Page 77 of The Wolf Lord's Mate

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

Isa wrapped her arms around my waist, burying her face into hair before pulling back, glancing back as the door shut behind her.

"They only arrived a few hours ago," Isa spoke in a hushed whisper, her honey-brown irises blown wide, "Thankfully the Captain was here to give a bit of warning, but—" Isa faltered, regarding me carefully, "Why were you and His Lordship not with him? You were staying at his home, weren't you?"

"Nathaniel figured that the Captain would be able to make it here faster.

" I said, doing my best to remember what Nathaniel had explained to me about our false reasoning, but it was difficult to think clearly in his presence, let alone absorb much of what he was saying when it was always peppered with enough comments to make me flush.

I was saved from my improvisation by an odd expression on Isa's face, a look like a startled rabbit.

"What?" I did not know what I had said wrong, but maybe it was insulting to insinuate that Leo was better at something than Nathaniel.

"You called him by his first name." Isa said, blinking at me. Pulling her arms away, she regarded me carefully, eyes pinning me into place. Now I was the rabbit, stumbling into a thus untread stretch of garden.

"I, Oh, I—His Lordship doesn't like me to be so formal around him." This comment had the opposite effect that I'd hoped, and Isa's brow scrunched up in amused surprise. A slow grin crept across her lips, suggestive and saccharine.

"I did suspect something you know," Isa gave an excited whisper, as if we were not the only two people in the room, "I mean, not right away of course, but I did think that it was a bit odd that His Lordship would take you along—can I see it?"

Isa reached for the collar of my dress, and I batted her hands away.

"See what?" I managed to evade her grasp, wrapping my hand around my neck.

"Your mark, Mira," Isa said, and I froze, "Are you Mated?"

"No." I said softly, any nerves that I'd had at lying died with that single word. All I felt was hollow, an odd sort of numbness at my denial of the bond, and an icy sensation crept beneath my skin that almost made me shiver despite the warmth of the room.

"Oh," Isa's excitement faltered, and she regarded me carefully, "Well then why did he ask you to travel with him? I know it wasn't to make the Captain's clothes, Mira, I've hardly ever seen him in anything as fine as your work."

"I do not have a simple answer for you," I gnawed at my bottom lip, "But I have no mark, see?" Pulling down the collar of my dress, I let Isa examine my neck and shoulders, her slim fingers tracing over my unmarred skin.

"Not being marked does not mean you're not mated." Isa looked at me from under her lashes, her excitement turning to coaxing.

"Do you think that he would have left me unmarked if we were? Do you think a Wolf would be able to control himself?"

"I think our Lord would," Isa gave me a knowing look, "He is a unique and exemplary male, Mira."

"I know," I huffed, sitting down on the edge of my bed, "That's what makes him so irritating."

"Mira," Isa hissed, setting herself down beside me, "You can't say that about His Lordship."

"I think he rather likes it when I say things like that, actually," I said, "It amuses him."

"Is that what you are then?" Isa nudged my shoulder slightly, "Amusement? Because that would be unlike him."

"Would it?" I asked, far too eagerly, and Isa gave a smirk.

"His Lordship has always longed for a mate, and therefore has little interest in amusements," Isa reached over, taking my hand in hers, "Have you never even had the tiniest dream of a mate?"

"Only nightmares," I rubbed my thumb over the back of Isa's hand, "At best I imagined a cage, at worst I imagined some lusting creature who could not control himself, who might force himself on me—well, you've heard stories," I faltered slightly, "Wolves so love struck they seem indifferent to their Human mate's suffering because how could they be suffering?

They must be happy, they must be grateful for what they've been given. "

Isa grew quiet, sitting there with me in the dim light of the bedroom.

"I doubt we grew up dissimilarly, you know," Isa started, "And I'm certain that we've both been surrounded by the cruelty of Wolves; by their disinterest and distain, so I know that you have to agree with me that His Lordship is different.

Not only that, he wants things to be different. He wants to make things better for us."

"Part of me understands that, the me that is here and now," I admitted, "But everything that I have ever known and experienced tells me otherwise. I do not know how to balance the two, how to rationalize them, and then I just panic, or I feel guilty or—"

"—Mira," Isa squeezed my hand gently, "It's easier than all of that, it's about trust. That takes time, obviously, but if you allow yourself to try, then it can be built, and your thoughts can change," Isa slipped her hand from mine, standing up to look down at me, "You cannot always assume the worst of him, that's not fair, and you wouldn't want everyone to assume the worst of you simply because of what you are. "