Page 113 of Wolf Mate

I couldn’t stop myself from pressing my cheek into his palm. I’d been craving his touch for weeks. I could read the concern and fear swirling from him.

“But you never look at me anymore.” I hated how broken I sounded, my voice quivering so much that my words were barely understandable. The past two weeks had been atrocious. “And you’re always laughing.”

“It was an act to make things easier on you. I didn’t want to guilt you for ripping my fucking heart out.” His thumb brushedmy skin. “You said you didn’t want us to be together, and I was respecting that.”

My vision blurred, which pissed me off. I couldn’t see the perfectly sculpted face that had been haunting me. “You weren’t sure about us. I didn’t want to come between you and your pack and have you resent me. And Josie’s right—I’ll only be here for a short while compared to you, and I’ll get old. And we never discussed if there’s a way to make me one of you, and I didn’t want to force you—”

He laughed humorlessly. “If I could turn you, my wolf would’ve forced me to do it so our being different species wouldn’t be a problem. But our bite doesn’t turn humans, Sky. We can’t do that. All the stories got that part wrong, which is why getting involved with humans is forbidden. They can never be part of our world.”

That was my luck. “In other words, nothing can change between us. We’re doomed to stay apart.” The throbbing ache returned with a vengeance, and my blood surged with power.

“Everythinghas changed between us. If you walked away from me because I was unsure whether to risk everything to be with you, well I know without a doubt what my answer is. I can’t live without you. Iwon’tdo it—it’s pure agony. You’re fuckingitfor me. If my dad, my friends, and my people can’t accept that, screw them. I don’t care if we have only eighty years together—they’ll be the best of my entire life.” He lowered his forehead to mine, staring right into my soul.

My blood became a mere jolt, and my chest warmed with love and hope. “Even when I’m wrinkly and need to be wheeled around because I need new hips?” I wasn’t trying to be funny; I wanted to paint an accurate picture.

He laughed in that carefree way that was better than any song. “Shifters do live longer than humans, yeah, but we aren’t immortal. We live for two hundred years, max, so I won’t be asyoung looking as I am today. When you’re eighty, I’ll at least look fifty, so you won’t look like a complete cougar.”

I rocked back on my heels and almost fell over. I was so damn exhausted. But as I expected, he caught me.

“Let’s finish this talk after you rest,” he said then lifted me and carried me like a princess.

After all our time apart, I didn’t want to sleep. I wanted to enjoy being back in his arms and kiss him. This had to be a dream.

“It’s not a dream.”

His response made me realize that I must have said that last part aloud.

“You’re stuck with me.” He kissed my forehead again. “I’m never giving you a reason to push me away again.”

With that reassurance, I drifted off to sleep.

My body buzzedfrom the strong arms wrapped around me. I moaned, not wanting to wake up from this heavenly dream, and heard a soft chuckle.

Wait. I stiffened as what had happened earlier flooded my mind. I opened my eyes and saw Raffe’s face inches from mine. His eyes were fixed on me with that warmer blue I saw only when we were alone together.

“You’re here,” I breathed. This couldn’t be real. But even with this dreamlike sensation, something was off, like I was forgetting something important, but Raffe’s touch and smell forced the nagging sensation from my mind.

“I told you, there’s no getting rid of me now.” He smiled sweetly. “Especially since you broke up with me because I was hesitating, but I need you to know—I always knew the answerwas you. I was trying to come to grips with everything that might change for me, but seeing you walk away, and having to watch you with the witches every night, made me realize how stupid I was. I felt like I couldn’t breathe the entire time we were apart.”

My heart pounded. “What do you mean, watching me with the witches?”

He winced. “I probably should’ve kept that to myself, but yeah, every time you went into the woods and I wasn’t in class or training, I was out there, making sure you were safe. And let me tell you, I wanted to kick Slade’s ass every time he got near you, so that tells you how much I was respecting your decision. Thank fuck that’s over and I can punch him anytime he gets too close.”

All this time, I thought I’d been imagining the tingles, but Raffehadbeen watching me. “I made both of us miserable.”

“Yeah, but you gave me a much-needed wake-up call. I have no doubt at all anymore about what we are to each other, even though it shouldn’t be possible.” He tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. “Fuck everyone who tries to stand in our way.”

My eyelids fluttered, and I reveled in the warmth of his touch. “I’m sure more humans and wolf shifters would fall in love if it weren’t forbidden.” My stomach clenched, and my eyes popped back open. Shit. I hadn’t meant to say love, but now that I’d said it, I had no doubt that was what I felt for him. I’d been miserable and off balance without him.

“Love?” He smirked and arched a brow.

I groaned and slapped my palms over my face. Within hours of us getting back together, I had to go and drop theLbomb.

I peeked at him. “I mean, yeah, but you don’t have to say it back. I don’t want you to feel pressured. But I know I don’t want to live without you either, and I want to give you everything I have.” My face became uncomfortably hot as I held his gaze.

“You’re so adorable when you get flustered. I kinda want to see you like this more often.” He kissed me quickly and leanedback, serious now. “What we have is something most people would kill for. It’s so damn rare and special, and not even love describes what I feel for you. You own me, babe, my heart and my body, and you’re the other half of my soul. When I say I’ll kill anyone for hurting you and any man for touching you, I fucking mean it.”

That should have petrified me. Any normal person would be scared off. But I guessed it was a good thing I’d never been normal because everything he said—including the threats—thrilled me. “Are you saying we’re soul mates?” I could believe it. From that very first night when I’d run out of the woods into him, I’d felt safe and treasured around him.

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