Page 7 of Claimed by the Wolf (Wild Fated Shifters #1)
I don’t need directions to find him along the expanse of the creek bed.
I sense my mate as I get closer, even before I see him, his scent overwhelming me and every follicle in my body.
I know he’s in his wolf form, the brilliant blue of his eyes shining out in the darkness like azure beacons along the creek bank.
The charcoal gray of his fur blends against the night, giving an optical illusion that he’s part of the atmosphere.
Sprinting the rest of the way, I join his side, my tail wrapping coyly around me. I throw my head back and stare at him imploringly, my tongue lolling out lightly as I pant.
I want him to throw caution to the wind without speaking, to let the past two days of tension overtake him, the way it has me.
Take me, I beg him silently. Don’t you want me?
For a long moment, we merely stare at one another, almost like we’re both afraid to shift, lest we lunge for each other. Even as we sit in our animal bodies, I want to tackle him and nuzzle against the soft fur of his neck, to inhale him so deeply, that he seems to merge with me.
He shifts first, his naked form stealing my breath away.
It’s nothing I haven’t seen before, a hundred times.
We’ve all run together, hunted together, shifted together, but tonight, I can’t stop myself from taking it all in like I’m seeing him for the first time.
The ripple of his abs, the curve of his hips, the bulging muscles of his thighs.
“Stop!” he orders me as my eyes rake helplessly over him. “You have to contain yourself.”
But he speaks with such pleading, like he’s trying to convince himself, too.
I turn my head away and tuck my paws together as if they will keep me in check.
“Brynn.”
I don’t shift, but I listen. I’m not sure I trust myself not to say something I won’t regret later.
“You understand we can’t be together, don’t you?” His tone is soft, sad, but firm, too.
I flick my eyes back toward him and nod. He ambles closer and cups my face with his hands, the warmth of his palms, and I nuzzle into him. “I know you didn’t sign up for this.”
I allow myself to shift, my small frame melding against his lumbering form, hair spilling demurely over my naked body to shield his yearning eyes.
Our eyes clash, mine with defiance, his with restraint, as I silently beg him to kiss me.
But another part of me hopes he doesn’t give in to his desires. I know what’s at stake for all of us.
He releases me hastily and steps back, running his open palms over his bare legs nervously.
“There has to be a way to break the bond.” It sounds like he’s talking to himself.
My heart sinks, and I lower my eyes. “How?”
“I’ve been trying to find a way, as discretely as possible,” he admits, and my soul crushes more. “You haven’t told anyone about this, have you?”
He takes my chin in his thumb, cocking my head upward again. His eyes linger on my clavicles, and he blinks once, a small smile toying on his lips. “You got my present.”
My hand reaches up to touch the emerald necklace around my neck, absently. It’s a small miracle it wasn’t broken in the shift. I’ll have to be more careful with it. “It’s beautiful,” I whisper. “Thank you.”
His eyes bore into mine, and my lower lip quivers as he brushes my hair out of my face. “Maybe under different circumstances…” He releases me.
Does he really mean that?
“Would you… I mean…” I draw in another breath. “If you hadn’t promised me to Emeric? Could we be together?”
“I don’t know,” he answers, almost angrily.
I exhale. “Why not?”
He grimaces. “I don’t know, because that’s not the world we’re living in right now,” he growls. “And we have enough to think about without making up hypothetical situations. You are promised to Emeric. Right?”
He makes no mention of my brother, and I wonder if he’s trying to forget about that part. Maybe he didn’t see me as Brax’s little sister, after all.
His stare bores into me, and for a minute, I wonder if he wants me to withdraw my consent. There’s an unmistakable pleading in his eyes, but it’s fleeting.
“Right?” he demands again, harsher now.
I drop my chin to look away. “Yes.”
“I’ll find a way to break this. It’ll get easier,” he promises. “It’s only hard right now because it’s new. Over time, we’ll both be able to deal with it.”
“Will it get easier?” I ask tersely, throwing my head back to glare at him. “Because I hear I’m going to a party this weekend. And I might be staying with Emeric.”
He pales in the moonlight. “Brax told you.”
“Was it a secret?”
“No. And I don’t know if you’ll stay. All I know is there’s a gathering and everyone will be there, including you and me, together, where everyone will see us.”
His meaning goes unspoken, and my mouth parts in alarm.
“Oh no…” I wheeze.
“Yes. We have to find a way to end this, or everyone will know that we are mates.”
Our bond will be unmistakable if we’re next to one another, and there’s no way to avoid having us both at Emeric’s gathering.
“We’ll find a way to break it,” I echo, a sudden burst of determination flowing through me.
The haze of fantasy wears thin. The security of our pack depends on this alliance, and I can’t continue to imagine a future with Nox.
“I’ll contact you,” he tells me, backing up as I nod curtly.
“You have to stay strong, Brynn.”
“I will,” I choke, but they’re just words. I don’t know if I am strong enough for this torture.
Without warning, he turns, shifting back into his dark gray wolf body, and bounds into the darkness, leaving me alone to stare after him, fighting off my heartbreak.