Page 10 of Abel

He rubbed his hand over his chest, feeling his wolf whine in pain.“Get dressed.”

She shrugged her shoulders and slowly unzipped the back of the dress and shimmied out of it, letting the lavender fabric pool at her feet.Abel groaned, taking in the familiar sight of her naked before him.He’d memorized every inch of her long, long ago yet his mouth still went dry seeing her once again.

She didn’t even blush while he drank her in.Esme lifted her chin defiantly and gave a growl of her own.“Strip, Primis.”

“Gladly.”He shed his clothes a little faster than he intended, but his wolf was eager to be as close to skin-to-skin with her as possible.“You wanna get some exercise before you slip into your dress?”

She looked him up and down and licked her lips.“We’re running late, but I’m gonna wager a guess that I still have more stamina than you.”

“You want to test that theory?”He waggled his brows at her, but she didn’t react.

Esme waved her hand towards him.“Hurry up.”

* * *

Abel growledas the photographer insisted on more pictures.Esme discreetly stomped on his foot, causing him to growl louder.

“Behave, wolf.”She warned.

“This suit is uncomfortable.”

“Bullshit.”She glared up at him.“You picked it out, from your own tailor.And you love a good suit.”

“This isn’t working!”The photographer tossed his camera to his assistant and marched toward them.

Esme cocked her head to the side.“What’s wrong, Jerome?”

“Your chemistry, it’s all wrong.Look, I know you two have a past, but the vibe your body language is giving off isn’t that of a princess and her escort, it’s shouting wild naked sex.”He sighed and flung a hand in Abel’s direction.“Just look at his eyes, he’s in alpha mode that says ‘this is my woman’ and you, my dear, are no better than him.If it’s obvious without a camera zoomed in on you two, then it’s going to scream it at the top of its lungs in a picture.”

Abel growled, but Esme rested a hand on his forearm.“What can we do, you know father wants these photos done as soon as possible.”

Jerome scratched his chin for a moment.“You, my lovely bride, have to be front and center, but nothing says your escort has to be in human form.”His eyes cast to Abel, who snarled.“It’s the only way I can see this working out.”

She looked up at Abel and raised a brow.“What do you think?Can you go wolf for long enough to get these pictures done?”

“Fine.”Abel muttered between clenched teeth.“I’ll be back.”

CHAPTER6

In his wolf form,Abel trotted back out to Esme and the photographer while lifting his lips slightly to let the man know his patience was wearing thin.But one look at Esme, and he stopped in his tracks, his wolf really did love that damn woman.It was one of the main reasons he rarely changed forms anymore.That part of him mourned the loss of his mate, and the agony was enough to drive Abel insane.He’d held back his change for years at a time to keep the beast quiet, it didn’t really work, but he still put himself through the misery.

Esme kneeled down and held out her hand to him, and he inwardly cursed as his body moved on instinct and nuzzled her hand.

“I’ve missed you.”She whispered in his ear.

Abel was one hundred percent certain he had a dopey love-struck look on his face.He shook and let out a short howl.Esme gave a quick nod and leaned over to kiss the top of his head.

“Alright, Jerome, looks like the wolf is ready.”

With Esme standing next to him, they endured an hour of torture at the hands of Jerome.He did have to admit that she looked stunning and from what he saw when the photographer showed them the images on his camera, Esme looked as beautiful as the day he’d first met her.His wolf whimpered and pawed at the ground, wanting more time with her, but Abel knew all good things must come to an end.

He walked off to find his clothes and then returned as the camera crew were leaving.Leaning up against a stone pillar, he watched her like a hawk.She was busy saying her goodbyes and being just as much the princess she was meant to be.Pride swelled for a moment, seeing her like that, but it faded as he reminded himself that she was on track to marry another.If he could win her back he would hang the moon for her, but right now he was trying to make some sort of amends for the years of pain he’d caused her.

She finally made her way over to him and smiled.“What are you so lost in thought about?”

“Nothing, just watching.So, we’re done here?Time to head back?”

She narrowed her eyes at him.“Your wolf looked pained.How often do you change?”

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