They’re both panting. His excitement is hot against my belly. Warmth cascades in my veins.
People say the original shifters did it this way with their mates. They found them once a female went into heat. The male shifted and chased her down to claim her beneath the moonlight, locked together by his knot. Once the swelling went down enough for them to release, they’d shift back and he’d claim her all over again. Shifters used to believe mated pairs weren’t truly bound until they joined both ways.
Caden makes an inquisitive grunt, nosing at me with teasing nuzzles like he’s flirting. I don’t know if he can read where my thoughts are going better as his wolf.
He gets up, waiting for me to follow him. I go for my bag, but he bumps me aside and paws at the strap to maneuver it over his head. We head off at a trot as we begin up Silver Mountain.
I learned the beauty of this forest when I was desperate. It pales in comparison to exploring it as my wolf with her mate at her side. Every fern, every wildflower, every mossy patch—all of it seems much more amazing with my mate’s comforting presence to keep me company.
27AVERY
When we return to my tiny cabin, his gaze tracks me once we both shift back. It doesn’t leave me for a moment, the hot press skating over my body while he grabs a pair of pants he draped over the chair inside. I don’t turn my back as we get dressed, enjoying the way it makes his eyes burn.
My sisters aren’t here. They’ve been spending time with Callie and she invited them to stay in the lodge with her this weekend. We have this place to ourselves.
I want to go to him. Wind my arms around his neck. Kiss him until our bodies meld together. Would the ancient kitchen table withstand it if he fucked me on it, or would we go crashing to the floor? My stomach dips and a husky breath rushes past my lips. I can’t decide which fantasy appeals more.
Spinning to cool myself off, I spot the new appliances in place of the rusted old hand pump that brought in well water and the wood stove. The old table is gone. Lightbulbs that didn’t exist before line the rafters. My heartbeat stutters.
I find a switch and flick it on. The lights illuminate the small space, underlining how tiny the cottage is. I don’t care. After years of living by candlelight, it’s amazing. I inspect the sink next, grinning at the simple convenience of hot water at my fingertips.
With electricity, I won’t have to do everything by hand. I could get better equipment to aid me in grinding dried ingredients and mixing pastes. The greenhouse already planted the idea in my head to try more things. The first batch of oils I made this week are much better than my previous rudimentary trials. With the right tools, I’d be able to make higher quality extractions to infuse with salves and other concoctions.
This cottage could become an herbalist workshop.
“I have running water. And lights.” An elated laugh escapes me. “You did all this for us?”
His broad shoulders stiffen and he folds his massive arms with a foreboding expression. “I did. It’s why I was coming to look for you so I could show you.”
I bite my lip, turning off the tap. “Oh.”
“We need to talk about this,” he says gruffly. “It’s not a day for a trip to Ashbury.”
I hold back a sigh, knowing he won’t drop it. “Those happen too infrequently.”
His head jerks. “For good reason. It’s dangerous.”
“Uh, no. I wasn’t in any danger. There’s nothing wrong with town. You just don’t trust the humans because you don’t like them. But you’re wrong.” I get the bag from the bakery and offer him a croissant. “The humans there are nice and helpful.”
His fist pounds a beam in the wall. It creaks beneath his power. Both of us freeze. I survey the roof, hoping the rafters don’t collapse on us after he put so much work into repairing the cottage.
“Shit,” he grumbles, hand hovering over the wood. “I’m trying really hard to keep myself in check because I know you’re safe now. I still need an explanation. You snuck off the packlands without telling me or anyone else where you were going. Why the fuck were you in town?”
I swallow a feisty remark about stretching my legs, sensing how close he is to blowing up. It’s a marked sign of how he’s changing if he’s asking for a reason instead of the way he would’ve reacted before catching anyone breaking his rules. Especially me.
“I told you in town. I wanted to visit the bakery.”
“My wolf scented you everywhere. You’ve been there before. Many fucking times.”
I’m not hiding the full truth from him. “Yes. You know why? Because when our food allotment was shorted, I needed to find another way to eat. Because when something broke, I needed tools to fix it. I go there to trade with the townspeople. They know me. They helped me when the pack wouldn’t.”
“They know you?” He stops to reel himself in, breathing heavily. “We have those things here. You didn’t have to go. At least without asking me.”
“We’ve been down this path already. You rule the pack with a strict hand. Would you have granted permission and an escort for me if I put in a request to go to town?” I challenge sharply. “You believed I was a traitor to the pack. Your enemy. I had to do whatever it took to survive.”
He scrubs his face with both hands, muscles bulging with his wolf. Blowing out a breath, he levels me with a strained expression wavering between impatience and apprehension. He’s trying to give me the chance to explain myself. I don’t need the bond to see it written across his face.
“Okay. I understand,” he pushes out. “I don’t like it, but I see why you did it before. But why now? Things are different.”
“I was fine,” I say in exasperation. “Better than when I thought I was Wolfless.”
A tetchy noise tears from him. “That doesn’t matter. You went alone. No one to watch your back. What were you thinking?”
“I was trading! I wanted to hand out samples of the new oils I was able to make thanks to the greenhouse you built for me.” I sigh, getting the last of the vials from my satchel to show him. “I wanted to see how they went over before I brought the idea to you. Money never did me any good, so I stuck with bartering for what I needed to get by. If the pack sells shifter-made herbal wares, it could bring money in. I could teach others how to forage and make things.”
The crease in his forehead deepens and he draws me into his arms. “When I realized where your scent trail led, I thought I’d lost you. My mother went missing in that town. Witches stole her because she was on her own.”
I tense. “I remember she went missing. I never knew it was from town. Are you certain it was witches? You never told me this before.”
There could be other covens in the area besides Jade’s traveling coven. I know it couldn’t be them. They had no quarrel with our pack.
“I’ve never told anyone my suspicions. It just feels—off. Here.” He brings my hand to his chest, clutching it. “I won’t lose you the same way.”
“You didn’t.” I search his troubled gaze. “You won’t. I’m right here with you. If you promise to be open to less restrictions on going off packlands, I promise to tell you next time I want to go somewhere.”
His rumble makes the air thicken around us. I press up to meet his mouth descending to capture mine. His fingers bury in my hair as my arms slip around his shoulders. He switches our positions without breaking the kiss, pinning my back to the wall.
A fist bangs on the door. Caden growls, wrenching his mouth away.