Total pages in book: 202
Estimated words: 193561 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 968(@200wpm)___ 774(@250wpm)___ 645(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 193561 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 968(@200wpm)___ 774(@250wpm)___ 645(@300wpm)
She takes this as a threat and shrinks back. “I… if you let me go, I’ll talk to h-him and ask him to leave you guys be. I’ll try my best to convince him.”
I cock my head to the side. “Who?”
“But if he wants to meet, be careful. He lies.” She frowns, and begins speaking faster. “Please don’t say I told you that. I don’t know why I just told you that.” She squeezes her eyes shut tight and then shakes her head. “I don’t know why I’m even suggesting this. Talking to him is pointless. He won’t listen to anybody; thinks he knows everything. He just gets people to do his bidding. Like me. I… I could’ve killed someone today. I actually tried to hurt someone.”
She starts shaking hard, staring at her trembling hands. “I could’ve. It would’ve changed me forever. Just pulling that trigger feels like it changed me, changed everything about who I am. That’s not me. Poisoning, shooting? N-not m-me.”
A sob bursts from her mouth, and I realize the adrenalin from everything that happened today is now ebbing. Now that she’s here, sitting down in a room on a soft bed with soft lighting, she’s crashing.
I gather her close, rearrange some covers over us and position her on her side, facing me.
She stares at her hands, which are pressed against my chest. Her eyes pan up to mine. The instant they do, an avalanche of emotion surges from her expression and I know if we were already mated, I’d feel it. It’s hard enough to watch, I can’t imagine how it’d feel if I felt all that I see from her. Tears trickle and though I’m sure she’s trying to hold back the flood of emotions, it’s wracking her body.
Her eyes dart away. I pull her closer to me.
“It’s okay, Blossom,” I say into her soft hair, taking in her scent as she fuses with me, my arms tight around her. “Don’t try to stop it. All those big feelings need to go somewhere. I can handle them. I’m here, I’m your mate, and it’s my job to take all your burdens. Go ahead, give ‘em to me.”
I kiss the top of her head, and she hesitates for a split second before she melts into me, clutching my back with her hands.
“Go ahead, babe,” I say. “You’re safe with me. I fuckin’ swear it.”
She begins to bawl her heart out.
Her submitting this way, letting go and giving this to me feels incredibly important.
Three or four minutes in, my phone chimes with another text, but the phone is no longer in my hand. It’s somewhere in this bed, so I ignore it. I’m holding my mate, stroking her hair, my lips to the soft skin of her forehead. My body heat has notched itself up and she’s melted into me.
“Someone made you do it,” I whisper.
She nods and buries her face in my throat.
“And you’ve never done anything like that before.”
She shakes her head.
“Ty’s fine. You didn’t hurt him. He recovered quickly and he’s a hundred per cent already.”
She nods, a huge, relieved breath gushing from her.
“The men you poisoned are fine. They recovered. It was a pain in the ass for our pack. We were concerned about it, but now we know. You’ll tell me why you did it, you’ll tell our healer what you gave them, and we’ll figure it all out. Nobody’s permanently hurt.”
She sniffles, still trembling.
“It’s okay, Stacy, I promise. We’ll sort it all out. Whoever made you do it can’t make you do anything else. They won’t force you to do what’s not you. You’re safe. I’ll see to that. I’ll see to all of it.”
She glances up and stares at me with wonder blended with pain before her expression shifts, changing to something different, something shrewd as she looks at me like she’s trying to figure me out.
“I’m not a liar,” I inform. “Not a game-player. What you see is what you get with me. You’ll soon trust in that. I’m not shitting you here.”
I cup the back of her head and bring her face into my throat again.
“I’m getting your skin all wet,” she says, voice muffled.
“Don’t care. But I’ll get us something to drink. We’ll talk some more. One sec, wait here.” I reluctantly let go of her and slip out of the room.
My wolf is practically howling inside me, wanting me to mount and mark her.
Mating her will forge a bond that’ll help her settle, feel safe, and I’ll finally be able to purr, which will put her at ease. This little female is timid. Traumatized. Someone made her do shit she didn’t want to do today. And at that diner.
I’ll find out who, find out why. I’ll show her she’s safe. And I’ll deal with whoever and whatever this is threatening the pack. One step at a time. She’s mine. I’m hers. One foot or paw in front of the other, all this is meant to be, and it’s all going to work out.