Page 31 of Wolf Claimed
“We’re talking about us, not the humans here.”
“I’m one of the humans here. Just as weak as all the others.”
If only she could see how strong she was. He didn’t need a mate to fight for him. That was his job. But he would welcome a mate who fought alongside him, or would step in to defend him when he needed it. No, something more was bothering her. She didn’t want to hurt anyone. That’s what she was saying, but she was scared too, knowing the shifters here wanted to kill her for her father’s crimes.
Rafe ran his hand through her hair, cupping the back of her head. “You’re not alone, Artemis. Iwillprotect you.”
She looked up at him, her eyes almost pleading, as if she needed him, but didn’t know how to tell him. As his fingers ran through her hair, stroking her, she sighed and leaned into his hand, finally accepting him.
“I’ve never felt so lost like this.” Those beautiful eyes looked up again, wide and vulnerable, just how he envisioned her looking at him while sucking on his dick.
Damn, he needed to get his mind off of taking her to bed.
“In a way, it’s rather funny hearing you say you fear shifters, even though I’ve known that for a while,” he said, trying to get that last image out of his head. Already his cock was pushing against his jeans. Fuck, he wanted this female. The female that Tiernan needed. Thishumanfemale.
Her eyes narrowed.
“It’s not an insult, Artemis. Shifters tend to fear humans, too, though not in the same way. We know we can defeat you one-on-one, but we’re still outnumbered. You have an entire military and technology that could be used to hunt and destroy us. We know fear, just a different type than you.”
“I never thought of it that way.” She seemed to ease, which was good. He wanted her trust. Needed it, if he was going to save her.
“And I guess most of us forget what it is to feel human,” he said, laughing the second confusion spread across her face. “We don’t come into our shifter abilities until puberty, Artemis. Our formative years are spent very much like any human’s. Though we are exposed to seeing others shift, so it becomes a part of life, even before we meet our wolves.”
“Must be nice, being part of a pack. Being with people who accept you for who you are.”
He ran the back of three fingers against her cheek. Her skin was so soft, like the rest of her. Smooth, delicate. He wanted to tell her he accepted her just as she was, but her being human was a problem. Or rather, blood-bonding her would be a problem. He was one of the strongest shifters in his pack, and he was heir to that pack. A pack he’d be responsible for in time. He couldn’t risk his abilities.
She pressed her torso against him, and he felt the fullness of her breasts. Too many layers remained between them. Her hips rubbed against him, making him insanely hard. His wolf practically purred in contentment.
Her moist, red lips parted, and that adorable tongue of hers darted out, wetting her bottom lip. “What happens if a human has shifter ancestry?” she asked, her voice sultry, enticing. “I mean, if a parent, grandparent, or even a great grandparent is shifter. Will the human suddenly shift one day?”
He was so focused on her lips and tongue and the raging hard-on in his pants that he nearly missed her question. “A human with shifter ancestry? It happens.”
“How does a person know if he or she is shifter?”
“They just know when their wolf emerges and forces the first shift, usually around puberty and often when the child doesn’t expect it. I think our wolves have a wry sense of humor that way, causing problems for the shifter before we learn to take control.”
“So if a human and shifter have a child, they have to wait until the kid hits puberty to find out if that child is shifter or human?” she asked, her tongue sliding into her mouth, riveting him.
“There’s another way to know.” He drew his nose along her neck for the second time tonight. This time, he didn’t hold back. He let his nose drag along her neck slowly as he scented her, taking in all her feminine richness. Scenting her in this way was a prelude to sex for a shifter. Tiernan would attack him if he were here, witnessing this. Right now, Rafe didn’t give a fuck. Her scent had been calling to him since the first day. He had to follow his instincts, let his nose skim along her sweet flesh, and draw in her scent close to the source before the other elements in the air diluted the scent that was pure Artemis.
“By scent. I should have guessed,” she said as she tilted her head to the side, offering more of her neck to him, as a female would during a claiming.
She had him so fucking hard, he nearly lost control in his pants right there. His tongue darted out and trailed along her skin, tasting her. Delicious, fantastically delicious. And that was just her neck. He needed more of her.
Slowly, she turned her head and met his eyes. He spotted the worry there. Instantly, he recalled her words, all of them, as if his brain had cataloged everything she’d said and stored them away for later because if they came from her they were inherently significant. She’d been asking about shifter-human offspring and determining a person’s identity as shifter. Did she have some distant relative, and she feared turning into a shifter?
“You are most definitely human, Artemis,” he said, hoping to allay her fears. “There is a very clear and distinct difference between the scent of a human and shifter. As far as I know, a child born to a human and shifter couple only takes after one, in scent and abilities.”
“Oh,” she said, looking both relieved and disappointed.
His female was an enigma. Human, shifter. . .She made no judgments, only accepted people for who they were. She cared, truly cared, about everyone. How Woodrow Monroe had produced such a loving and open-minded daughter mystified Rafe.
“I guess that’s good to know,” she said. “For you at least.”
“What does that mean?”
“Since you can scent the difference, you won’t accidentally end up with a human. I know how you hate us.”
