Page 8 of The Beta's Heart

He raised a brow. “What were you waiting for?”

She took a drink of tea and said, “Nothing, really, I guess I was just nervous about approaching you out of the blue and telling you I dreamed about you. I don’t know much about wolf shifters, so I had no idea if you’d know we were mates or if it might be one-sided on my part.”

“Are you still nervous?”

“No.”

“Good. I’m glad you finally came to visit.”

“I wish I hadn’t waited so long.”

“I do, too, but I’m not sorry we’re together now. I do have one thing to ask, though.”

“Oh?” she asked.

“Yeah. Would you be my mate?”

She smiled brightly. “Of course!”

He leaned over and kissed her, tasting the herbal tea on her lips. “We kind of skipped over things last night because I needed to shift. Even though we both knew we were mates when we met, I still wanted to be a gentleman and ask.”

“You’re sweet.”

He finished the scone, which was amazing, and the tea, which he enjoyed even more knowing Kismet had made the blend herself. They set their mugs on a side table next to the box of scones. “What do you want to do now, sweetheart?”

“What do wolves usually do when they meet their truemate?”

His wolf sat up in his mind with an interested growl. “It depends. There’s no timeline or rules for becoming mates. Whatever we do is what’s right for us.”

“Are you being cautious for a reason?” she asked, tilting her head and narrowing her gaze.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean are you still trying to be a gentleman? Because I’d like you to be honest with me.”

He hadn’t even realized he was being overly cautious. She wasn’t a wolf, and he wasn’t sure what was normal for fairies.

“You said fairies don’t have truemates.”

“Right.”

“So, you date and fall in love and then get married?”

“Sure.”

“Well, wolves get married too, but the dating doesn’t happen with truemates. When a wolf finds his truemate, all he can think about is securing the mating.”

Her emerald gaze darkened, and the subtly sweet scent of her arousal filled the air. “Secure the mating?”

He cupped her neck and rubbed his thumb over her pulse. “A good, hard fuck and a mating mark, right here. Then everyone who sees you will know you’re mine.”

She inhaled sharply and bit her bottom lip. “I want that, too. But I also want something else.”

“Anything.”

“In the olden days, the first time a fae couple came together, they anointed each other with special oil in a bath.”

He kissed her gently, his heart pounding in anticipation. “If that’s what you want,” he said as he nipped her lower lip, “then I want it, too. I wanteverything.”

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