I try not to wince. That’s not exactly what I meant to say, and it is not at all what I planned on saying.
A blush colors her pale cheeks, though, and she looks up at me thoughtfully.
Something like heat passes through her eyes.
Hopefully, it isn’t wishful thinking. Hopefully, I’m not imagining it.
“I’m Aileen.” She stops a few feet away from me, holding her arms around her body as if it will keep her in place.
Her musky scent turns more sumptuous, spicier. Excitement and relief war in my chest, because there is no denying it. Aileen, the little human, is aroused.
Tessa clears her throat. “I’m Tessa. I’m Brekker’s sister. Come on, we’ll get you situated.” She casts a critical eye on Aileen, and I suppress a snarl. My sister is not competition, not in the least.
“Sounds good. Nice to meet you.” The human does a strange bob of her knees, and we both tilt our heads at her, confused. “Right.”
“Come,” I tell her, reaching for her, unable to stop myself.
What has gotten into me?
I don’t have to wonder, though. Not really. It’s her. My soon-to-be wife.
The need to shift, to claim her, surges through me, and I bite my cheeks, curling my hands into fists so hard my claws draw blood.
Tessa shoots me a look full of meaning, gaze slowly dipping to my hands.
“Are you all right?” she asks. A faint hint of amusement curls around her mouth.
“Cut myself on something earlier,” I lie.
“Right,” she says.
Aileen simply looks between us, clearly dismayed. I want to curl myself around her, my protective impulses firing at full force.
Instead, though, I offer her my elbow.
She stares at it, dismay further coloring her cheeks. White teeth flash as she nibbles her bottom lip.
“He wants you to hold on to his arm,” Tessa offers. She gives me the same dirty look she would give me when we were pups and I’d disappointed her. I’m only glad she doesn’t dare kick me in the shins the way she used to.
“Oh,” Aileen says softly. Her eyes slide from my outstretched arm to my face.
There’s something wild about her, something untamed along with that sadness, and I am completely intrigued by everything about her.
I do owe my sister a thank-you.
Especially since she readied the clan lodge for me… and for my new bride. My blood grows hotter at the mere thought.
“So, when is the wedding?” Aileen asks.
I begin to answer—and then her fingertips brush against the skin of my forearm, and I go stock-still.
A cernos caught in the claws of a predator, unable to move at all.
My beast rages against me, and I cage him, fighting against the need to grab her by her wrists and make her submit to us both.
Tessa sighs, then grabs my soon-to-be wife by the waist and steers her away from the launchpad.
Behind her, the crew of the shuttle are unloading the trunks of her belongings, and a roar rips from my mouth as they glance her direction.
“The wedding is tonight, and then you are off to the clan lodge to get to know one another,” Tessa supplies.
Aileen is staring at me with wide eyes, her lower lip bloodless where she’s sunk her teeth into it.
“Don’t worry about him,” Tessa tells her. “He’s just excited you’re here.”
“Oh.” Her eyes flash.
There’s a world of meaning in that one syllable, and I could spend the rest of my lifetime decoding it.
“Don’t touch her,” I grit out, closing the distance between the two women and snatching Aileen away from Tessa.
She stumbles slightly, her weight thrown into me, and I breathe her in.
A small, rational part of me wills me to shut up, but my beast and my own needs are stronger than that tiny bit could ever be, and I curl my arms around my would-be wife and carry her inside, to where our clan priestess waits to conduct the ceremony.
I’m not sure I can make it through the ceremony.
Not with this human prize at my side.
CHAPTER 5
AILEEN
I’m overwhelmed.
By the wild beauty of Wulfric, which amazes me. The city gleams in the dying light of day, the heat giving say to the cool kiss of nightfall’s breeze. The tech of the city buildings marries the wild forests and plains dotted with lakes and snaking rivers that were evident as the shuttled dropped through the atmosphere.
I’ve never been off a space station or ship before, and I can’t quite believe the difference in the smell of the air. The taste of metallic recyclers is completely gone, replaced by flavors and scents I’ve never experienced.
The air itself moves, and not from being pushed by a vent, but on its own, rustling through the leaves of trees I’ve never seen.
Then there’s Brekker.
The man—werewolf—I’m supposed to marry.
He’s huge. Imposing.
He looms over me, sucking up all my attention from the moment I step off the shuttle, my red silk dress whipping around me in the planet’s gentle wind.
Those tawny golden eyes are even more inhuman in person, and it’s a struggle to look at anything but him.
He commands attention.
When he holds me against him, tugging me away from the female werewolf, Tessa, I think, my mind goes strangely blank.
My body, however, goes deliciously tight and loose all at once.
Oh yeah, I’m definitely attracted to him.
Which… is slightly concerning.
I’ve had about a day and a half to get used to the idea of this: essentially, I’m a mail-order bride. My job is to marry this guy.
I get money out of it.
I get security out of it, something I’ve never had at all before.
All of that is fine. Good, even.
What I’m not quite used to, though, is the idea of having an actual husband out of it. Now he’s here, holding me up, one hand firm on my hip. The heat of his palm sears through the fabric of my dress, and when the breeze drifts across me, my nipples peak under the silk at the contrasting sensations.
He’s real.
Not just a hologram projection or an idea of security, but a flesh and blood werewolf who doesn’t seem to want to let me go.
I’m on edge.
Worse, I’m strangely excited by it.
It helps that he’s gorgeous to look at, all packed muscle and height and sharp, masculine features.
It also helps that he can’t seem to stop staring at me, a possessive edge to his gaze that has me equal parts thrilled and terrified.
I could have done worse.
We step into the grand entrance of the Clan Claw building, or compound, as Violet explained to me on the Starlight hub, and trying to hold all my thoughts together is like trying to hold water in spread fingers.
“Are you all right?” Brekker’s low voice sends a shiver through me.
I glance up at him, and his gaze slips from my eyes to my mouth.
Before I can answer, he strokes his forefinger over my bottom lip, loosening it from where I’ve nearly gnawed it raw.
“Are you afraid?” he asks again, his hand capturing my chin, his golden gaze darting between my eyes.
I don’t answer right away, swallowing around the lump in my throat, considering my responses.
Afraid? Not really, not necessarily. Overwhelmed, however? Yes. Thoroughly.
“I’m not afraid of you,” I answer, and I’m slightly surprised to find it’s the truth. He could rip my throat out, something I’m even more sure of as he smiles down at me, a hint of sharp canines beneath his lips.