Page 76 of The Wolf King's Mate

“Unlike me, my father was able to think rationally when there was a risk to my mother. He was more violent than I am, but my reactions have been much worse than his were. I think sealing the bond eases up on those instincts. I remember the way his scent was woven through hers even when they hadn’t been together in weeks, so that might be part of it. I’m not entirely sure.”

So it was a theory, but one he had evidence in favor of.

I bit my lip harder. “How do you feel about not sealing the mate bond under the next full moon?”

“Not a chance.”

I sighed. “Enzo…”

“Princess, I’d prefer to give you more time, but my wolf is fucking obsessed, and my pack and my city need to come first. I can’t give them the time and attention they need while I’m this out of control because of the mating shit going on here.”

My argument deflated, slowly but surely.

With the way we’d been talking, I’d actually started to feel like he mightlikeme. I shouldn’t have let myself forget that he was only there because his wolf didn’t give him another choice. And that I was only there because neither of them had given me a choice.

“Alright, fine,” I said quietly. “We’ll seal the bond so you can focus again. I understand.”

“Thank you. I know you’re pissed with how things have gone, but I hope we can be friends. This might not be the mate bond you always wanted, but there’s no going back for either of us. It’ll be better if we can get along.”

“I never wanted a mate bond. I just wanted?—”

“Freedom,” he said.

I blinked.

“You told me you wanted to be a bird when you were high on pain pills. Because birds are free.”

Ah.

Lovely.

“I thought I dreamed that,” I said.

More like IhopedI had dreamed it.

“You didn’t. I already talked to my brothers about it.”

“About me being high?”

“No, about you being free. After the bond is sealed, you’ll have a car. You can get a job doing whatever you want in town, after you clear it with me. As long as it’s not at a sex club or something. I wouldn’t handle that well.” He glanced at me.

I rolled my eyes at him.

“You’ve already got your own bank account. Hunter put it together for you, under your new name,” Enzo added.

“New name?”

“Savage.”

Wow.

I’d forgotten that the wolves had a law in place that made their mate bonds with humans work the same legally as weddings.

Aspen Savage.

That would definitely take some time to get used to.

“You’ll have a guard,” he added. “That’s nonnegotiable, but you’ll like him.”

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