Page 68 of Forced Plus-Size Mate

“Amanda!” Lucy cries, then quickly quiets down so the wolves don’t hear. “How could you even consider this? Don’t you know what you mean to Body?”

I sigh, looking back up at her. “I am beginning to understand, yes. But he’s best friends with Bae, always byhis side. The training with the young wolves is practically his lifeblood. I’m the thing that threatens it.”

“I don’t like this,” Lucy groans. “You’re making excuses.”

“No, I’m not.”

“You are! You’re still afraid to let yourself love him, and you’re grasping at straws to find a good excuse to leave.”

“People are dead!” I shout. “Bonds between packs have been broken! I’m not making shit up—this is real!”

“And do you really think if you go, Decker and Kelta will just make nice and come back to us as full-on besties?”

“They would at least have a chance for peace if we weren’t here,” I say miserably. I finish my cake and wash it down with strong iced tea. My headache seems to have gotten worse, with pressure throbbing behind my eyes.

“You need to hold on, Amanda,” Lucy says, grabbing my hand. “Do you remember how desperate I was to get away from Peter? Look at us now. We can’t live without each other. You’ve loved Body your whole life. Don’t let him down now.”

My eyes burn as tears threaten to fall, but I wipe them away. “I don’t want to hurt him. And that’s exactly why I can’t decide what to do.”

“Well, even if you decide to do something stupid, don’t expect the other witches to follow you.”

I frown. “What do you mean by that?”

“They have spread out between the packs, all twelve of them. They are looking for mates. Everyone pretty much has their powers back, so it’s not a selfish urge for those reasons, but all of them fully believe they have a match.”

“Some of the girls were with Silverton wolves,” I say. “That’s not going to end well.”

Lucy shrugs. “I’ve seen worse relationships succeed in this town. The point is, I don’t think they’ll go with you, Amanda. If you want to leave, don’t expect them to follow.”

Tears streak down my cheeks now, and I can’t stop them. “I’ve never felt so lost,” I whisper. “But at the same time, I’ve never been happier. Waking up with Body today was absolute bliss, until I remembered what happened at the party. How can we be together when it’s causing so much violence?”

Lucy rubs my arm, trying to comfort me. “We will work it out, I promise you. The love you have is true, and you have to believe in that.”

I shake my head, wiping away my tears. Behind me, I hear big, bounding paws slamming the ground, and I turn around to see Body charging at me. I wrap my arms around him as he leaps at me, throwing his paws across my shoulders.

He shifts in my arms, fur giving way to soft skin and his eyes changing from pale amber to dark brown sepia. He stretches out across my lap, breathing hard after his run.

“Had fun, babe?” I ask.

He nods, grinning.

“Here,” Lucy says, tossing a coat at him. “At least put this over you. I don’t think I’m ever going to get used to the casual nudity.”

Body laughs. “You’d better. We try to keep ourselves covered, you know that, but it’s not always possible.”

“I seem to recall it was still somewhat of an issue back in high school?” I say, raising an eyebrow.

“That’s different,” Body says seriously. “We play around as wolves all our lives, but then, suddenly puberty hits and… well, our perception of each other’s bodies rapidly changes. I think it takes at least five years for us to grow out of it.”

“Well, I’m not complaining,” I say, running my hand across his bare chest.

“I’m going to leave you two to talk,” Lucy says, giving me a look. “Come up to the schoolhouse a bit later to help out, if you can.”

Body gives her a mock salute, and I just sit quietly, running my fingers through his short, dusky-gold hair. It’s so soft, the sensation of it sliding against my skin is almost mesmerizing.

“I love it when you do that,” he murmurs, closing his eyes and tilting his head back in my lap.

“Good, because I love doing it,” I answer, running a hand down his cheek, then back up to tease his scalp.

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