Page 16 of Knot Quite Ready

Her eyes lose some of the anger she is trying to hold on to, for moon knows what reason, and lighten with another emotion. Her eyes remind me of tempered steel. Strong. And if her words didn't already prove her inner fire, her eyes are a dead giveaway that she isn't going to be the docile creature that I had once imagined my Omega to be once I met her.

But I don't need or want docile; the pack needs fire, and I need fire. I want her.

She grabs the two last breadsticks in the basket and frowns at the empty basket before taking a bite from both of them and chewing slowly. Now that I am in her orbit, I can be patient. My wolf is settled, despite still being peeved at her lack of desire for wanting to have a mate. I had to briefly consider if my mate was broken. Most omegas, while balking at the idea of arranged unions, justifiably so, wanted their fated mate. Luckily, a little duct tape and Windex fixed everything. Or so pop culture said so. Regardless, her recalcitrance won’t change anything. She doesn’t have a choice. I’m not going anywhere.

“Listen, you're coming on a bit strong here. Let's say I acknowledge that you are my mate. That doesn't mean much..."

I cut her off, "You are wrong. It means absolutely everything."

She scowls, "Listen up, you Lupine Lothario, keep all that mystical flirty shit to yourself; I can barely think past my vagina right now. You have me at a disadvantage here. I am not exactly sane of mind and spirit here, and you know it. What I was going to say, before I was rudely flirted with, is that I propose we make this into a business arrangement of sorts. You scratch my itch, we tame our wolves, and we go about our business. No need for moon-ly matrimony."

I raise an eyebrow, "firstly, Lothario? I don't need to run around and seduce women. I only care about the one in front of me. Secondly, technically marriage is a business arrangement; being my mate is a fated arrangement. But if you want to make it business, I will consider marriage. But let me make this very clear, you are not a notch on the bedpost of fate or whatever other nonsense you have been spewing or..." I hold up a hand as she tries to interrupt, " or will, apparently, continue to spew. You are my mate. Period. And there is running from fate, and then there is running from me. I will chase your furry ass no matter where you go. And if you run, when I catch you, I will turn you over my knee and spank that ass until you can’t do anything other than beg me for more."

Her eyes flare, and her lips part, letting out an almost inaudible moan as I’m rewarded with the sweetest perfume of her slick, dampening underwear, and she shifts to cross her legs. Yeah, she can deny it, but she wants me as much as I want to bury my face between her legs and lap up all the sweetness going to waste between her thighs.

She pinches the bridge of her nose and starts to mutter to herself, and I sit back and watch her war with her wolf. Outloud.

"This is not happening. I was supposed to escape shifter politics. Oh, shut the fuck up with the she-wolf shenanigans, you snarling show-off. I didn't want this. Okay, fine, we are one person and all of that, but I refuse to believe that the inner Aneira wants a mate. I don't care if that doesn’t make sense. You shut your mouth when you're talking to me. I will go vegan if you betray me like this, Agatha," she runs her hands through her hair, tugging at the long strands as she wages her not-so-internal battle.

I bite back the urge to laugh at her threats to her wolf but fail to hide my growing smile.

Her eyes flick to mine, and she groans, "You see? I'm unhinged and horny. You should run for the hills while you can. Find a nice lake to sit by and howl at the moon."

I shrug and shoot her a smile, "I happen to like unhinged, and Idefinitelylike horny. So the two together should make for quite a bit of fun, no? Think of all the possibilities. We can even experiment with some rope and handcuffs, maybe a gag while I fuck you so deeply that my knot..."

She grips the table and visibly shakes,” Nope, nope. I am KNOT quite ready for that."

Ignoring the flush of her skin and the scent of her heat becoming stronger, I opt for a shrug, knowing that in minutes she would lose the battle, her wolf won't take no for an answer. But she knew that in the end, she and her wolf were the same, no matter how much she tried to fight it. "You are ready. We can discuss this more later, but I think we should get you out of here; you are very close to losing control. I don't think you'll want that to happen here."

"I'll have you know I am in perfect control." She takes a deep breath between each word as sweat starts to bead on her forehead.

By the Moon, she is stubborn. She is testing me in the best and worst way possible. I need to get her out of here and get her into a comfortable place so she can nest and go crazy. I’m amazed at the restraint she’s showing so far, but her DIY effort at keeping the heat at bay has come to an end because her time was officially out. Standing up, I tug her chair out and gently grip her under the elbow so I’m supporting her as she stands. As she turns, her now golden eyes latch onto mine, fully dilated; I’m hit with the full blast of her heat.

I groan as I harden instantly. I breathe deeply as we start to make our way through the restaurant. It is time for her to let go and hand me the reins. There is a deep-seated need for her to trust me, and her wolf recognizes me as her mate. Any minute now, she will be completely lost in the heating haze, and her comfort is paramount.

On my way out, I slip a couple of bills to the hostess to cover anything outstanding on the table.

“Oh, Calian paid for the table,” she smiles brightly.

I shrug lightly," Consider it my condolences for putting up with that," I nod towards Ramiro, who is currently juggling two squashes while Imelda swats at him.

She laughs and takes the bills from my hand, “Well, in that case. This will go a long way toward the adoption fees. I'm sure we will have to pay someone to take him off our hands."

I laugh and shoot her a wink as we make our way out of the restaurant and into the cool air.

A sour tang filters into my nose, and I have to stop myself from saying something stupid. My mate is jealous. Logically it's the haze from her heat, and she probably isn't fully aware, but it doesn't make me any less smug.

“Rude,” She mutters. “Sharing that sex-dripping laugh with another female right in front of me.” Hmm, maybe she is fully aware of it then, yet still denies the fact that she wants me for more than the ludicrous 'business arrangement.' Not that I would ever entertain the idea, but the sheer cheek to even mention it? If it wasn't evident already by the fact that she was a lone wolf in a shifter community, her past must be as traumatic as it was for the Omegas I took into my pack.

My jaw ticks, and I ground my teeth as I tamp down the rage that shoots through my body at the mere thought of her coming to any harm. I push my thoughts toward the present. There will be a chance for retribution if needed.

“Jealous, little wolf?” I taunt her. "The only woman I will ever have eyes for is standing beside me. You'll realize that soon enough."

She scoffs at me but adds no more scathing remarks as her body shudders.

“I need…uh…” She pauses with a deep moan that goes straight to my dick and grips my forearm, her claws leaving scratches as her slick gushes down her legs.

“Fuck. Get me home. I need…”

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