Page 53 of Mate to the Alpha Predator

Wolfariane closed his eyes, fisted his fingers, and took two deep breaths to calm himself...to calm his other half. Now that the smell of fear has gradually faded from her, her scent was beginning to mess with his sanity.

His dick jerked, springing to life. Shit. Keeping his distance from her has not dulled the ache. It annoyed him greatly.

"Get down. Now." His tone was calmer, in contract to the inner battle he was fighting, but just as hard.

The wolf whined, needing her closer.

The mountain lion snarled, needing to get closer to her too...but for a different reason.

His cougar wants to kill his human mate.

Ismena allowed her eyes to open, feeling better. She straightened one leg, before the other one, gently finding her footing. "Thank you so much for c-coming to my rescu— WOAH...!" she gasped.

Her eyes took him in for the first time since they arrived in Naturiah three days ago. "Woah...your hair..." Not even a hair, this is a mane.

He has long silver-gold hair that went down his shoulders in straight strands. She has never seen such beautiful hair before. "Oh my God..." She raised her hand impulsively to touch it, but a glare from him paused her hand in the air.

She snatched her hand back and cleared her throat. "Your hair is so beautiful... It wasn't this color before."

"That was a wig. I do not wear my hair to the human world, for it will draw unnecessary attention to me."

And it will. The hair was too unusual. Too beautiful. The same color as his pelt in the half-shifted form he took when he carried her on his back as he fought danger, three nights ago. The memory made her shiver.

There's another thing. "Who clawed on your cheek?" There are three gashes there, as if an animal took a swipe at him. And it wasn't there when they arrived at Naturiah.

"What are you doing inside this forest, do you have a death wish?" He didn't shout, but his voice was a whiplash nonetheless.

"I w-was going crazy staying indoors all day, I needed to go out!" She answered bravely. Damn, the man is scary when he's angry, but she wouldn't let him rage at her like she's a child. "Eline was supposed to take me, but she hasn't been back in three days, I was bored out of my mind!"

"Better bored than dead. What were you thinking, female?" The scowl on his face blackened more.

Ismena winced and caved. She cleared her throat, "Look, you don't have to be so angry. Even I have realized what a mistake it is, coming out here alone. I know what it looks like, but I don't have a death wish...even if I'm dying."

He said nothing. Only frowned harder. Then, he turned and started walking away.

"I do not care if you have a death wish, Female. I will only appreciate it if you wait till you are out of my land before you exercise that wish, and I will also appreciate it if you stop getting into trouble."

She fell into steps with him, "Hyah! It's not as if I intentionally walk into trouble, alright? That boy could have killed me! I can see the hate in his eyes when he pursued me."

"Changelings do not like humans very much."

"Why?" She was almost running to keep up with him, even though he maintained a steady elegant stride.

"It is what it is."

"That is not an answer." She protested.

"Who taught you to run like that?"

"Oh, that? I'd say my instructor, but he only thought me how to fight, not how to run. I guess it was my survival instincts," she palmed her chest, rubbing it slowly, "My chest is beginning to burn, though."

"Do not faint on me, female. I have no intentions of saving your life again." He has no intentions of creating body contact with her to sustain her draining life force. That will be treading a dangerous path.

"Don't worry your head. I don't need rescuing, I only need my meds." Her face turned sad, "Too bad, I do not have them now."

He made a mental note to clear Alphose's schedule so he can be able to go back to the non-changeling world to buy her meds. "Do not walk down this part ever again. You are lucky that it's Tim who found you first. If it was the Wild Ones, you would have been meat by now."

"Wild Ones? Who are they?"

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