Page 98 of The Wolf King's Mate

“I’m well aware that I fill that role, Princess,” he growled.

I pushed him away, and he reluctantly released me. “You don’t need to tell me things. I don’t need to know when you’re coming back, or what you’re doing. But you don’t get to be frustrated with me for not knowing things you choose not to share.”

He shoved a hand through his hair. “Fine.”

“I’m going for a run. Some bastard made rules against me shifting at night.”

His gaze flashed liquid gold as his wolf filled his eyes. “You’ll have lunch with me first.”

My wolf tossed her head in annoyance. She was on Enzo’s side most of the time, but at that moment, she was as frustrated as I was about sleeping alone without hearing from our mate.

“I already ate.” I slipped out the door.

Part of me waited for the king to chase me. Stop me. Pin me to the wall and tell me he couldn’t stop thinking about me when we were apart. Say that he would add me to his enforcer’s group chat. That he would let me know when he was going to be home the next time.

He didn’t.

And even though I knew his night had probably been hell, I couldn’t offer him support. I wasn’t emotionally available at the moment, and he had made it clear he wasn’t interested in having that with me.

We were just friends.

I wasn’t even sure if we were going to be that, most of the time. Maybe just people who screwed once a month and shared mating bites. I was just going to have to be okay with that.

I stripped out of my clothes and shifted when I reached the forest, leaving them in a pile by a tree. When I gave my body to my wolf, relief cushioned me, making me feel the freedom I ached so badly for.

Things were just easier when my wolf was in control.

Fletcher’s wolf caught up to mine at some point, and the beasts played together the way they hadn’t been able to since we were kids.

When we made our way back to the Lodge, I had to admit a small but significant truth to myself:

My new taste of freedom was worth dealing with Enzo a million times over.

seventeen

ENZO

We lostone of the rogue wolves.

My gut told me he would go rabid, and I knew I needed to stay out there to find him, but my wolf couldn’t handle being that far from his mate any longer. He wouldn’t eat or sleep without her.

I was too hungry and exhausted to fight him when he ran back to the Lodge.

After the shitshow that was meeting her parents, followed by the fight with her that could’ve obviously been avoided, I planned to let my wolf chase hers down. He was ready.

…as soon as we had enough food in us to think straight.

But when I sat down to eat a bowl of old, leftover pasta I found at the back of the fridge, exhaustion slowly set in.

I crashed on the table before I could finish.

I vaguely heardthe door as it clicked shut. I didn’t hear footsteps on the floor, and couldn’t convince myself to lift my head off the table.

Maybe no one was there.

A warm, smooth hand landed on my shoulder a moment later, proving me wrong. “Enzo?”

Aspen’s fingers slipped into my hair, and I tried to say something. It didn’t come out sounding like an actual word.

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