Page 130 of The Wolf Prince's Mate

He let out a shaky breath against my shoulder. “Did you talk to my brothers?”

“I did. Do you want to know what I think?”

“Not particularly. But something makes me think you want to tell me.”

“I do.”

“Alright, Gorgeous. Shoot.”

“Your wolf isn’t insane,” I said bluntly.

Clay went still beneath me.

His grip tightened fractionally, then didn’t budge.

“He’s been in survival mode since your brothers attacked him, but that doesn’t make him crazy. That would scar any kid—and a wolf pup would be even more affected by the betrayal, because he can’t work through it mentally the way a human kid can.”

Clay didn’t say a word.

I didn’t even feel him take a breath behind me.

“He’s not crazy,” I repeated. “I see him looking through your eyes all the time. I think he lets you pretend you have him caged because he knows you don’t trust him. I think he could break through and take over any time he wanted, but he chooses not to. He doesn’t want to hurt you. He doesn’t want you to be any more afraid of him than you already are.”

There was a long pause.

“You know I can’t believe any of that, Gorgeous,” he finally said.

“I know. But I think you will eventually.”

Clay chuckled, but there was no humor behind it. “Something tells me you have a plan that I’ll hate.”

“If I did, I wouldn’t spoil it by telling you.” I took a bite of my food.

Clay didn’t do the same. “Just don’t try to make him shift, alright? I don’t trust him around you.”

“Respectfully, I’m going to do whatever the fuck I want, Savage. We’ve established that you’re not going to make me leave. You already announced that I’m your fiancée, too, so you’re not getting rid of me. If I want to ask your wolf to come out, I’m going to do it.”

He sighed heavily. “I should throw you into your car and push it through the damn gates.”

“Maybe if you weren’t still buried inside me, I’d consider you capable of that.”

He rumbled half-heartedly. His nose brushed my throat, and his lips followed. “If he ever tries to hurt you…”

“He can’t, and won’t,” I said emphatically. “If he does, I’ll leave.”

And that alone would be enough to prevent him from hurting me, even without a mate bond. He wanted me to stay close.

“One more thing,” I added.

Clay sighed again, and I bit back a grin.

“The full moon is two weeks from yesterday. We’re sealing our bond that day. Got it?”

He growled, tightening an arm around my waist. “You’re going to get yourself killed, Nova.”

“I’m going to save us both, actually. Put it in your calendar, fiancé.”

“I like hearing you call me that a hell of a lot more than I should,” he grumbled.

---