Page 78 of Moon Kissed

“Still, you shouldn’t have come. The Tweedles are going to smell your scent in my room, and report it to Dagem. She’ll just rain even more punishment on you.”

Paxton gave me that crooked, wicked grin—shooting my internal temperature up ten degrees. “I know what they’ll smell, and I know what she’ll do. I just don’t give a shit. I’m a grown man. I’ll take my licks like one.

“Seriously, yummy, when are you going to stop worrying about me?”

My cheeks caught fire. “Stop calling me yummy!”

“Stop liking it when I call you yummy.”

I twisted and went directly for my bed, leaving his laughing butt behind. “I’m exhausted,” I announced. “I’m getting some sleep while that wind demon is in class. Although, he’ll probably be able to sense it from there, and send the winds anyway.”

“Edric can’t sense when you’re awake or asleep,” Paxton said, coming over. “He’s not Santa Claus. He just waits until you turn your lights out.”

I froze, blinking dumbly at my pillow. The truth of that was so frickin’ obvious, I could’ve died from embarrassment right then. “It’s the lack of sleep. It’s dropped my IQ one hundred points.”

“Uh-huh.” His knowing smirk deepened my humiliation. Is this what it’s like to be around your soulmate? To constantly feel like the other sees right through to your soul?

If yes, then it sucks.

“Sleep,” Paxton said. “I’ll keep watch. Neither the winds nor the Tweedles will mess with you.”

Tears sprung to my eyes, and that was it—the cherry on top of my most humiliating day. I was prepared to be attacked, shamed, bullied, and put down every day that I walked the academy. But I didn’t think what would finally make me cry... was kindness.

“You’re doing all this for those sexual favors, aren’t you?”

“Absolutely and without shame.”

I laughed as I wiped my eyes. Laughing—another thing I’d never thought I’d do within these walls.

“Thank you.”

Paxton just smiled as he reclaimed his seat on the armchair. No more words needed to be said.

Because I passed out before my head hit the pillow.

THAT NIGHT, I WAS WIDEawake after passing out for a solid nine hours.

When I awoke, Paxton was gone, the Tweedles were standing outside my door, and a plate of chicken fingers and fries rested on my nightstand. I assumed the Tweddles used their beta powers to convince him to leave, but that didn’t stop Paxton from coming back and bringing me dinner.

The tiniest smile tugged at the corner of my mouth as I pulled the plate on my lap and started eating. And that was a problem.

I couldn’t like Paxton.

I couldn’t like Paxton because that would lead to mating with Paxton. My wolf would make sure of that. And I couldn’t mate with Paxton because if there was one thing that would screw everything up worse than all—it was completing the bonds.

This wasn’t true for every mate and every bond, but for the truly strong bonds, mates are connected through their souls, and their minds. The gist being that those buggers would be able to see into my mind...

...and discover everything.

The truth of what Castor did. The reason I ripped his throat out. Why I abandoned Wolf Nation. And why I came back to burn it all down, and build my throne on its ashes.

Of course, one could say I’m being overly cautious. How did I know our bonds would be so strong that our minds would become linked? For most wolves that wouldn’t be the casebecause Luame’s first choice mates are whoever will produce the strongest offspring.

As everyone knows, you can have strong, beautiful babies with someone, and that doesn’t stop them being a raging asshole. A bond that’s based on the physical connection alone never gets stronger.

But a bond with someone that is your true love and equalalwaysgets stronger until you’re sharing everything—body, soul, and mind.

For a long time, I hoped my connection with Paxton, Orion, Edric, Nyx, and Badr was the first one. That Luame was just throwing some hot guys at me so that our babies would be supermodels. But as months, and months, and months went by and our incomplete bonds didn’t fray a single thread, I knew the wolf jerk in the sky screwed me.

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