Page 10 of Ensnared By the Werewolf

“What do I do for fun?”I repeat her question, and my cheeks burn.“I’m a cliché, but I’m a man who likes video games.”

Bel’s eyes glint with teasing.“What kind of video games?Do you spend days competing against twelve-year-olds?”

My laugh is easy.“Not days, and I have a group of adults I play with.Those twelve-year-olds are fierce competition.I like the party games so that I can talk to other people without having to wear a glamour.”

Belinda’s grin is warm and free from pity, as if I didn’t just confess a limitation.“You’ll have to teach me to play sometime.”

My throat swells.“I’d love to.”

8

Belinda

Coffee datesand gifted lunches every time I attempt to break his curse are how I get to know my soul mate.I’m trying my best not to get distracted from my task, but he’s sodistracting.Every moment together inspires temptation.I try to stick to facts instead of letting myself give in to temptation and lean into his space or touch him.

One of those facts is that he works in construction with other beings that require glamour in their everyday life.There’s a tiny surge of jealousy that the people Jack works with see him in his most honest form, and I haven’t, but I stuff down the inappropriate feeling.

“But you have a glamour,” I say, gesturing to his human form.“You could work anywhere you want, right?”

Jack grimaces.“This type of glamour isn’t cheap.If I wear it less often, I can stretch it further.”

“Oh,” I say, thinking of all the time we’ve spent chatting together.It never occurred to me that it was costing Jack to appear human around me.

“And I actually enjoy working there.My coworkers feel like… family.”Jack’s cheeks pinken.

“They’ve become your pack,” I say.

“Exactly.”The skin around his eyes crinkles.“It’s funny.In a lot of ways, my life is more promising now than before the curse.”

The look in his gold eyes is direct and heavy.“How so?”

“Well, I found one thing I didn’t know I was looking for.”

I bite my lip at his words.Jack changes the subject before I get too excited.

Too distracted.

There are moments where our hands touch or gazes meet that leave me blushing.I make a clumsy advance, or two, or three, asking him to come up to my apartment over the shop, but he resists.I may be waiting to address the fact that we’re mates until after the curse is broken, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want him.

“I can’t, Bel,” he says.

“Why?”

“I don’t want what we have to be tainted by my curse.You deserve the best of me, not to be pawed at because my wolf wants to devour you.It’s already a struggle to remain civilized around you.”

My body sways toward him.“I wouldn’t mind being—”

“Not yet, Belinda.Please.”

I nod.We have the rest of our lives together.I just need to break Jack’s curse.But the days pass, and I don’t know how realistic breaking the curse is anymore.The cloud of disappointment and sadness over Jack seems to grow with every failure.

“You’ve been trying your hardest for weeks, Bel.I don’t want to waste your time if this is a fool’s errand,” he says.

“Waste my time?You are not a waste of time.You’re my—” I shake my head.“You’re mine.”

The words are accurate without revealing more than Jack’s ready to accept.The expression on his human-appearing face is full of vulnerability.

“You’ve tried so many methods.Why can’t we just try the one you mentioned when we first met?”he asks.

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