Page 128 of Red's Beast

Is that so hard?His breath is hot against my throat.Just like this, and you will be all mine in a matter of seconds. One bite and it begins.

His teeth graze my neck and shoulder, sending a shiver down my spine. He feels me trembling and huffs out another breath.Excited, aren't you? Is that you giving in?

Am I giving in? Isn't my wolf going to fight? So far, she's allowed him to do all this without putting up a fight and it makes me wonder what will happen next.

He drops the rest of his weight on top of me as he pushes his nose against my neck and licks me.I take it you are okay with this, since you haven't said a word. I promise I'll be good to you and things will be different. The man you knew before will never surface again. I acted like that because of my father and it was how he expected me to be. You'll see.

My wolf doesn't move and my eyes slide close as he drags his teeth across my throat.

I hear a sickening crack and he slides off of me, falling off to the side on the ground.

"Lillian, I swear to goodness, I won't always be here to save your backside. You all are almost too fast for this old lady."

I shift into my human form, rolling on to my back and glancing over at Corbin, who is laid out on the ground, unconscious. "Oh, my gosh. You arrived right in time."

Sighing, relief flows through me and I become calmer. Grandmother smiles as she squats down and checks his vitals.

"He'll be out for a while. We should go home. As I said, I won't always be here to save your backside. You need to be more careful." She eyes me, shooting me a look. “This could have ended badly and you know it.”

"Grandmother, I don't control the wind." I huff out a breath as I sit up and glance over at Corbin. “One sniff was all it took to push us over.”

"The wind isn't the problem. It is the scent it carries with it. You are in control of that." Her brows raise as she scolds me. “Control your scent. You probably smelled like lust and want.”

My cheeks heat with embarrassment. "That was all my wolf. I was in there trying to calm her down, but she refused to listen to me. So, I don’t quite control my scent, either."

Sure, blame me. You had no part in it, right? You forget we are one and the same. Deep down, somewhere, you are okay with him claiming you. If beasty wasn't available, you'd settle for him.

No, that can't be the truth. I refuse to believe that.

Believe what you will. We both know it.

Closing my eyes, I collapse to the ground with a huff. It’s a thought I’m scared to admit, but I guess what she says is true. If the beast didn’t exist, I’d settle for what was available just to feel something other than all the abuse I endured.

Even if it meant being with the one who abused me, but says he’d change.

How stupid am I?

Corbin’s words are sweet, but I have no guarantee of him being different.

Grandmother shakes her head. "Arguing with your wolf?"

"Yes, because she says if it wasn't for Lucian, I would take Corbin as my mate without a doubt. I don't know whether or not to believe her." I throw my arm over my eyes and lie there for a moment, trying to ground myself. "She has to be losing it."

The only problem is I know I’m lying to myself and Grandmother.

Grandmother clears her throat, making me peek out from under my arm. "Child, if Lucian was not around, then Corbin would be the next available male who was dominant enough. As much as I hate to admit it, she is right. He is what's here and available. That does not mean he's right for you, though. You'd be settlingand I seriously doubt you would have ever been fated to this moron to begin with. This is why I told you the choice is yours all this time. Yes, the curse affected what I could say, but it also was your choice. Are you going to save the pack by mating with Corbin and sticking to what is familiar, or are you going to choose your destiny and the unknown?"

“I get it now, but I sure didn’t at first. This has always been my choice. I can either succumb to the past and live in what is comfortable, or step out and take my destiny by force. This mating fever, though, is not easy to fight. I’m not sure how I’m even going to get myself out of this. Lucian will be devastated if he gets to leave and return to the woods without breaking his curse.”

She's quiet for a moment and I sit up, looking at her sternly. The look she's giving me means she knows something and probably won't tell, but I ask anyway.

"What is it? Is there a way out of it if Corbin were to bite me?"

She shakes her head. "It hasn't been done in a long time, but if he were to die, that would solve everything, especially since Lucian is your fated mate."

I glance over at Corbin and sigh. "I won't call for his death yet, but I guess we should head inside and do more research on how to get to this other realm.”

“Sadly, he is needed to open said realm, but you won’t find what you need in those books. He has to know magic.”

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