Page 76 of The Wolf Lord's Mate

The dimming sun greeted me through the high windows of the staff quarters, the hall stretching out towards the kitchen. Low chatter echoed out into the hall, and the scent of charred meat permeated the air.

I expected to find Patty standing over the stove with Isa or Samuel sitting at the table, but I faltered in the doorway at the sight of two strangers.

Wolves. Male Wolves.

Both were dressed in plain, roughly made clothing and appeared to be of a middling age; dark haired and grim-faced, they could have been brothers, nearly identical if not for the scar across the face of one of them, the reminder of some kind of blade slicing through his cheek.

"Mira," Patty looked up from the stove, wooden fork prodding at a huge slab of some kind of meat cooking in a cast iron skillet, "It's good to see you back."

"It is, uh," My eyes darted between the two Wolves at the table, "It is good to be back—His Lordship insisted we leave immediately so that he could properly greet Lord Walton."

"That was wise of him, as always." Patty gave a warm smile, but there was a glint in her eye, a remnant of some ferocious thing that still lived within her despite her age.

Be sharp, it said.

Be wary.

The two Wolves regarded me with the general disinterest and distaste that I was used to receiving from most Wolves, as if my existence was simply a nuisance to them.

"His Lordship's things are in the hall upstairs for Samuel to gather up.

" I tried to keep my voice as steady as possible, clasping my hands together to hide the shaking of my fingers.

I was acutely aware of how little I could hide from a predator with advanced senses, and knew both males could hear the quickening of my heart.

"Good, thank you," Patty cleared her throat, turning the meat over onto its side, "The rest of your lot are staying in their rooms or attending to their duties for the time being."

I understood immediately what Patty meant, and it explained the lacking presence of my fellow staff.

The Humans were hiding.

It only emphasized just how unique Nathaniel was to take on so many Humans as staff, and to be as kind as he was to all of us. Walton was clearly a different story, and I doubted very much that his staff wanted a gaggle of Humans cluttering up their space.

"I'll go freshen up then." I nodded quickly, turning on my heel and avoiding making eye contact with the two males at the table.

My shared room was the same as I had left it; plain and simple, it had become home to me, and the familiarity of it helped soothe my still racing heart.

Isa was nowhere to be seen, likely helping Samuel prepare the rooms for our guests, considering they hadn't exactly been given much time to get ready for their visit.

I sat down on the edge of the bed, staring up at the ceiling. Nathaniel was up there, just above me—I could feel it somehow, his presence coming closer before drifting away.

It was far too cold in the room, the blankets itching the backs of my calves despite how soft they were. My whole body itched, like my skin didn't fit quite right, like it was stretched too tightly around me.

Sensations like that were not foreign, not since I had met Nathaniel, but my last few days alone with him had soothed the discomfort of our incomplete mating.

I had almost forgotten such discomfort had existed at all, but now it was making itself known once more.

It was almost worse now, that emptiness in my chest, because I had felt the relief of it; like having the cure to your sickness taken away mid sip.

I knew my cure. I know how to fix myself, but as always it came down to want.

Sitting there, desperate for Nathaniel's warm touch on my chilled skin, I wondered if I might have made a different choice in regard to our arrangement.

If Walton had not come to the manor, and I had been given a few more days to spend alone with Nathaniel, might I have taken him up on his offer?

Might I have agreed to be his? At every turn, Nathaniel had been able to prove himself to me; his loyalty, his care, his affection, but most important was his compassion.

Could he trap me, or hurt me, or have been lying to me all along? Of course that could be possible.

But so many things that were possible were not always true, and I had lived a life made up only of distrust. It might have been safe, but it was not a kind way to live. In many ways, it was not really living at all.

Nathaniel made me feel alive. Nathaniel simply made me feel.

My thoughts were swiftly halted by the opening of the bedroom door, my heart once more racing at the sudden noise, before a sigh of relief slipped past my lips.

"Isa," I practically fell into her arms, grasping her in a tight hug, "Is everything alright?"