Page 48 of Winning the Wolf

Gasping, I went to reverse off him. "Who the fuck is Geralt?"

A blast of hilarity left his lips as he grabbed me back, tickling me playfully. "Calm down, Geralt is my pet cat."

I settled, enjoying the closeness of our bodies. He had never allowed me to get too close, always protecting himself. Something had changed.

"What are we going to do?" I asked, taking advantage of his slight change of mood.

His eyes clouded over, just for a brief moment. As harsh as his mother had been, she hadn't deserved to die the way she had. And Killick would've loved her, regardless.

"We wait until we can get out of this shitty hut and then kill Jeremy. The pack will be looking for us. Hopefully they arrive before sunrise."

"And if they don't?" I asked, not daring to move.

"If they don't," he muttered, clenching his hands into fists, "we kill him ourselves."

Chapter Thirteen

The light weight of his arm around my waist woke me. We'd talked for hours until we could hardly keep our eyes open, too exhausted from the emotion of the day.

"You've gone stiff." His gruff sleepy voice jolted me.

As his arm tightened around me, pulling me closer to him, I looked up into his eyes. We were lying on our sides, facing one another and had been all night. The intimacy had softened my heart to him, making me want to be near. Making me, dare I think it, want to explore the mating bond.

Tracing my fingertip down his arm, I admired the hard muscles that adorned his torso. It was just breaking from pitch black outside and the tiny amount of light that came through the open door highlighted every ridge on his body.

His hand came up to cup my cheek, instantly warming it. My body shuddered as he moved his head closer, watching my reaction from hooded eyelids.

"Please," I whispered, not quite sure what I wanted... no needed.

His pupils flared as he leant forward and caught my lips with his. Our breath exploded between us noisily as desire burned my core and I kissed him back, my lips catching and releasing his.

Our naked bodies pressed together, seeking the heat that drove everything away. We'd been too busy to indulge in our mating bond. The itch between us had to be scratched, just to relieve the tension for a minute.

Stroking my arse, Killick pulled me against him. His hard length nestled against my thigh. I opened my legs brazenly, encouraging him to satiate himself within me. He looked into my eyes, a softness lacing his gaze. It was the first time he’d looked at me as if he were really seeing me.

"Wait!" I whispered, just as he shifted to enter me.

Killick pushed off me and got to his feet. He'd heard the sound of distant footsteps through the trees. Jeremy was returning.

All thoughts of lovemaking disappeared as we moved to the entrance of the hut.

"The pack isn't here. How are we going to beat him?"

I didn't want to admit that I was a terrible fighter. I'd never had to train like some of the pack members. I'd been too busy building the shop and cafe business with Nyla.

Killick placed a hand at the small of my back. "Shift, now."

Shaking my head, I swallowed, my palms suddenly slick with sweat. "I can't leave you to talk to him alone."

"You won't," he said, stroking my back, "you'll be my bodyguard. You have to be strong, you're the alpha's mate now."

The weight of that settled over my shoulders, literally pushing me to my knees. If I wanted to be Killick's mate, my whole lifestyle would change. I'd have to toughen up.

Glancing up at Killick, I took a deep breath. I felt called to answer his request, to be the strong mate he needed. My muscles spasmed as I released my inner wolf. She hummed in my mind, grateful to be free of her confines.

My ears pricked up as my eardrums changed shape, allowing more sound to funnel to me. Footsteps. Several pairs. Jeremy wasn't alone.

Nudging Killick's hand with my nose, I growled. He stared out into the lifting morning, calmly patting my head.

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