Page 54 of The Wolf Lord's Mate

"What are you referring to?" Nathaniel flicked his gaze at me over his cards, "I am perfectly literate, thank you."

"You're putting down the wrong card sets," I mumbled, "So either you can't read or you're cheating."

"You would accuse your Lord of cheating?" Nathaniel gave me a look of mock hurt before setting down another incorrect set.

"I would tell my Lord the truth," I narrowed my eyes at him, "And the truth is that those cards don't belong in a set."

"Do they not?" Nathaniel pulled new cards from the deck anyway, ignoring my protests, "Which ones are wrong?"

"Those are wrong," The blanket slipped down my arms as I pointed at the mismatched King and Queen set he had just set down, "That's not a full suite, so it can't count."

"Well, it doesn't really matter, does it?" Nathaniel shrugged his shoulders, "It's like you said, I'm going to win anyway."

"I didn't say you were going to win," I sat up straighter now, "I said that it was pointless to play against yourself."

"Because I'll automatically win." Nathaniel spoke plainly, setting down yet another incorrect set. His hand was almost fully gone now, close to finishing the absurd game he had challenged himself to.

"Because you will win and lose, and that is pointless," I huffed, glaring up at the ceiling as I continued, "So is cheating for no other apparent reason than your own amusement or boredom. Don't play at all if you're just going to do it incorrectly. There's no fun in that, just as there is no fun in winning against yourself."

When I returned my attention back to Nathaniel, he was smiling. Not arrogantly or foolishly, but softly; a gentle curve to his lips as his eyes traced gentle patterns over my flushed cheeks. It was disarming, and I was a single moment away from hiding back below the blanket when Nathaniel gathered the last few cards in his hand and split them into two random sets.

"Looks like I won." Nathaniel moved to place the incorrect sets down onto the table next to the others, but I shifted to the edge of my seat, putting my hands down on the table to stop him from placing them down.

"Absolutely not." I said, and Nathaniel's smile grew wider.

"What are you doing?" Nathaniel's words escaped into a chuckle as he tried to place them again, but I continued to block his path. "Mira, I have won, there's no need to be a sore loser."

"I wasn't playing, you insufferable male—stop that," I blocked his placement again, shooting him warning glare, "You once said that you would fulfill every desire I had, and my current desire is for you to stop being an idiot."

Nathaniel's laughter filled the air, the noise sweet and soothing, a calm warmth pooling in my chest at the sound of it. "That's quite the request, little mate."

"Too difficult for you?" I fought off a smile of my own, pursing my twitching lips as I tried to keep my resolve.

"I suppose I could forfeit if my Lady demands it," Nathaniel gave an over-dramatic sigh, "I would hate to disappoint her, considering how suddenly pious she is."

"I am not pious," I snorted, "I am sensible."

"Far too sensible," Nathaniel nodded in agreement, "We'll have to work on that."

"And how precisely do you intend to do that?" I held Nathaniel's gaze, a mischievous tilt pulling at his smile.

"By learning to let go of all of those hard and fast rules you have set in your head. Some things are malleable, my love, and not everything has to stay the same." Nathaniel winked at me, and I grabbed at his wrist as he placed the incorrect sets down on the table. No matter how much I pulled at him, it didn't seem to make any difference, and only ended with my half-leaned over him.

I rolled my eyes, and Nathaniel grabbed at my waist as I tried to return to my seat, swiftly pulling me onto his lap.

"This is really not the time," I wriggled in his grasp, trying to peel his arm from around my waist, "Do I look like I want to be held?"

"Yes, you do," Nathaniel pulled me more firmly against him, resting his chin on my head, "And if you keep rubbing against me like that then we're both going to have a much bigger problem to contend with, aren't we?"

I stilled at this, suddenly aware of the sharp poking at my thigh, and allowed myself to relax against him. It did feel nice being held like that, so securely in his strong arms.

He was so large that he could practically fold himself around me, shielding me from everything and everyone else. Not that anyone would try to come between an alpha wolf and his mate, and I couldn't deny the sense of satisfaction that surged within me at the image of Nathaniel defending me like that.

His possessiveness was what terrified me the most, the idea of being trapped making his adoration suffocating at times, and yet—the bond twisted that feeling into something else, a strange yearning to be wanted in that endless, ceaseless way of his.

Nathaniel pressed a warm kiss to my neck. "Let me serve you some stew?" He murmured into my skin.