Page 45 of In the Mouth of the Wolf

Maybe that was because things weren’t official yet.

“What about the bonding?” I asked.

Archer and Camden looked at each other, and then Archer cleared his throat. “There’s no rush on that either.”

I shrank into my seat. “Because you guys want time to figure out if you really want me?”

Camden clicked his tongue in frustration. “Babe, nowthatis the stupidest fucking thing I’ve ever heard. I’ll pull over right now and bite you if you want.”

“I – wait, bite?” I asked.

Camden nipped at me playfully and I yelped.

“Thank you, Camden, for that wonderful demonstration,” Archer said, rolling his eyes. He returned his focus towards me, brushing a piece of my hair from my forehead. “There’s still a lot for you to learn about shifters, and I want to make sure you understand everything before going forward. Bonding is done through bite. For regular pack mates, it’s a meaningful, soul-changing experience. For alphas and omegas, though? It’s more…”

His hand gestured in the air as he tried to find the word.

“Erotic,” Camden chimed in.

I drew a sharp breath and Archer sighed. “Yes, thank you. So you see, while we’re all very, um,willing, to bond with you, we want you to focus on recovering.”

Camden chuckled. “Oh, I am more than willing. I am literally aching to sink my...”

“Camden!” Archer snapped.

I placed a hand on my throat, my chest tightening. Arousal pulsed through my veins, but my mind still defaulted to its factory setting –engaged to Mike –dampening my desire with shame and guilt. I needed to start learning how to submit to my attraction, and not let it feel like a betrayal.

Camden cleared his throat and placed a hand on my knee, squeezing it gently. “But yeah, I can wait until you’re ready.”

We pulled up to his house, and after he and I exited, Archer slid over into the driver’s seat. “I’ll see you in a bit. Try to prioritize your healing, okay?”

He headed back to Paul’s house, and Camden whistled as the vehicle disappeared back up the road. “That really is a cool truck. Anyway…” He turned toward me and scooped me up into a bridal carry.

I laughed, my legs kicking in the air. “I can walk, you know!”

“I don’t care, I just want to hold you.”

He brought me inside and up the stairs, finally placing me down inside a spacious bathroom, the heated tile floors feeling heavenly on my filthy, bare feet.

“I’ll be right back with a towel and some clothes.”

I avoided my reflection in the mirror, not wanting confirmation on what a hot mess I must have looked like.

As soon as Camden left, I peeled off the dress and jumped into the shower, sliding the frosted glass door closed. The hot water seeped straight to my bones, my worries circling down the drain with the dirt and dried blood that sluiced off my skin.

I raised my hands in front of my face, turning them over and remembering what they looked like as paws, while flashes of my trek through the forest ran through my mind.

Holy shit… I can turn into a wolf.

I closed my eyes and tried to feel her out where she rested inside of me. It was like I could see her – curled up and passed out, still exhausted from our first shift.

Camden knocked, and my wolf’s tail began to wag slightly, one eye opening in curious interest, before falling back asleep. I came back into myself when he entered. “Your stuff’s on the counter.”

I opened the shower door a crack and peeked my head out. His knuckles were cut and bruised from the attack, and my eyes wandered up his toned arms to his handsome face. His blue eyes were tired, but warm and inviting. A wave of his cardamom and cedar scent hit me like a freight train, and suddenly it wasn’t just water running down my legs.

“Do you want to join me?” I asked, slightly impressed by my own boldness.

Camden’s mouth opened in surprise, but it quickly closed and turned into a huge grin. “Fuck yeah, I do.”

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