfect. She will always be perfect. “Let’s have a nap together.”

She smiles. “That sounds good to me.”

As I approach the bed, she watches me with hungry eyes, her expression shifting from sweet happiness to something a little more carnal. I can scent her attraction almost immediately.

But I can’t fuck her right now. I don’t want to push her into a second shift this quickly. It’s not guaranteed that she will shift again the next time we mate, but I am not prepared to risk it.

I get into bed and find her warm and snuggly in her pink pajamas. They’re adorable on her, complete with the little business pocket that has never made any sense to anybody and yet persists regardless.

I wrap her in my arms and pull her close to me, sheltering her against my body.

I feel her squirm up against me, pushing her curves against my hard lines, looking for safety. She tucks her nose into my neck and breathes deeply, taking my pheromones inside her. As she exhales, I feel her relax.

This is the beautiful side of the horror of our kind. Once we find our mates, we bond practically immediately. The bond between Kira and I will never be broken.

But that doesn’t mean we don’t have to do the same work that human couples have to do. And it doesn’t mean I can keep her inthe dark. This is a good opportunity to educate her as to her true nature while she cuddles with me.

“So you wondered why the first you knew of your wolf nature was when we slept together,” I say.

“Mhm,” she says. “That was so weird.”

An understatement, to be sure.

“Male shifters start to experience their shifts around thirteen years of age. Females don’t shift until they are first mated. We don’t really know why. There are theories about it. Some say that it isn’t safe for a female to be in her wolf form until she is old enough to have already mated. It prevents unfortunate matings that might occur earlier, and confusion with wild beasts.”

“Well, those are disturbing thoughts.”

“They are, and both of them are avoided by the fact that a female shifter must find her mate in his human form first. It means she gets to truly choose the sex, and the mate while she has a brain that is able to function above the animal level.”

I feel Kira start to shiver next to me. Snuggling her against my body, I try to give her warmth and comfort.

“So I got to choose you? But it really didn’t feel like we were making a choice. It felt like I had no option but to…”

“I know. It’s an imperfect theory, but it does cover some of the more obvious pitfalls in mating strategy when you’re talking about people who are also creatures.”

“Mhm,” she says, cuddling closer.

“It is not easy to make the first shifts,” I say. “It is easier for males. Having it happen younger, to tissue that is still growing,means that the body adapts more easily. In your case, your body thinks it’s done changing, at least, in the sense of growing. But it will adapt and adjust. The pain you feel when shifting at the moment is temporary and completely normal.”

“Oh,” she mumbles. “Okay.”

She’s far too tired to listen, adorable, precious thing.

Kira sleeps for several hours. The day is slipping by, and I know we are supposed to be somewhere very soon, but I am not going to rush her. I will happily go to the conclave late, and Abel can learn what happens when he makes plans without consulting me.

I think she is having a beast type dream, judging by the little whimpers, yelps, and gasps she’s making in her sleep. I watch her rest indulgently, very much enjoying how it feels to love someone this deeply and this swiftly. I am looking forward to getting to know her.

While still half-asleep, she growls and nips at me. It’s not uncommon for shifters to exhibit behaviors in their human form that cross over with their animal body, especially in the early days. This is actually a good sign, though of course it is also an impudent act I will not tolerate for too long. For now, however, I will encourage it. Because it is fucking adorable.

I feel her blunt little teeth on my arm, gnawing lightly, her tongue lapping at me in between. She is having wild impulses, and it is my job to encourage them. In so many ways she clearlyhas not had any time to play, to explore herself, to learn what it means to be her.

It might be time for that second shift. And this time, perhaps she’ll be able to do it on her own, without a sexual prompting. It is very dangerous for one of our kind not to be able to control themselves, including the taking and shedding of forms. I had not planned on encouraging any shifting in the short term, but Abel’s eagerness has rather shortened the time frames at play here, and while I do not wish to rush my mate or exhaust her potentially limited capacity, she was made to do this.

Kira

I wake up with something firm and muscular in my mouth. For a moment, I don’t know what I am doing. Then I realize that it feels good to close my jaw and feel the way my teeth just slightly sink in…

“Easy,” a rough voice drawls.

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