Page 48 of Can't Help Growling in Love
“No,” I admit. “But that doesn’t mean?—”
“Maybe not,” Peter interrupts. “But if you are his mate, there’s things you need to know. And if he hasn’t talked to you about it with the full moon only three days away, that could be a problem.”
“Okay.” I press my hands on top of my knees to calm my nerves. “Tell me.”
He stares at me for a short moment, then launches back into the explanation. “The first full moon isintensefor a newly bonded couple. Like, they can’t stay away from each other. Sometimes, the frenzy will last longer than a day. They’ll bite each other, and the sex is supposed to be out of this world.”
I squeeze my legs together at the memory of Asher’s lips on my neck. He’s been obsessed with smelling and licking me there—was that because he’s been holding back the urge to bite?
“So June should stay well away if she’s not sure she wants to be bitten?” Tia sends a worried glance my way. “Biting is a serious business.”
“But I might not be able to spend the night with him,” I interrupt, still staring at Peter. “I’m supposed to be here, at the hospital. What will happen if we stay away from each other?”
He pushes his fingers through his short hair. “This is all hearsay. Neither one of the guys who told me about this had gone through that, right? But they said that spending the full moon apart from your mate is supposed to be brutal. I don’t know if it’s the same for every wolf, but maybe it’s something to discuss with your man?”
My mind buzzes with the new information. “Yeah,” I breathe. “For sure.”
Tia pats my arm. “Let us know if you need any help. If you need a place to crash…”
I shake my head. Tia shares her tiny apartment with her sister, and I don’t want to butt in on their lives.
“I’ll figure it out,” I promise. Then I glance up at Peter and add, “Thanks for the info. I didn’t know any of that. But if you think you’re off the hook for telling us about those guys, you’re mistaken, my friend.”
“Yeah, yeah.” He motions at the clock. “You’re due for your rounds. Let me know if I can do anything to help.”
I want to stay and discuss this further, but my job is too important to do it half-assed. I slam the walls down on any Asher-related issues and focus on my patients instead, checking on the kid. Then I give a set of stitches to an orc woman who cut herself while chopping wood, and I chat with her to keep hermind off the sting of the needle. Slowly, I relax back into the routine of a busy shift.
It’s past midnight when I find a moment to duck into the staff bathroom and check my phone.
This guy was recommended to me by two different people. He’s supposed to do decent work, and his prices are reasonable. Maybe give him a call?
Asher has shared a contact from a contractor named Gabric Duval, so I save the number and send off a quick text explaining my situation, hoping he’s not the kind of person who keeps their phone notifications on overnight.
I heart Asher’s message and tell him thank you, but put the phone away before I can type something stupid like “Am I your mate? Will you go mad without me on the full moon?”
It’s not a thing we can talk about via text. I’ll have to wait until the end of my shift or maybe even later, since I’ll need to drop by the house to check on things. Even if this Duval guy proves to be as good as Asher’s contacts say he is, I’ll do whatever I can on my own to bring down the cost of renovations.
But every time I pass the nurses’ station and see that calendar on the wall, I’m reminded of the conversation I had with my friends. If I am Asher’s mate, and he’ll want to bite me on the night of the full moon, will I let him? We’ve known each other for such a short time, it should be crazy to even entertain the idea.
No matter what I decide, I’ll need to do it soon. It wouldn’t be fair to Asher to drag out the issue.
I just don’t know if either one of us is ready for such a big next step.
Chapter
Nineteen
ASHER
The night drags slowly as molasses. I count the minutes and the hours until I can go pick up June from the hospital, and try not to fuck up my program. I’m so antsy I’m climbing the walls, so I pre-record every segment I can, then spend the rest of the time working out in front of the couch, trying to burn through the nervous energy pulsing through my body.
By the time Stella pushes into the studio at five in the morning, I’m a furry, sweaty, trembling mess, but no closer to relaxing than before.
My boss takes a sniff of the air and scrunches up her nose. “Asher, my boy. What, ah, what’s going on?”
I check the queue to make sure I have enough time to chat, then throw open both windows to air out the sweaty smell. “Shit, sorry. I didn’t think anyone was coming in until six-thirty.”
She puts down her purse and lowers herself onto the couch. “I’m only dropping by to grab some paperwork for the sale. But now I want to know what’s got you so upset. It’s not this, is it? My decision to sell the studio?”
