Page 66

I kept her body hidden from the pack’s eyes while she stripped and shifted. Though I tried to keep my eyes from moving down her gorgeous bare back, I failed, and my gaze devoured her sexy figure.

Damn, I wanted her in a way I’d never wanted anything or anyone before.

The distance between us felt wrong.

I rubbed her wolf’s head for a moment before I let mine out. He immediately rubbed his side against hers, burying his nose in her neck.

He inhaled her scent, growling, “You smell perfect. Tell your human to stop hiding from mine. I need to smell you more.”

She let out a soft, laugh-like chuff. “My human needs time to move on from the lies.”

“There were no lies. We never said you weren’t our mate.”

She rolled her eyes at him, and he stepped around to smell the other side of her. His chest rumbled at her smell.

The rest of the pack had already moved on and disappeared into the forest, but we clearly weren’t in a hurry.

“Walk with me, mate,” my wolf finally said, when he was content with how much they smelled like each other. “Let me feel your side against mine.”

Her wolf chuffed again, still softly. She was almost a little bashful, too.

But they walked together until they were ready to run, then spent the rest of the night playing in the forest.

When we finally made it back home, we collapsed in our own separate beds—as much as I hated the distance—and crashed quickly.

twelve

SIENNA

Beck gave me space while I frosted my cookies all morning, and when early afternoon came around, he went with me to deliver them.

The ladies running the baby shower were full of gushy thank you’s, and the woman being celebrated teared up when she saw the blue and white bow-ties, diapers, and paw print cookies.

Beck was in a conversation with the woman’s mate when I finished setting the cookies out, so I lingered in the kitchen a bit longer, acting like I was repositioning them so they looked better.

My eyes kept moving back to her, though.

The pregnant woman.

Her belly was insanely round, and the hand she had on her lower back told me it was probably aching. Her hair was messy, and she looked tired, too, but there was something in her eyes.

Light?

Excitement?

It was hard to read.

I couldn’t look away.

Two of the women running the shower struck up a conversation to my left, and I couldn’t help but overhear it.

“Every time I go to one of these, I want to have another one. I wish pregnancy wasn’t such a bitch,” one of the women said.

My lips curved upward slightly at her candor. I’d never been a part of a conversation about pregnancy before, and I was curious.

“It’s hellish,” the other woman agreed. “But those cute little furballs are worth the pain. They drive me insane when I’m with them—but as soon as I leave the house, I miss them.”

“I know, it’s so stupid!” the first exclaimed. “How can something so infuriating be so adorable? And all the sticky, sweet kisses… it’s not fair. My mate needs to be smaller and cuter, so I stop wanting more babies.”