Page 328 of Warlords, Witches & Wolves

I clenched my jaw. Even though she barely knew Joan, it still made me uneasy introducing her to this world. What if I planted ideas in her head? But I had to trust she was different.

Mia was now officially my mate. That had to count for something.

“Blood. The curse compels the hunter to not just kill shifters but drink the blood. Although the compulsion is weaker while the curse is dormant. The blood provides heightened abilities and near immortality. That addictive power, combined with the curse, makes a hunter kill again and again.”

I could almost see the wheels turning in her mind. I slid my hand over her hip, drawing her closer.

“That hunter wants your blood?”

“Once maybe. This hunter and I have a history. Now he’s out for revenge.”

She gasped. “What happened?”

I turned one of his own against him.“We got the upper hand a few months ago and helped another pack capture him, but…he escaped.”

Mia lay her head on my shoulder, snuggling in close. “That’s why you were so freaked out at the waterfall.”

“Not for me. For you.” I kissed the top of her head. “Anyone who knows about the shifter world is in danger. I want you to stay with me until it’s safe.”

She thought for a moment before nodding. “I get it now.”

“And stay out of the woods, especially at night.”

“I will.” She covered a yawn and her eye lids drooped.

“C’mon. Let me take you to bed.”

I climbed off the couch and pulled on my jeans, before lifting her and the blanket into my arms. I carried her upstairs and tucked her into bed. She wiggled to one side, and I lay there on top of the covers until she fell asleep. I should check in with my brothers, but I couldn’t get my legs to walk back down the stairs.

Instead, I lay there awake for what seemed like hours while Mia slept beside me. Why didn’t I feel better? I’d told her what I was and warned her about the hunter, yet, the lead weight in my chest remained. Thanks to the mating bond, my need to be near her was so strong I couldn’t think of anything else.

First thing in the morning, I’d tell her. She deserved to know.

A wolf howled in the forest behind Mia’s house, interrupting my thoughts. I recognized the call. As quietly as I could, I slipped out of bed and pulled the covers over her shoulders before softly kissing her temple. At the bedroom door, I looked back at her asleep in the bed. My heart swelled. She was here. We were together. For the first time in a long time, maybe things would be okay.

I tiptoed down the stairs, shoved on my shoes and slipped out the back door, jogging to the forest.

Liam stood beside a thick tree trunk with his hands in the pocket of his jeans.

“How’d it go with M—” Liam’s nostrils flared with a deep rise of his chest. His eyes widened. “Whoa. You mated with her?”

Was it that obvious?

“Holy fuck. That’s one way to tell her. Did she already know?”

“About me being a shifter? Nope, she had no idea. About the mating bond? I haven’t raised it yet, but I presume not.”

Liam’s lips rolled inward forming a grim line. Once again, I wanted to deck him and remind him that he was my younger brother, not the other way around.

“Listen, I don’t need any shit about it. I know it wasn’t ideal. I didn’t exactly plan to complete the mating tonight, it just…happened. I’ll tell her everything in the morning.”

“What the universe wants, the universe gets.”

I craned my neck and stared at the shadowy forest canopy. “I’m beginning to believe that.”

I screwed up tonight. Even though Mia said she sensed our connection and agreed we’d waited long enough to be together, I still should’ve told her the ramifications of two mates having sex.

It sealed the mating bond forever.

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