Page 33 of Wanton for the Wolven King

“Whether you meant it or not, pain has been my constant companion since your disappearance.”

“It is my sincere hope that you never feel such pain again,” he said, taking her hand in his. He loved that he could still feel her skin, even through the leatheriness of his paws. It wasn’t as soft as it used to be, but he appreciated that. “You have a beautiful garden.”

“Wolven, I’m not sure I can do this.” She pulled her hand back and rose from the table.

“Phillipa.”

But it was no use. She ran into the Hall, leaving him alone amid stunned onlookers.

He was a failure.

“Go to her.” Master Bow waved his hand. “She needs to know that you’ll be there for her, more now than you ever were as a human. You were a duke then, now you are a king.”

ChapterThirteen

Phillipa

The wolven was absolutely impossible. Phillipa felt delusional entertaining the possibility this beast, who’d brought so much terror and turmoil to the woodlands, could be her beloved Wesley.

But he was saying all the right things, and for the first time in a long time, she considered that she could have her life back.

Could she simply pick up where she’d left off with Wesley, if he was indeed this wolven?

As she sat on the burgundy velvet chaise, watching the festivities in the garden, she thought about her wedding night. How it wasn’t so different than this. It had been a warm night, and their friends and family had celebrated with the new couple in the gardens of Bournehurst. Once all the guests had retired to their rooms, she’d invited him to her chamber.

She’d changed into her special dressing gown, the one that had been made just for that night. It was all lace, and tied down the front, so she could offer herself to her beloved Wesley, and he could unwrap her like a present.

But Wesley never came for her.

And now here this Wolven was, expecting her to simply accept him as her husband, with the explanation that he’d never told her about an obscure virus that transformed him into a monster.

The problem was her heart wanted to take him back. But her mind told her it was impossible. How could she live with this beast? He couldn’t even use the utensils at dinner.

He’d hidden the truth from her, and asked his family not to tell her about his plight.

Not to mention what he’d done to the fae. It didn’t matter that he believed their magic held a cure for his affliction. He hurt them.

Was she holding him to an impossible standard, for she had been willing to hurt him as well?

She had to admit he’d looked quite handsome in his fine jacket, and he’d inquired about her family…

Or was she too willing to accept him because she wanted the nightmare of his disappearance to end, no matter what it took?

She wasn’t alone anymore. The energy in the room changed. Wild, untamed energy that changed the rhythm of her own heartbeat, made it more frantic.

There was no denying that she felt something for the beast that stood in the doorway, watching her.

“Lady Phillipa,” the wolven said. “May I join you?”

“You didn’t call me duchess.”

He grinned, but she couldn’t help but notice that his paws were knotted together in front of his stomach. No matter who he was, he wanted this. He wanted her. “You don’t seem ready for that. I was hoping you would grant me another chance to enchant you.”

“Enchant me.” Her heart skipped a beat. She didn’t want to tell him she already was. How different it could be if they were meeting for the very first time. “I did promise you a dance.”

“Yes, you promised me a dance.” He took a step forward. “But what I would really love is a chance to start over.”

“You’d have to go back in time quite a bit, wolven. Change many bad decisions.”

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