Page 28 of Billionaire Wolf Needs a Maid

"Yes." His voice was rough with emotion. "I'm sorry, Nina. I should have told you everything before."

"Before you claimed me as your mate?"

He flinched at my blunt words. "Yes."

I studied him carefully, seeing him with new eyes. The predatory grace I'd attributed to his athletic build, the intensity I'd blamed on his genius. It all made sense now. He wasn't just a billionaire with a temper. He was literally part wolf.

I studied the sharp angles of his face, the tension in his jaw. He looked simultaneously more human and less than I'd ever seen him, vulnerable and powerful all at once. My heart ached with the complexity of it all, with the weight of this moment that would forever divide my life into before and after.

"Show me," I said suddenly.

"What?"

"Your wolf. If I'm going to be bound to you forever, I want to see all of you."

Dean stared at me for a long moment, and I watched in fascination as his hazel eyes changed, gold spreading from his pupils like honey in warm tea. My heart pounded, not from fear, but from the raw power radiating from him. The mark on my neck pulsed in response.

"Not here. Not like this," he said, voice rough with restraint. His fingers flexed at his sides, and I sensed he was holding something back. "When the time is right, I'll show you everything. I don't want to overwhelm you more than I already have."

"You think seeing your wolf form would be more overwhelming than finding out I'm supernaturally bound to you for eternity?" I asked, trying to lighten the moment.

His lips twitched. "Point taken."

I let him pull me close, breathing in his familiar scent that now held new meaning. "I'm processing," I admitted. "It's a lot to take in. But I'm not running away screaming, if that's what you're worried about."

His arms tightened around me, and I felt his relief wash through our new bond like a warm wave. "I can feel your confusion, your fear." He pressed his face into my hair, inhaling deeply in a way that seemed distinctly wolf-like. "But also your acceptance. How are you so calm about this?"

I laughed softly, the sound slightly hysterical. "Maybe I'm in shock." I pulled back to look at him, really look at him. "Maybe I'm just tired of normal. My whole life has been about playing it safe, doing what's expected. Moving to the city was the first real risk I'd ever taken. Then I met you, and everything changed. Finding out you're a wolf shifter is just one more extraordinary thing about you."

A warm, glowing sensation flowed through my chest, liquid gold threading through my veins and settling in my bones. It was as if someone had wrapped my soul in velvet. It was soft, warm, and impossibly intimate. Each pulse of the connection brought new awareness, from the steady rhythm of his heartbeat echoing in my mind, to the fleeting ghosts of his emotions coloring my thoughts in shades I'd never known existed. It wasn't my feeling, or at least, not entirely. Through this strange new connection, I could sense Dean's relief washing over me.

"Oh," I gasped, pressing a hand to my heart. "Is that it?"

"The bond," Dean confirmed softly. "You're feeling what I feel. And I feel what you feel. It takes some getting used to."

"It's like a warm blanket on a cold day," I tried to explain, "but the warmth starts in my heart."

"That's a surprisingly accurate description." His eyes softened, and a wave of tender affection rippled through our connection."Nina," he breathed my name like a prayer, his voice carrying a growling undertone that made me shiver. "My mate."

Part of me wanted to lose myself in his arms again, but there were still things we needed to discuss. "You have to tell me everything," I said firmly, channeling some of that determination that had gotten me through my first day in his chaotic penthouse. "No more secrets. If I'm going to be bound to a wolf shifter for eternity, I need to know what I'm getting into."

Dean nodded solemnly. "Everything," he promised. "But first, let me get Jenkins to clean up this coffee, and then we should probably put on some actual clothes."

I glanced down at his shirt barely covering my thighs and blushed. "Right. Clothes first, life-altering supernatural revelations second."

His laugh was rich and warm, rumbling through his chest where I was pressed against him. For the first time since I'd overheard his conversation, I felt truly at peace with what had happened. Whatever being Dean's mate meant, whatever challenges lay ahead, I knew in my heart I was exactly where I was meant to be.

Even if where I was meant to be was bound forever to a grumpy billionaire wolf shifter who'd failed to mention that rather important detail before biting me.

"Jenkins," Dean called out, still holding me close. "Clean up this mess, and hold all my calls. My mate and I need to talk."

"Of course, sir," Jenkins replied dryly. "Shall I also research couple's counselors who specialize in supernatural relationships? I hear communication is key, especially when one partner has failed to mention their species before mating."

I couldn't help it, I burst out laughing. Dean growled at his AI's sass, but I felt his amusement through our bond.

This wasn't how I'd expected my morning to go, but then nothing about Dean Nightfang had ever been expected.

Chapter 12

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