Page 24

twenty-four

ASPEN

I woke up with a groan, my head pounding.

By the scent and feel of the blankets, I knew I was in our bed.

His chest was pressed against my back, his skin bare. Mine was too.

“You took my shirt off?” I mumbled.

“Your bra too. Your heart rate was better when we had more skin touching.”

“Should’ve taken my leggings off too then.”

He chuckled. “I did, Princess.”

I moved my legs a little, and realized all I had on was a pair of my spandex shorts. “Oh. Thanks.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Okay. Tired. Is my mom…”

“A wolf? Yep. She and your dad are happy, according to your brother.”

Relief rolled through me. “How long have I been out?”

“About a day. The timeline seems like an exact replica of last time, even with my body against yours.”

Damn.

“How are Nova and Sydney?”

“Sydney’s fine. The woman she bit didn’t shift, though. She doesn’t seem to have the ability to change them.”

I blinked.

“Our new theory is that turned female wolves can’t turn anyone else,” he said. “Your mother and the other new woman both already tried and failed, too.”

“Nova?”

“She was still unconscious last I heard. The process seemed harder on her wolf than it is on yours. Things were dicey for a while. The pack doctor has her in our medical room and is watching her closely.”

Oh, shit.

My wolf stretched.

She didn’t seem surprised by that. I had to wonder what she knew that I didn’t.

“She’s okay now?”

“She is. She’s stable. And the woman she bit turned.”

“Did Hunter…”

“He’s been with her the whole time. His touch doesn’t seem to do anything for her, though.”

“Her wolf doesn’t know him.”

“No. And they haven’t been sharing a room like we have, so she isn’t accustomed to his scent. She seems more against forming a mate bond than you were, and he doesn’t want it either.”

“Did Silas touch her?”

“He did. She didn’t respond to him either. Which is probably a good thing for him.”

Hunter would probably have lost his shit.

Still, I would’ve preferred that over letting Nova suffer longer than she absolutely had to.

“When is she going to wake up?” I asked.

“The doctor thinks it’ll be another two or three days. He’s set her up with everything she needs to stay healthy while she’s unconscious.”

“She’s supposed to go into heat.”

“Hunter already discussed that with him. He’s given her a medication that he thinks will suppress it, but they’re going to monitor her temperature closely. If it starts to go up, they’ll get her out of the city.”

Wow.

That was… a lot.

“If turned wolves can’t turn more of them, and changing women puts Nova’s life at risk, I’m the only one who can do it.”

Fletcher’s five-hundred-years warning suddenly seemed bigger. And scarier.

“We’re going to figure that out when we need to, Princess.” Enzo’s voice was firm. A little comforting, too. “For now, we focus on your recovery.”

“Did the wolves leave the forest?”

“No.”

I closed my eyes.

“I’m not going to let anything happen to you. The doctor thinks the mate bond may change how the transformations affect you. You might be able to rely on my energy, too. We could change all the mated humans, and stop there.”

“So we could change a human every other day?” I whispered. “There are ten thousand mated humans, Enzo. And so many others who will take mates if that’s what it takes to get themselves turned.”

“We’re going to figure it out.”

“Are we?”

“Yes.” He ran his hand slowly down the length of my hair. “Trust me, Princess.”

Maybe I shouldn’t have, but I did.

If Enzo said he would protect me, he would do it. No matter what it took.

“Do you think you could get some food down?”

The idea made me queasy. “No.”

“Alright. The next time you’re up, I’m going to make you eat double.”

“Mmkay.”

He pulled me closer, and I fell back asleep against his chest.

Everything was going to work out. I had to believe that Enzo could make that true somehow.

The next time I woke up, I was feeling a lot stronger. He carried me to the kitchen, and I sat on the counter while he cooked for me. When I asked for a shirt, he helped me into one of his long-sleeved ones. It was old, soft, and had his scent basically woven into the fabric.

His hands and arms brushed my skin frequently as he cooked. It felt nice. Really nice.

After we ate, I curled up in his arms in the chair he occupied. He hadn’t offered me my own seat, and I didn’t ask for one. I didn’t feel steady, and he seemed to want me on his lap anyway.

“Everyone wants to see you,” he said, “But we can’t let them.”

“Who’s everyone?”

“Fletcher. Your parents. My brothers. The pack.”

“The pack?”

“Everyone knows Nova is still unconscious and healing, so most of them just want to see whether or not you’re in good enough shape to turn someone else,” he grumbled. “And to mate with me.”

“How many days until the full moon?”

“It’s the day after tomorrow.”

“There might be time to?—”

“No.” He knew what I was going to say, and didn’t even consider it. “We’re not discussing that. It’s not an option. We seal the bond when you’re healthy, or we don’t seal it at all. And not sealing it isn’t an option. The longer we wait, the more likely someone will get brave enough to try to take you from me.”

I nodded reluctantly. “What are we supposed to do until then? And why can’t we let our families see me?”

“Well, they can see you. It’s the pack I don’t want involved.”

“Okay,” I agreed. “We’ll just have to meet up with them in the lounge, so your wolf doesn’t lose his shit.”

Enzo agreed, and sent out messages to set it up. Then helped me put on a bra, and walked over with me. He carried most of my weight, but when I told him I wanted to walk, he just put an arm around my waist and helped.

Fletcher walked in right after we got there. He looked exhausted, and I doubted he’d been sleeping enough. I hoped seeing that I was okay would help him rest a little easier.

My parents came after him, and they were both beaming. The magic of her transformation had lifted her skin and made her look younger, somehow. When she started to get emotional, my father and I did too, and we all nearly ended up in tears.

Clay was next, and while he was there, we all video called Hunter so we could see Nova. He still hadn’t left her side. His facial hair was scruffier than I’d ever seen it and his curly hair was more unruly, but he seemed okay. When he turned his camera to show us that Nova was alright, I could breathe a little easier. Sydney was in her room too, and waved when she saw us.

When the call finally ended, Enzo dragged me back to our apartment and made me eat more food. Afterward, he tucked me into bed with him again. I noticed a new iPad mini on his nightstand as he pulled me onto his chest.

“Have you started reading on that too?” I murmured.

“Yup. It’s easier to hold than a book. Especially when I have a pretty little female sprawled out over me.” He kissed my shoulder. “Go back to sleep.”

I mumbled my agreement.

As I fell asleep, my mind wandered, and I found myself asking him softly,

“What’s going to happen after we seal our mate bond?”

Would he have to spend all his time hunting rogues again?

Would I have to get used to being alone all the time?

“I don’t know yet, but I’ll make sure it’s good.” He kissed my shoulder again. “Get some sleep, Princess. You’re safe here.”

The words made my chest warm, and finally I dozed off.

The next two days went by fast, and Enzo didn’t leave my side.

We read books.

We cooked.

Nova still didn’t wake up.

We had sex a few times, but he was a lot gentler than usual. I couldn’t get him to believe that I really was fine, so I just accepted that and enjoyed the temporarily sweeter sex.

The Savages had sent out applications and made an announcement about more human mates being turned after Enzo and I mated. We weren’t sure exactly how it was going to work, but it calmed down the mob and cleared out the forest around the pack’s land for the most part. Seeing proof that two more women had been changed seemed to help, with that.

The evening of the mating ceremony, we finally emerged from our room.

Human women usually dressed in white strapless gowns. They held their ceremonies beneath the full moon in front of a crowd, treating it like a wedding. They traded rings and vows, too.

But for a wolf, taking a mate wasn’t romantic.

It wasn’t sweet.

It was raw. Intense. Consuming.

It was forever .

And I wasn’t human.

I didn’t want a wedding, or a white dress.

If I was going to bite Enzo and let him bite me, binding us together permanently, I wanted to do it in the forest. On our own. Without anyone else watching.

He didn’t care how it happened as long as it did happen.

So, we let our family know that we were going through with the ceremony alone. We could hear the pack talking, and laughing around us as we slipped out of the Lodge and into the forest together. Enzo wore nothing but a pair of jeans, and I only had on one of his t-shirts.

Male werewolves were spread out through the forest as they relaxed beneath the moon. The few who noticed us nodded respectfully. None of their gazes lingered.

As soon as we made it to the edge of the forest, we stripped and let our wolves take over. They ran. Played. Wrestled.

It was fun. Ridiculously fun.

We were both out of breath when they gave up playing and shifted in the middle of the woods. I stumbled into Enzo, and he caught my hips, pulling me in close.

The moon shone down over our bare skin, and he kissed me deeply. His lips were soft and warm, his kiss sweet in a way that made it difficult not to get lost in him.

When I had to pull away to catch my breath, he chuckled.

The sound was real and free, in a way so few things in my life had ever been.

“My wolf loved that,” I said, tipping my head back so I could meet his eyes.

“Mine’s already pushing me to seal the bond so he can get back to chasing her again.”

I smiled, and he kissed me once more. His cock was hard against my hip, his body making me feel absolutely blissful.

My smile faded when he pulled away, his gaze moving slowly over my face. His expression was calm, but serious.

“Are you sure about this, Enzo? Sealing a mate bond isn’t just a wolfish obsession. If we commit, it’s forever,” I said. “It doesn’t seem like there’s another option, but we might be able to find one.”

“I don’t want another option, Princess. Do you?”

No.

I didn’t.

The truth of that hit me harder than I expected, and my heartbeat picked up. “I just want you.”

His lips brushed the curve where my neck met my shoulder, and a beat later, his fangs pierced my skin.

My wolf howled her approval, and mine cut into him too.

White-hot electricity raced over my skin and through my veins. It was followed closely, and intensely, by heat.

Not just warmth— heat , heat.

My body flushed instantly.

Enzo licked the wound clean and grabbed my hips. I gasped out a curse as he hauled me down to the dirt with him, putting me on my hands and knees.

I lifted my ass higher, and he growled his satisfaction as he opened my legs wider and slammed into me, filling me completely.

His fingers worked my clit as he fucked me hard. I came with a scream, and his knot swelled inside me, making the climax longer and more intense.

He drove in deeper, his hands moving over my skin as we found our releases together again and again.

When his knot finally softened, he pulled out and rolled onto his back, tugging me down on top of him. His eyes were gold, but it wasn’t his wolf. It was just Enzo.

“I forgot how good that is,” he rumbled, chest rising and falling harshly.

“No kidding,” I breathed. “But if someone finds us out here, we’re screwed.”

“If someone finds us out here, I’ll kill them and go right back to fucking you. No harm done.” There was no anger behind the words. He didn’t genuinely want to kill anyone for stumbling upon us.

A wave of need rolled over me, and I moaned, arching my hips.

His chest rumbled, and his lips brushed mine.

“Are you ready, Princess?”

“Are you ready, Alpha?”

He chuckled, then filled me again.

My thoughts were quickly and entirely consumed by what I wanted and needed:

Enzo Savage.

The Wolf King.

My mate.