Page 34 of The Reluctant Wolf and His Fated Mate
Five Sacco wolf shifters approached the border minutes later. Although all were in human form, he recognized the wolf who had spied on him by his scent and the hate-filled glare.
While Rafe and the Sacco pack’s alpha, Kane, initiated the meeting with cool greetings, Damon prowled behind his alpha, staring at the Sacco wolf, who also paraded along the borderline as if itching to break across the line and into battle. Damon would welcome that. He wanted nothing more than to tear into the bastard who had spied on him being intimate with Sophie. Her breasts had been bare. Had he been ogling her as Damon kissed her?
“Kane, we’d agreed to peaceful discussions on this matter,” Rafe declared. “Sending one of your wolves to spy on us doesn’t fit that agreement.”
“How do we know that your enforcer wasn’t spying on us?” Kane spat.
“Why would you say that?”
“The excuse of protecting his mate sounds like a cover. A reason to trespass and spy.”
Rafe snorted. “That’s ridiculous.”
Kane raised his index finger. “You must think we’re fools to fall for that.”
Oh hell, it was worse than Damon had anticipated. He rolled his shoulders back The Sacco pack wasn’t buying his explanation.
“And what reason would we have to spy on your pack?” Rafe scoffed.
“To expand your development by encroaching into our territory.” Kane’s eyes bulged and spittle shot from his mouth.
“We have no interest in your lands,” Rafe denied.
It didn’t matter. The long-standing feud between the packs resurrected with neither side budging. The Sacco accused them of exploiting natural resources and destroying the wolf habitat by developing the mountain. The only thing that Damon learned was that the enforcer who he’d fought with was named Alex.
While Rafe and Kane argued, Damon groaned inside. It confirmed what he’d always believed—that mates were trouble. They led a wolf to act out of character and against all reason.
And here that meant trouble for his pack.
But after spending time with Sophie, it was too late. He’d bonded to her. No way would he turn back now.
After the meetingended without progress, Damon discussed the issue with his pack back in the lodge. They then went out for a pack run through the mountains to burn off the anxious energy in the darkness, hunting rabbit and other small prey.
While they prowled after the hunt, Grayson asked Damon,Have you told her about us?
Damon bristled.No.
Why not? You don’t think you can trust her?
That’s not it. I don’t know where to begin.And the deeper secret—he was afraid of her reaction.
When Rafe dismissed them, Damon rushed back to his cabin, eager to return to Sophie. When he entered, her bedroom door was closed. It was late and she must have gone to bed.
Damon walked over to her door. He sensed her on the other side, heard her breathing. He listened to the soothing sound of her, already comforted by her presence and torn by the agony to get closer still.
His wolf prowled inside, still riled up after the hunt and the near altercation with the Sacco pack.Take her, claim her,he demanded.Now more than ever, you need to mark her as yours.
His wolf didn’t get it, a human wouldn’t react well to a shifter’s mating habits. Damon had seen the terror in her eyes when she’d told him about seeing wolves. When she’d confided in him about the betrayals, her pain tore at him. He’d do anything to take away her pain, yet his omission exacerbated the gulf between them.
Every muscle in Damon’s body was tight and tense. He was caught in this battle between human and wolf. He was taunted by the desperate longing and inevitable agony of not only finding his mate, but knowing she was human and from a different world. Could a human ever understand or accept him?
He gulped. If he wanted any chance with her, he had to confide in her. She wouldn’t tolerate deceit. He had to tell her who he truly was.
From behind the door, Sophie moaned. It was a long, pleasurable one that robbed him of reason. He listened, as frozen as a tree trunk, as her breaths came out quicker and louder. Rough pants and low moans escaped her, captivating him in what he was sure was a beautiful, sensual dream.
Was she dreaming of him?
Damon placed his hands on the wood of the door and leaned his forehead against it, bracing himself against the longing to barge through it and claim her.
