Page 22 of Pregnant Wolf's Mate

The way that Ray gripped hold of her wrist and pulled her hand away from the wounds told her all she needed to know, but he still told her, “They still sting a little from time to time, especially when a demon wolf is close or I’m thinking about…”

He shivered and sensing the pain it caused to talk or think about it, Macie nuzzled in closer to him, hoping to offer a little comfort. In response, he wrapped his arm more tightly around her and held her close.

“I’m sorry, Macie.”

The tone of his voice and the way he screwed his eyes tightly shut as he said the words unnerved Macie. For a second she was fearful that he might tell her he now regretted what had happened between them, that he had gotten what he wanted from her and now he was just going to up and leave.

Yet the feel of his arm wrapped around her gave her a little hope that she was wrong. Through gritted teeth, she asked, “What for?”

“For how I spoke to you before,” Ray growled out, his entire body tense as though he was filled with remorse. “I…I shouldn’t have, but you do something to me…”

Macie gulped past the sudden lump in her throat. She was about to tell him that she knew exactly how he felt when he beat her to it.

“You make me feel a way that nobody has ever made me feel before, and it’s quite…infuriating at times,” he admitted, his eyes still closed. It was only when she reached up and placed her hand against his cheek, feeling his facial hair rugged against her palm, that his eyes fluttered open. He looked down at her with an edge of surprise in his dark gaze.

“How exactly do I make you feel?” she purred back at him, suddenly feeling more like a cat shifter than a wolf. She smirked back at him playfully.

Ray moved quickly, gripping hold of her chin before she could escape him. He forced her face up to his, making their eyes meet before he said, “You are infuriating and stubborn and you drive me mad.”

The growl in his throat only made Macie’s insides tingle harder and her smile widened across her face.

It was only when he continued that she started to feel differently.

“You’re sometimes childish and privileged and you make me want to slam my head against a brick wall repeatedly,” he told her, and Macie snatched her face free of his grip, growling low in her own throat.

“How dare you…” she began but before she could continue to scold him, he shook his head and continued to speak.

“But the truth is I can’t stop thinking about you, and being away from you is painful,” he said, looking her deep in the eyes again. Macie’s breath caught in her throat as she saw the emotion fizzing in the depths of his dark eyes. “The urge I feel to protect you and to have you by my side is so strong I think…I think I could kill for you.”

Macie’s heartbeat grew so fast then that she felt as though the organ was trying to escape up her throat. “Ray, what are you saying?” she stammered, barely able to speak past the sudden lump in her throat.

“What I am saying, Macie, is that I know it might sound insane, but I think you might be my mate,” Ray said, his voice low and slow, as though it took everything he had in him to admit the words out loud.

Macie’s heart raced so fast then that she thought she might actually have a heart attack if it went any further. Jumping up into a sitting position, she gazed down at him and asked, “Do you think that might be why I can only access my wolf when you are with me?”

Ray’s brow rose at that and he pushed himself up to sit in front of her, meeting her gaze as he asked, “Have you shifted since that night in the woods?”

The lump in Macie’s throat grew large and harder until she felt as though she could barely breathe. The moment she started to shake her head, she saw Ray’s eyes widening.

“I’ve been trying and trying, and I just can’t seem to get a handle on her,” Macie admitted, her skin shivering as she found herself voicing the truth for the first time in weeks. “Sometimes it’s like she’s not even inside me at all.”

Ray jumped up from the bed so quickly that it startled Macie enough to whimper. She watched him grabbing his clothes from where they had fallen on the floor during their wild moment.

“What are you doing?” she barely dared to ask, fearful that she might have frightened him away.

As he pulled on his jeans and shoved his feet back into his boots, he looked up at her and said, “Get dressed. We’re going to the woods.”

Chapter 12 - Ray

Standing in the woods, in the very clearing where they first lost control of their emotions, Ray wrapped his arms around Macie and just held her. Already having encouraged her to strip, he enjoyed the sensation of her warm body pressed against his own, burying his nose into her hair as he held her from behind just as he had the first time.

He didn’t speak. Neither did she. They just stood, enjoying each other’s warmth and the touch of the moon’s fading light. Soon dawn would arrive, but for now, they were still shrouded in darkness and all was quiet. Not even a single pack member appeared to be around, and Ray was pleased for that. He could only imagine what kind of hell would break loose if they were found together like this. He could imagine how Dash would throw him on guard duty non-stop or worse, throw him in a cell right next to the demon wolves.

It couldn’t be that bad, he told himself, trying to force all thoughts like that out of his mind. All he needed to do right now was focus on Macie and help her access her wolf once and for all.

After several minutes of utter silence, feeling nothing significant from the beautiful woman in his arms, he whispered into her ear. “You can do this.”

At his words, she stiffened a little, but when he nuzzled his face into her throat, she immediately started to relax again. Opening his mouth, he grazed his teeth over her flesh and when he felt her shivering in his grip, he bit down slightly. It was not enough to draw blood or hurt her, but he did hope it was enough for her wolf to feel it.

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