Page 60 of The Wolf Prince's Mate

“Exactly.”

“Most people don’t know that our mother was like you, though.”

“It’s common gossip at this point. It’s not a stretch when you think about how fast Enzo claimed Aspen.”

“That’s not why he did it.”

“I know. The general population doesn’t.” She took the soap from me so she could wash her front, and closed her eyes when I started working shampoo into her scalp. “Fuck, Savage.”

“Is that an invitation?”

She laughed. “No.”

“Damn.”

She swatted my arm, and I stepped closer so my covered erection was against her backside. Lowering my lips to her soapy shoulder, I dropped a kiss to her skin before I stepped away again, giving her space.

“Thanks for getting me out of the bush,” she murmured, as I rinsed shampoo from her hair. Water fell over her skin, too, erasing the soap completely.

“Any time. If you ever want to talk about it, I’ll listen.”

“Thanks.”

As soon as we were done cleaning her skin, I helped her dry off and swap her wet brace for the fresh one Sydney had left by the door at my request.

We eased one of my T-shirts over her head and tied her hair up in a bun before I helped her get to my bed. The woman was so exhausted, she didn’t even protest.

Something within me settled as I watched her burrow under the blankets.

“No snuggling,” she mumbled.

“I was going to sleep on the couch.”

She made a nonsensical noise, and my lips curved upward.

She was safe and comfortable.

We could figure everything else out later.

eleven

NOVA

I didn’t feeldisoriented when I woke up in Clay’s bed. I just felt comfortable.

Which was odd, because I had never been in his house before. I had known it was separate from the Lodge, and I’d known the general location, but he’d never invited me over.

At least he wasn’t in bed with me when I got up.

I could vaguely remember him saying something about sleeping on the couch, so I peeked up out of the blankets. The bedroom door was closed, blocking my view of wherever he was.

Damn.

I lifted my hand to rub the grit from my eyes, wincing when I picked the wrong arm and ended up bumping my broken one. It was healing, but the healing seemed slower than usual. I definitely hadn’t eaten enough while my wolf was hiding in that bush.

And while it did sound appealing to disappear back inside her so I could get away from my problems, I knew Clay wouldn’t letme. He’d drag my ass back into that shower and use the water to force me back into my skin.

So I was just going to have to deal with the dark shit I’d been through.

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