Page 76 of Wolf Mate

My mouth went dry as the humming increased and the elevator shook harder. Raffe lifted me into his arms and stepped into the hallway of our floor. Like before, his touch soothed my blood, and it settled back into a high fizz.

He didn’t say anything as he carried me down the hallway and into the apartment. Once inside, he headed to my room, but I shook my head. I couldn’t handle having him in my room after what I’d learned. “Put me down.”

He immediately stopped and placed me on my feet. I blinked through my tears and saw concern all over his face.

“What’s wrong? Why are you so upset?” He reached out to touch my face.

I took a step back, though the yanking in my chest sprang to life, pissed that I’d put distance between us.

He dropped his hand, respecting my boundaries, and I almost hated him for it.

“Why do you want to be with me?” This time, my voice broke. I couldn’t hide the pain. The fizz thrummed so strongly that it would turn into a hum again at any second.

His brows furrowed. “What sort of question is that?”

“So the witches don’tclaimme? That’s not a good reason, Raffe.”

“What?” He shook his head. “Is that what Slade told you? Babe, that’s not it at all.”

It would’ve been nice to be able to smell a lie so I could tell him he stank. “Yousaid it! Down there! To your friends. Did you think I wasn’t listening?”

His shoulders sagged. “No. Shit. Sky, believe me, if that was the reason, I wouldn’tbewith you. Not like this. Not the way I want to. Being with you, even in secret, makes this harder for me … for both of us. I swear to you, even if you didn’t have whatever power you have, I’d want to be with you.”

Luckily, my fizz was so high I could read him—and he was being honest and raw. Unlike Slade, whose emotions could be construed in many different ways, Raffe was straightforward, leaving no doubts.

“I’m so sorry I made you think that.” He lifted his hands and winced, closing them. “That is the last thing I’d ever want to do.”

The vise around my chest loosened as I took in his kindness and transparency.

“Can I please fucking touch you now?” He bit his lip uncertainly.

I nodded, and he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me to his chest. His lips found mine, claiming me, and I opened wide, eagerly letting him in.

All the pieces of me that had felt fractured were slowly coming back together, thanks to him.

He groaned and pulled away, making me pout. He laughed. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to stop. But I need to know what happened and why you agreed to talk to him.”

I sighed. “Slade told me he discovered more information about my heritage.” I wasn’t supposed to share what I was with Raffe, but after the shit Slade pulled, I wasn’t sure if this wasanother way to manipulate or isolate me. And it’d be nice to see Raffe’s reaction.

“What do you mean?” He tilted his head. “How is that possible? If he learned something, he should have told everybody. We’re all trying to figure out what you are and how we can help you.”

“You are?” I had thought only Slade was helping me look for answers. Another piece of information that had been concealed from me, but at least Raffe was telling me now.

He nodded. “My dad and I are invested in figuring out what you are to help you control your magic. The other supernaturals are using their resources to find answers and will report back to us. If Slade knows something and is keeping it to himself, that’s a fucking problem. Where is he getting this information?”

Raffe was being honest with me, so I could reciprocate but the warning of not sharing the name of the book replayed in my head. If Slade found more answers, I needed him to be willing to tell me so I’d share enough to not prevent me from finding out more from them. “Some sort of coven history books. He’s been scouring it every night.”

“I bet he’s been reporting to Priestess Olwyn and they aren’t sharing.” Raffe huffed. “We’d heard rumors that she might have a coven library hidden here somewhere.”

I stepped toward Raffe again, needing to be closer. “Why does she have that power?”

“He didn’t tell you?” Raffe laughed humorlessly and placed his hands on my waist. “She’s on the university board.”

Of course she was. You’d think he would’ve shared that with me. “Nope. He didn’t.”

“That’s not surprising.” He wrinkled his nose. “But, babe, he’s probably saying that to get you to talk to him again.”

I nodded. “I figured that too, but what if he knows something new?”

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