Page 71 of Locke

My sister laughed. “And you will explain how to play? Become their creepy uncle and lead them into your toy shop?”

“Hey!” I snorted and pushed her away from me. “I will not be creepy! I’d be the fun uncle.”

Amaryllis cried out when I lunged at her. “That isn’t any better! Mercy, mercy!” She cried. I continued to tickle her, and we rolled into the dirt, laughing. My whittling knife and block of wood were long gone as we rolled into the tall grasses.

I gasped, feeling the cool droplets of sweat forming on my forehead. Slowly, I lifted my head from the rumpled sheets, my eyes scanning the room, desperately seeking reassurance that I hadn’t been transported backthere.

Once I took a deep breath, smelling my mate’s scent, my heart slowed and my body relaxed. I snuggled my body around hers, in the blankets that served as our nest.

Watching scenes replay of my past— feeling my sister’s touch and hearing her laughter made my heart seize in my chest. We were both so young and innocent, and she was so damn fierce.

I felt my throat bob, and I buried my nose into my mate’s neck. Her body didn’t move, and I pushed myself closer to her, enveloping her.

Soon, my mate would know everything about me. Who I am, where I came from, why I am the way I am.

Will she run in fear? Will she understand at all?

I fucking hated the unknown.

I squeezed her tighter, my body covering hers.

I would not let her go. She would not leave me.

I will not lose another person I loved.

Mine.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Locke

Idon’t know how long I lay there holding her. I haven’t felt the skin of any female since my mother and my sister.

My ruts have been painful in my time alone. I sought no relief from another female and endured them with no sort of medication, although I carried it for others close to me, trying to help ease their pain.

Now, I felt the heat of my body rise. My cock was constantly hard and I had yet to gain permission to take my mate’s body while she was sleeping. Now that I had claimed her, I felt my scattered and irrational thoughts fade, and now I wanted nothing but consent from her.

I think it was part of the old me shining through. The broken pieces of my mind being pieced together. Those cracks would be sealed through the bond. I wouldn’t achieve perfect healing, as itwas impossible with the memories I held. I don’t think any god or goddess could make me forget. The pain made me the wolf I was today and I needed it to help this pack survive.

My wolf stirred, his ears twitching as he rose from deep within my mind.

“A pack,”he muttered.“It is the first time you referred to our club with that term and meant it.”

I took a deep breath, nuzzling my face further into my mate’s neck. Itwasthe first time I had thought of the club as a pack, or at least felt that it was the right word. Was this the turning point for those who fought to be inside the Iron Fang?

Would there be differences within the pack, now that I thought of them as a pack rather than a club since, Emm’s and my mating?

Thoughts about what I have created in this world circled in my mind when I should have been concentrating on my mate. Yet here I was, worrying about everyone else.

There was no time to enjoy the pleasantries. I had to ensure that the rest of the shifters and fae were taken care of as well.

I rearranged the cozy blankets, ensuring that my scent enveloped them completely. As I held my mate close, I could feel her shivering slightly. It was crucial for her to stay warm, as her body would soon undergo significant changes. I wanted to relieve her immune system of the need to regulate her body temperature.

When I pulled away and saw her sleeping form, I couldn’t help but feel gratefulness toward the Goddess. For so long, I damned her for what she had done to me and to my friends.

My mother never told me a mate could reject you. It was either she didn’t know, or just refused to tell me. There was so much darkness in Blood Rose, maybe she wanted to give me hope.

Regretfully, I pulled away from my mate and took my phone off the nightstand.