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Hunter’s fingers curl into my side, and a small smile pulls at the corner of his mouth, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Thank you for thinking that, Lottie. But in the non-human world, what I’m doing wouldn’t be considered taking action as I see fit. There are other things I could do to keep him away from you, to make him leave. Permanently. But I can’t because, to them, you’re only a human who isn’t under my protection or part of my pack. An outsider who doesn’t fall under the umbrella of my protection, officially.”

I push up on my elbow to get a better look at him. To me, he’s doing everything right. What more could he do?

Scooting up, he props his shoulders against the headboard, keeping me secure against his side.

“We deal with things differently than humans do,” he explains. “We’re more hands-on, and if you were part of my pack, I could force Vincent to back off without repercussions.”

“You said you wanted to ask me something. Does this have to do with that?” I ask.

“Yes. I want to make you part of my pack so I can make Vincent leave in the way I want.”

Make me part of his pack? Would that mean staying in Snowberry? Staying with him? I wonder if becoming part of his pack means becoming part of his family or, I don’t know, just paying an annual fee and getting a membership card. I’m unable to voice my questions or ask if what he’s saying is that he wants me to stay. To become his. Would I agree to such a thing? I haven’t even decided whether I want to return to music or not. Haven’t even thought about where I want my future to go. Could my future be here with Hunter? Is that even possible? If Vincent figured out who I am, then someone else could. Events like the other day will happen again and again.

Then my thoughts take a different turn down a dark alley that makes my insides twist.

“Do you only want to make me a member of your pack so you can make a move against Vincent?” I ask a bit incredulously.

“What? No, that’s not the only reason. And you wouldn’t just be part of my pack. You would be my mate. My bonded mate,” he says slowly, emphasizing his words carefully.

“Bonded mate. You want to bond with me?”

He gives me one sharp nod without hesitation. How can he know so soon that he wants to bond his life to mine? This isn’t like a human marriage. There’s no annulment or divorce. This would be permanent. For the rest of our extremely long lives. Because once we bond, I’ll live as long as Hunter does. I would hate for Hunter to bond with me and regret it because he went on instinct instead of getting to know me first.

We’ve only been together for a few days, and I’ve only known him for maybe two weeks. Could it be that easy? That fast?

“Do you want to bond with ME? Or do you want to bond because your inner whatever says I’m your mate?”

“Both. The mate pull drew me to you, but it’s because of you that I want it.”

He pauses, seeing my reluctance as I shift out of his arms and pull the blanket up to cover my nudity. I like Hunter—a lot. I may even love him. But to tie our souls together in such a permanent way requires a little longer than a handful of days to decide. A better reason than the mystical pull told me to. Right?

“I know we’ve only known each other a short time, and you’ve just discovered this entire new world hidden within your own. I know you’re concerned about the media finding you here and exposing us. I promise that won’t happen; Ginger won’t let it. But I don’t need more time to know that if I were to bond with you, I would be the happiest male in the world. I know you are my perfect match because you wouldn’t be my mate otherwise. We may disagree or even fight, but we’ll work through it because no one else out there will understand and love you as deeply and fiercely as I will.

“I once heard the saying that good things come to those who wait, but great things happen all at once. People will wait and delay and put things off for fear they may not be the right choice and, in the end, kick themselves for wasting all that time when they could have had something great all along.

“I don’t like wasting my time. I like schedules and being efficient. If I want something, I don’t question it or worry that it might not be perfect. I grab on with both hands and take it.”

He sits straight and turns to face me, reaching out to cup my cheek and turn my face to his.

“I know I want you, Lottie. I know we’ll be happy. I don’t question that. Shifters live off instinct, and mine’s telling me that you’re it.”

Leaning in, he brushes his lips against mine. The kiss is soft and loving, drawn out. The pull tightening in my chest—and my clit.

Hunter breaks the kiss and speaks into my lips, brushing his nose against mine.

“Think about Lottie. The full moon is in three days. You can tell me then. If your answer is no, that’s okay, too. I’ll be here either way; nothing will change. It’ll just take me longer to convince you.”

His words are what every girl wants to hear. The words of happily ever after’s. But are they real? Everything in my life has been so fake for so long that it’s hard to tell the difference anymore.

But this is Hunter. He has nothing to gain from lying to me. He doesn’t want to become famous; he doesn’t want my money. There’s no reason for him to lie to me about such a thing. This has to be real.

His hand trails down my jaw and neck, over my shoulder, and down the swell of my breast, gently pulling the blanket away, revealing my tight nipples and aching breasts to him. He cups one in his large hand, rubs a thumb across the pebbled peak, and pinches it between two fingers. His lips trail in the path his hands just took, ending in the same position.

I grow wet between my thighs and squirm under his attention, needing more. He knows what I need and rolls us until I’m under him, his already thickening cock rubbing against my swollen clit and throbbing pussy as he wedges his hips between my legs. I widen for him and wrap my heels around his ass.

“Is this you trying to convince me?” I ask between kisses, our breaths mingling as our heart rates increase and our breathing becomes labored.