Page 85 of Fated to the Wolf Billionaire

“There’s one more thing I need to tell you.”

“Anything.”

“Male wolves have unique anatomy.”

I stayed silent, thinking back to our night together and the fact that while it was excellent, I hadn’t noticed anyuniquefeatures to his anatomy.

“During a rut.”

“Umm, okay.” Rut was sounding more and more interesting all the time, and I’d have been lying if I said I wasn’t curious about what other things brought it on.

“It’s called a knot. It helps ensure pregnancy. When the time comes.”

The image of a knot tied in a long, straight rope that came to mind was… intriguing. My brain was doing a lot of mental gymnastics with that tidbit, sidelined only by the fact that my big strong alpha wasblushing.

It was too fucking cute. I laid my free hand over his, stopping him mid-rub so I knew I had his full attention.

“If it’s part of you, it’s nothing to be embarrassed about. You’ve accepted all the parts of me. This is no different.”

He nodded but didn’t say anything else about it, and I decided to let it drop for the moment. If it only happened during rut, we had plenty of time to discuss it in more detail when this wasn’t all so new.

His phone beeped in his pocket, a tone I hadn’t heard before. He pulled it out to check and sighed.

“Carmine’s lackey is in the lobby sooner than I expected, requesting to see me. Word travels fast in Vegas. Stay here and relax? Then we can resume our practice after I deal with him.”

“Absolutely.” My words were languid, my body boneless from his ministrations despite the awkward topic of conversation. It was a lot to take in, but I’d meant what I said. If he could accept me for all my differences—many would say flaws—I had no intention of judging him for his differences. It sounded like I’d enjoy them, actually.

“Excellent. This shouldn’t take long, but the fridge is fully stocked if you get hungry.” He kissed me, barely more than a brief, firm press of lips, but I was still panting when he walked away.

I stayed on the lounge for a while, languidly considering all the new information Reed had just shared. But as time ticked by, I got bored even with the stunning view. And then it hit me.

I had an empty suite, an insanely cool shower to provide all the water I could need, and a theory to test with the mystery book.

Anticipatory tingles raced along my skin as I rose, tugging the book free from my overnight bag, and carrying it into the enormous bathroom.

There was the giant golden tub, two sinks in the vanity, and the enormous shower.

The tub was too risky; the water thing was just a theory, and if I was wrong and dropped it into the bath, I could ruin the book before I learned anything from it. The sink was hard because dunking it under the faucet or splashing it also seemed stupid.

The shower, though, had a steam function. I could turn it on low, get it steamed up, and then just sit inside with the book. Water in the air, but not so much as to pose a huge risk.

It was the best idea I had, so I quickly poked the control panel for the shower, turning on the steam function, plus the fun twinkle light show I’d discovered earlier.

May as well have fun with it,I thought with a grin as I stepped inside and shut the glass door behind me.

But once the decision was made, I found myself hesitating as I sat cross-legged on the cool shower floor with the book on my lap. The gentle steam in the air was already making me feel flushed, my hair curling around my face in the increased humidity. But when it came right down to it, the book was supposed to be a tool to help. The first time I touched it, nothing bad had happened other than a blue arm.

Given we were in a warlock-owned hotel surrounded by magical security, this seemed like the safest place around to do the experiment.

I flipped open the book with my unmarked right hand, remembering the book’s preference. The strange symbols inside were still a mystery, and I gently thumbed the pages to the right. Other than a slight tingle zinging up my arm at the contact, they still didn’t budge.

Blowing out a breath in the steamy air, I laid my hand back over the blank spot inside the cover, and closed my eyes to focus on that blue stream of power I’d used to communicate with the book the first time.

To my surprise, it came quickly, almost eagerly. When I blinked against the sudden burst of blue, I saw that my arm had fully turned, blue skin disappearing under the short sleeve of my T-shirt.

Okay, so either the waterwashelping or now that I’d called the powers on purpose in Neftheim, maybe I was just getting better at it? Hard to say. Whatever caused it, the blue ripples of power had practically leapt to answer my call, which was as gratifying as it was terrifying.

“But how do I open you, little book?” I murmured the question aloud, staring down intently at the symbols on the front page.

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