Page 66 of Witch Unexpected
Leif looked like he wanted to say something, but Rune rose up suddenly and chuffed at him as if to say,shut up.
I stroked his neck again. “I’m happy to do this anchor thing, but we do it as friends. Really good friends. Nothing more. That way, you can go procreate, and whatever it is you need to do, and it won’t hurt me. It can’t hurt me. You get me?”
“I get you. If that’s what you want, that’s what we’ll do.”
It was a weight off my chest. I didn’t want to end up like Charlotte. Fuck that. I’d do this, but I’d do it on my terms.
“Friends.” He held out his hand, and I shook it.
“Also, in the spirit of friendship, be careful with Astri. She has a mean streak.”
He looked surprised. “You picked up on that, huh?” He made a face. “Astri is an acquired taste.” He leaned in conspiratorially. “I haven’t acquired it yet.”
I couldn’t help but smile. There was a boyish charm about this man, two facets—the alpha leader and the playful rogue. I got the impression there’d never be a dull moment with him about.
I polished off some more chicken and licked my fingers clean. “What did you mean when you told her to put her name forward?”
His mouth turned down. “To be bred. Vita Pack families put forward daughters to bear the primal bloodline heirs. Astri is, unfortunately, a strong contender.”
I sipped my diet coke. “Good luck with that.”
He let out a surprised chuckle. “You’re not what I expected.”
Rune rested his chin on my thigh as if to say, ditto.
I massaged his neck, and he closed his eyes. “Yeah, I’m not what a lot of people expect.”
We fell into another eye-lock that Rune broke with a chuff.
Leif ducked his head with a smile and picked up a rib. “I think you and I are going to get on just fine, Cora.”
“Yeah, me too.”
Chapter Sixteen
Bramble walked me back to the mansion. Rune padded alongside us with two other wolves making up the rear. Arne was confident the wards were back up, but the pack wasn’t taking any chances, hence the escort.
Leif had left to patrol, and knowing he was out there somewhere dissolved the knots in my tummy. But there was another knot in my chest. One named Jasper.
I’d pushed thoughts of him to the back of my mind all day, but there was no denying I needed to know he was okay.
God, I was going soft in my old age.
The mansion came into view as we reached the edge of the woodland. The wolves came to a halt.
“They won’t come any further,” Bramble said. “Not without an invitation from Anna.”
“I thought we were allies?”
“We are, but there are boundaries. Always.”
I crouched slightly to eye level with Rune. “Thanks for the escort. I’ll be okay from here.”
He inclined his head and then turned and padded back into the forest to join the other wolves.
“I got some errands to run,” Bramble said. “But I can walk ya back to the east wing first if you like?”
“Nah, I got it. You go.”
