Page 28 of The Wolf's Bullied Mate
I chuckled. “Don’t think I’ll just let you sleep until morning.”
“Just a bit…” She yawned.
I nuzzled her hair and waited for sleep to claim me for now, too.
***
Rays of light shone through the windows straight into my face. I squirmed and opened my eyes only to be greeted by the most beautiful sight ever. Pauline was in my arms. Calmness filled my heart, and I felt peace knowing I now had someone special as part of my life.
Sure, we had entered an arranged marriage, but if Pauline thought of me only as a contractual husband she wouldn’t so readily have agreed to consummate our marriage, right? She wouldn’t have been with me with such enthusiasm throughout the night. She wanted me—I could tell from the way she had looked at me, the way she had moved her hips beneath me. None of what had happened last night was a lie.
Pauline stirred and blinked. Her gorgeous green eyes bored into mine. She first appeared surprised, but a soft smile appeared on her lips a moment later. My fast-beating heart calmed down once again.
“Hi,” she said in a soft, tired voice.
I smiled. “Hi, yourself.”
She frowned and bit her lip, which I had learned to read as a sign of her thinking about something deeply.
“What is it?” I raised my eyebrows.
“About our life moving forward… I’ll need your help in adjusting to our new reality,” she sighed. “I’ve lived as part of Lone Bite for thirteen years, and… things were different there. If you could introduce me to people again—even though I feel like most of the pack introduced themselves to me yesterday already— that would be a great help. I also need to figure out my place here.”
“One thing at a time,” I chuckled.
Her frown deepened. “I would also like you to know… what happened between us,” she gestured between herself and me. “This closeness we had doesn’t mean I trust you yet.”
“Oh?” I gave her a surprised look.
She nodded, her expression turning grim. “Don’t take it personally. I’m just not someone who trusts easily. The night we shared… was nice. When I’m ready to sleep with you again, I’ll tell you. Please give me time to adjust to our new life. I want to give our future together a good chance.”
I didn’t entirely understand where Pauline was coming from with her line of thought, but at least she wasn’t pushing me away entirely. She wasn’t regretting the night we’d had. She just needed more time and space.
Still, she wasn’t mine yet.
The thought stung, and it made the wolf in my soul growl. I told it to calm down, though. We were on the right track for Pauline to accept us. She only needed to get to know us better, to get used to life at Moondust Hollow again.
Patience, Oliver, I told myself.
I would wait for as long as Pauline needed to want me as her mate.
Mate, what a wonderful thought. After tonight, I knew Pauline could possibly be my mate—if she wanted to be. I would have to make her want me as much as I longed for her.
“Alright,” I nodded. “I’ll do everything I can to help you adjust to our new life together.”
She smiled then, looking relieved.
Since we were discussing difficult matters, I decided to bring up one more thing that was bothering me. “The vision you had when the agent introduced us—could you tell me about what you saw?”
Pauline frowned again. “It was strange. I was running, someone was chasing me. I had Ray in my arms. The wolves that came after us wanted to harm us. And then you appeared—in your wolf form—but I knew it was you. And you protected us. I knew I had to stay close to you to survive.”
So it was only survival instinct that had pushed Pauline into marrying me? No, that fact wasn’t the whole truth. I had seen the desire in her eyes last night. Still, I wasn’t entirely sure I liked her answer.
“Over the years, I’ve had my visions,” she continued. “I’ve learned to trust them wholeheartedly. That’s why, I… wanted to give you a chance.”
She looked guilty, and I realized I had a grim look on my face. I relaxed my features. With a soft smile, I said, “You’re right that I will do everything in my power to protect you and your son.”
She smiled and nodded. “Thank you for helping us.” She then sighed softly. “Do you have any plans for today?”
