Page 4 of The Wolf Prince’s Mate (Marked Beneath the Moon #2)

four

NOVA

There was nothing left in my stomach, but the pain was so bad that I retched anyway.

All that existed was agony.

White-hot pain.

The begging phase had been shorter than usual. I hadn’t even stumbled around, trying to find Clay.

The puking had only begun the month before, and though it was more violent than heat’s usual pain, I liked the way it dulled my desperation.

Vaguely, I heard Clay say over the phone that he was coming inside. The words didn’t register. I was too dizzy. It was a miracle I was still resting my face on the toilet, rather than the cold tile floor.

Eventually, I felt a pair of hands on my hips.

Part of me could hear a man swearing.

He pulled me away from the toilet, and my hands hit the tile a moment later, my knees on a squishy bath rug.

The begging began again.

I couldn’t even hear what I was saying, but the words running through my mind felt more like screams.

“Please help me.”

“Please take me.”

There were hands on my legs, and I looked down as a gorgeous face parted my thighs.

Clay.

He came back.

My tortured moan would’ve been embarrassing without heat, but I was too far lost for that.

His tongue dragged over my clit roughly, and I came immediately.

Hard.

Wet.

Too wet.

He snarled, licking my release like he didn’t want to miss any of it.

The pain eased slightly. Just slightly.

He ate me out harder, his fangs nicking me a few times, making me come again.

Finally, I was conscious enough to pant, “I need your cock, Savage.”

He was as gone to the rut as I was to heat. In a heartbeat, his face was gone from between my thighs. I heard the pop of a button and rip of a zipper, and then his hands were on my ass, lifting it higher.

In one rough motion, he filled me.

My cry of pleasure became a moan of relief as he stretched me, the thick pressure of him somehow easing my pain.

“Fuck, Gorgeous,” he gritted out. “I can’t control myself.”

“It’s pointless to try.”

He snarled and drove into me harder.

Deeper.

My orgasm hit like a freight train, and my moan of pleasure became a gasp of relief.

Clay roared as he slammed into me. The base of his cock swelled, locking us together as his release flooded my channel. The pressure of his knot dragged our climaxes out for what felt like ages.

“This is fucking unreal,” Clay panted, his hands gripping my ass like he didn’t want to let go. He probably couldn’t.

I sucked in a breath as another climax built. The pleasure was intense, but the relief from heat’s pain was just as good. “You smell amazing, Savage.”

“You taste even better.” He lowered his face to my back and licked his way up my spine, making me arch and writhe.

The motion forced him deeper inside me, and I cried out as I lost control again. He held me in place as I bucked and writhed, and he rocked with me as he came with me.

We both panted as our climaxes eased, but they started again just as soon.

Twenty minutes later, we both collapsed on the bathroom floor, boneless. Clay dragged me on top of him, and I didn’t protest as he pulled one of my legs over his waist so I was straddling him.

We caught our breath together for a moment.

“That was unbelievable,” he rumbled.

“That was only the beginning. It’s going to happen a few more times before it’s over.”

“You’re joking, right?”

“No.”

He sat up quickly, pulling me with him. “How long until it restarts?”

I was already getting hot again. “Not long.”

“You looked like you were going to pass out.”

“I’m fine.” I went on the defensive, even though he was right.

“We can argue about how fine you are later.” He stood slowly, hauling me up with him. “If we only have a few minutes, we need to use them to get some food in you.”

“I don’t need you to feed me, Savage.”

“We’re saving the arguments for later, remember?” He carried me into the kitchen and set me on the countertop.

“I never agreed to that.”

“The way you nearly passed out with your face on a toilet overrides your free will right now, Nova.”

I scowled, but he didn’t bat an eye at me.

Instead, he opened the freezer and scanned the contents.

My gaze followed his bare back down to the tight bubbles of his ass.

Yeah, it was a nice ass. My work spread over his entire right arm, and I couldn’t help but picture it continuing down his side and over those sexy muscles.

That was what we needed to do next. Forget the leg sleeve.

I pictured a few different kinds of designs trailing down to the side of that sexy ass while he threw something in the microwave. I’d started to sweat again, but I was too exhausted to care. Or even really notice.

When the pain started again, Clay would handle it. That was all that mattered.

My stomach was clenched and my breathing picking up when Clay brought me a burrito.

I stared at the plate he handed me for a solid minute.

“You have to like burritos,” he said, gesturing to the plate. “Everyone likes burritos.”

“That’s a broad generalization. Especially when you consider the body part that’s most often compared to a burrito.” I didn’t pick it up.

I was horny, not hungry. Even if I did need food desperately.

Clay snorted. “Just eat it.” His hand landed on my thigh, and my legs parted for him automatically. His cum was dripping out of me, but that was a problem for later.

For after I’d eaten his burrito—the one not jutting out of his body—and finally survived another round of heat.

His hand slid higher as I finally took a bite. It was a little old, and a little soggy, but still decent.

His thumb brushed my clit, and I bucked my hips.

His eyes were starting to glaze again. He’d be gone to the rut soon.

I managed a few bites of my food before he pulled me to the edge of the countertop and fucked me.

The pleasure was completely and utterly consuming.

When heat finally ended a few hours later, we were sprawled over Clay’s bed, catching our breath.

“Should we talk about this?” Clay asked. His hand was on my back, and my body was sprawled over his.

“What is there to talk about? We screwed. Hunter’s probably going to kill me. Nothing we can do to change it,” I mumbled.

“He’s not going to kill you.”

I made a noise of disagreement.

“He’s not,” Clay said firmly. He was still tracing my spine. I knew I should tell him to stop, but it felt too good. “Thanks for not asking me to keep it from him.”

“You guys are too loyal to each other. You’d never lie about this to him. Even if you tried, he knows you well enough that he’d probably figure it out. He might punch you or something, but he’s going to blame me. He already hates me, and I’m the one who should’ve realized heat was coming. I’m the one he’s going to be pissed at.”

“You don’t know Hunter very well.”

“It’s hard to get to know someone who won’t talk to you.”

“I know. In his defense, he’s been trying to find a way to end his wolf’s obsession with you.”

“I don’t think it’s working.”

“It’s not.”

I made a noise of frustration. “Talking about this makes me mad. It’s the middle of the night. Can we just figure this shit out in the morning, when we have to go back and face the music?”

“Sure, Gorgeous.”

I finally peeled my face off his chest and rolled to my side, dropping an extra pillow behind me to separate us. “I don’t want to walk to your spare room. A pillow wall gives us enough space.”

“My spare bedroom is an office. Doesn’t have a bed in it. I don’t know why we need a pillow wall, though. We just spent hours screwing. A night of snuggling isn’t going to change that.”

“Heat is instinctual. Snuggling is intimate. I’m not mixing the two, even if tomorrow is the day Hunter kills me.”

Clay growled. “Even if he tried, I wouldn’t let him kill you.”

“You’d do anything for your brothers.”

“I can still recognize when they’re at fault.”

I made a noncommittal sound.

Clay rolled toward me, and his hand landed on my shoulder. The pillow was still there, but he’d smashed it between us. His breath brushed my neck, and I stiffened.

I was way too attracted to him. Especially after everything we’d done. That was the best sex of my life, by a long way. And not just because it had been so long since anyone touched me.

Clay had been focused on me .

Even when the rut should’ve had complete control of his mind, he’d fought it long enough to make sure I ate something.

Silas was the only guy I’d ever spent heat with, and he definitely wouldn’t have cared if I ate.

Maybe it was a big deal that Clay did.

Or maybe my expectations were just really low and messed up.

I had no idea.

“I won’t let Hunter hurt you, Nova. That’s a promise, alright?”

I squeezed my eyes shut. “Okay.”

“Did he know how bad the pain was?” Clay’s voice was lower. More hesitant.

He didn’t think Hunter would’ve let me suffer alone over and over again, but he wasn’t positive. Not with Hunter and his wolf at odds over whether to claim me as their mate.

“No. I didn’t tell him, and he shuts off the cameras in his basement during heat. If he knew, he would’ve intervened, and I didn’t want to spend it with him.”

“Aspen would know how bad it is. Why didn’t she say anything?”

“I told her it was getting less painful every month because my body was adjusting. None of you were there to sniff out the lie. She only suffered through it alone once, so she believed me.”

“Is it getting worse?”

I made a noncommittal noise.

“Gorgeous,” he warned.

“Go to sleep, Savage. I’ll deal with the Hunter problem in the morning. The last thing the pack needs is the two of you at odds.”

He growled. “ We will talk to Hunter together . He’ll understand. Eventually.”

I didn’t respond.

I was too tired to argue with him, and I knew he was wrong. Hunter wouldn’t understand. He would be furious.

“Goodnight.” Clay’s voice was frustrated, but he finally dropped a kiss to my shoulder and rolled to his back.

My shoulder tingled, and I bit my cheek.

I was not allowed to be attracted to him anymore. That was done. He’d have to find a new tattoo artist, because I wasn’t going to be able to touch him again.

Not without catching feelings. And that could never happen.

The sun was blazing high in the sky when we finally got up the next day. Clay’s movements woke me, and I heard him swear under his breath as heavy footsteps carried him out of the room. He stumbled a little near the door.

I blinked sleep out of my eyes as memories from the night before rolled back in.

My body warmed.

Wow.

The sex was…

Nope. I wasn’t allowed to think about how hot it had been. Not even a little. I was going to force myself to forget it somehow.

I slipped out of bed and padded toward the bathroom, ready to shower off all evidence of what happened. Hopefully, hot water would burn the memories out of my mind.

When the water fell over my skin, I scrubbed quickly. The sooner we were clean, the sooner we could leave. And the sooner we left, the sooner I could try to move on from this whole mess.

There was no door separating the bathroom from the bedroom, so I wasn’t surprised at all when Clay strode in. He was still naked, so I turned my back to him.

“We’re not together, Clay. Privacy matters.”

“Hunter knows something’s up and keeps asking questions. I need to tell him in person, so we have to get going.”

“I’m almost done. It’s going to go even worse if we smell like each other.”

“Good point. I’ll take a quick shower in the other bathroom.”

He padded out, and I rinsed Clay’s conditioner out of my hair before drying off.

My spare clothes were still in his car, so I slipped out of the bedroom in nothing but the towel. He had so much land that neighbors obviously weren’t a concern.

When I stepped back through the front door, Clay was standing just inside, his hair wet and his towel slung low over his waist.

His thick, chiseled body towered over mine, strong and powerful.

The desire to close the distance between us and put my hands on his chest was unreal. It took everything I had not to give in.

“You good?” he asked.

“Just grabbing clothes.” I lifted the bundle as evidence, ignoring the warmth between my thighs

He nodded. “Sorry. Thought you were trying to sneak out.”

“I’d let Hunter kill me before running away from my problems. That never works.”

Clay growled, his eyes flashing a brighter shade of gold. I’d never seen him in tune with his wolf before. He usually wasn’t growly or beastly at all. It was normal for heat, so maybe it was just because of whatever pheromones still lingered or something. “He’s not going to kill you.”

“Okay.” I tried to step past him, but he moved with me, blocking my path. “Back off, Savage.”

“Look at me, Gorgeous.”

I glared at him.

His knuckle slipped beneath my chin, tipping my head back.

It took everything I had not to let my body react to his touch. I seriously, seriously needed to kill the attraction between us.

“Hunter’s a smart guy. He knew there was a chance this would happen when he asked me to take you. He doesn’t want you. His wolf is the one who’ll be pissed with us, but he’s not going to hurt us. We’re going to be fine.”

I pushed his hand away from under my chin and stepped around him. A few of Clay’s words echoed in my mind.

He doesn’t want you.

Like I didn’t know that already.

Like it wasn’t a blow to my self-confidence every time. I had never wanted him, but to have a man’s beast be that set on me while the man himself was that against it?

It still hurt.

And my sudden attraction to Clay meant that it was time to do something about it. There wasn’t a chance in hell I was ever going to mate with Hunter. He didn’t want me. I didn’t want him.

But nothing was ever going to change unless I changed it myself.

So it was time to do something.

…I just had to figure out what.

I locked myself in Clay’s office while I got dressed, knowing he needed to grab clothes from his room. When I stepped out, he was dressed and had already gathered the few items we’d left around the house.

“Burritos are in the microwave,” he called over his shoulder as he carried our stuff outside. “I’ll wash your clothes back at the Lodge.”

I padded into the kitchen in a clean pair of leggings and a fresh, long-sleeve t-shirt, then leaned against the edge of the countertop. My eyes lingered on the microwave as I waited for the food to finish reheating. My arms were around my abdomen, and my feet were bare. I wished I’d brought some socks. Being a werewolf meant I was warmer than your average human, but I seemed to get cold a lot easier than Aspen or Sydney did.

I was also affected by a male wolf’s dominance, unlike Aspen. Sydney was, too. We were pretty sure Aspen was the female version of an alpha male. Whatever I was, it definitely wasn’t that.

“I can wash my own clothes,” I told Clay, when he came back into the kitchen.

“Friends let friends do their laundry for them sometimes. We are still friends, aren’t we?” He raised an eyebrow, as if daring me to say otherwise.

“That’s bullshit. I’ve never done Sydney’s or Aspen’s laundry.”

“What about Silas’s?”

I wrinkled my nose. “No, I’ve never washed his clothes either. And I bet you don’t even wash your brothers’ clothes.”

“I have on occasion.”

“When was the last occasion?”

Clay lifted a shoulder casually. “Hard to say.”

“You are so full of it.” I shook my head, looking back at the microwave.

“You didn’t answer my question, Gorgeous.”

“You can’t call me that now that we’ve screwed, Savage. The vibes are wrong. It feels like you’re hitting on me.”

“That’s still not an answer.”

I flashed him an exasperated look. “Yes, we’re friends. No, I don’t know how I feel about any of this. Or whatever’s about to happen.”

“Why do you have to feel anything about it?”

I flipped him my middle finger as the microwave beeped, and Clay pulled out a plate that was overflowing with burritos. There were five . Five large, adult-sized burritos. And not the kind we’d been talking about the night before.

There was a comment about him working up an appetite on the tip of my tongue, but I kept it quiet.

The last thing I needed was to be hitting on Clay.

“It’s not a come-on,” Clay said, as we made our way out to the car. “Calling you Gorgeous. It’s… playful.”

Great.

Swell.

That was what every woman wanted, right?

To be completely unappealing to one Savage brother. And to have the other call me Gorgeous because he thought it was funny.

Lovely.

Grand.

Fabulous.

Sarcastically listing adjectives was the alternative to breaking down at the moment, and I wasn’t going to do that in Clay’s car.

So, I listed a few more as he put a burrito in my hand and pulled away from the house.

It was a shitty distraction, and only worked for about ten seconds.

Thankfully, Clay turned the music up loud enough that we didn’t have to talk. I just ate my burrito while he drove and ate the other four. We were in such a hurry that we didn’t even stop for coffee, and a headache developed quickly.

I ignored it.

Clay didn’t want to stop, and I didn’t blame him.

The drive felt like it went on forever, but eventually, we made it back to the Lodge. When we did, I had a plan in my mind. It was a shaky one, and I didn’t have a whole lot of faith in it, but it was still a plan.

My gaze lingered on my car as we passed it. My stomach tightened at a memory of the sketchbook my stalker had left.

I forced it from my mind, and let myself consider what it would feel like to climb in my car and just… disappear. To vanish, without warning. To get away from Crimson River and the Savage brothers. To start fresh.

If my wolf wouldn’t lose her mind without a pack, I would’ve already been long gone.

But she would.

And I did have people I cared about in the city.

A few pack members greeted us as we made our way inside. Most of them inhaled discreetly as we passed, and I saw a few eyebrows lift.

We must’ve still smelled like each other.

Considering my clean panties were damp with whatever amount of Clay’s release was still leaking out of me, it wasn’t a surprise.

Hunter might not give a shit, but I was confident his wolf was going to flip out.

My abdomen was tense when we reached Hunter’s third-floor office. I’d never been inside, but I’d spoken with him outside once. It was as awkward as the rest of our interactions. His wolf was smoking something really good if he thought Hunter and I could actually end up together.

Clay knocked on the door twice, then opened it right up and stepped inside.

I stayed in the hall.

He waved me in behind him, and I peeked past him to see Hunter.

He was sitting in his desk chair, stone-faced. There was something on his nose, though. Or in his nose. It looked like…

Noseplugs?

“I warned him,” Clay said, waving me in again. “Get in here and close the door. There are too many people snooping.”

I reluctantly stepped inside, shutting the door behind me.

Clay plopped down in one of the two chairs in front of Hunter’s ginormous wooden desk.

Hunter’s office was at least five times as big as Clay’s. He had a dozen computer screens set up around the room, too. His chair was the only one, so it seemed safe to assume he was the only person who ever worked in there.

I sat down on the edge of the chair next to Clay’s. Clay had already sprawled out, but I wouldn’t let myself get comfortable. There was a solid chance I’d need to make a run for it.

“Heat came on faster than you expected,” Hunter stated, looking at Clay.

It wasn’t his heat.

And it annoyed the hell out of me that Hunter wouldn’t just talk to me like I was a person.

“Yeah. We barely made it to the house. I managed to get out and put space between us, but she stopped answering texts twenty-four hours in. I got her to answer a video call, and she looked like she was going to pass out. Her eyes were unfocused, and she was laying her head on the toilet. I wasn’t going to let her hurt any longer.”

“On the toilet?” A small crease formed between Hunter’s eyebrows.

“She’d been puking for a while. It’s harder on her body than she’s ever admitted to you.”

Hunter’s gaze finally jerked toward me. “Aspen said it got easier every month.”

I didn’t respond.

Two could play the ignoring game.

“Obviously, she lied to Aspen. I don’t even want to know what kind of shape she’s in when heat usually ends,” Clay said bluntly.

I could vividly recall the way I always had to crawl to the basket of snacks I brought with me to Hunter’s mansion.

The way I felt like I was legitimately dying.

It took a few hours just to get myself onto my feet and into the shower every time. I’d always thanked my lucky stars that Hunter didn’t know exactly how long heat lasted. Because if he did, he would’ve undoubtedly come down to check on me.

Hunter’s jaw clenched. “You said it was fine.”

It was fine.

I had always refused to accept that it was anything else. Because if it wasn’t fine, I was going to break, and there would be no putting myself back together.

“You said you were going to find a way to end your wolf’s obsession with me,” I countered.

Clay cleared his throat. “Let’s not play the blame game, shall we? Nova and I screwed. It happened. Now, we figure out where to go from here. Nova obviously can’t spend heat alone anymore, and?—”

“Get out,” Hunter growled.

Clay blinked.

I stood abruptly.

“Not you,” he gritted out, looking at me. “Clay. Out. Before I do something I’ll regret.”

Clay looked at me. I felt his eyes on the side of my face, but didn’t look at him. My emotions were too wild. Too messy. If I looked at him, he was going to see through me. Or maybe Hunter would.

Finally, Clay stood. “I’ll come back in twenty minutes. If you’re arguing, I’ll intervene.”

Arguing had never been a problem for us.

Talking at all was the difficult part.

Clay strode out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Neither of us said anything for a long moment. When we did, we spoke together.

I said, “I have an idea,” at the same time Hunter gritted out, “I’m so fucking sorry.”

We blinked at each other.

And both waited.

“I didn’t know it was that bad,” he finally said, his voice low. “And if it was that bad on day one…”

“We both decided that was the best solution. I dealt with it.” My arms tightened around my middle. I wanted to loosen my grip, to change my position so I didn’t look weak, but I couldn’t.

My wolf was hiding and shaking in fear again, so it wasn’t like she was a pillar of strength or anything.

“What’s your idea?” he asked.

“We can’t keep doing this.”

Hunter’s jaw clenched, and he nodded.

He knew that as much as I did.

“Whatever you’ve tried hasn’t worked, has it?” I checked.

“No.”

“Then I think there’s only one realistic answer left.”

He leaned toward me, tense.

I adjusted my feet, so I was ready in case I needed to get out of the room quickly. “I have to mate with someone else.”

Hunter’s wolf snarled viciously, but the man gripped the chair’s armrests until his fingers went white.

“Just think about it,” I added. “Aspen and Enzo’s mating bond was crazy strong from the beginning, even when they weren’t totally in love yet. If I mate with someone, it’s permanent, and that bond would have to break whatever thrall your wolf seems trapped under.”

Hunter shuddered, and his eyes shifted.

He snarled again, and the words that came from his lips were all wolf. “You are mine.”

“Shift,” I said.

Hunter’s wolf burst through his skin before the man could fight it, or even take his clothes off. His shirt and cargo pants clung to the wolf as he launched himself over the desk, landing half on top of me. The motion rocked my chair, and I grunted under his weight.

The bastard was huge.

He rubbed his cheek against mine, and when he lowered it toward my core with a roar, I lifted his face so he was looking into my eyes.

I had no idea how to talk to human Hunter—but his wolf?

I could handle the beast.

“Your human doesn’t want me,” I said.

He snapped his teeth, anger blazing in his eyes. He hated that Hunter didn’t want me, but he couldn’t argue that it wasn’t true.

“I know. It’s frustrating for me too. I’ve gone through a lot of physical pain because of it,” I said honestly. “It’s been a really long year. But he doesn’t want me. He doesn’t want a mate at all, okay? And I’m not going to try to seduce him, force him, or manipulate him. I deserve a mate whose human wants me, don’t I?”

He growled again, but there was less anger behind it.

“You feel connected to me, but what if that doesn’t mean we’re meant to be mates? What if we’re meant to be friends? Or you’re meant to protect me from my stalker or something? There are other ways to be attached than just mating, and at this point, we both know that kind of bond isn’t going to happen.”

He growled again, but there was no anger anymore.

It almost sounded like sadness.

I scratched his fur lightly, and he leaned into my touch.

“I’m going to have to start dating. The sooner we get it over with the better, so maybe I’ll try speed dating or something. I need to just pick someone and go with it, you know?”

He grumbled at me, but didn’t growl or snap his teeth again.

I thought maybe we’d finally reached an understanding.

Guess I should’ve tried talking to Hunter’s wolf much sooner.

I scratched him for a few more minutes before he finally rubbed his cheek against mine once more and shifted back. I leaned away as his skin replaced his fur.

Hunter dropped to his ass on the floor, tilting his head back against the desk and closing his eyes.

He looked… calm.

Calmer than I’d ever seen him before.

He breathed in and out slowly. Deeply, too.

I waited.

Finally, he looked at me. There was emotion in his gaze, and it wasn’t anger or hatred for once. It almost looked like gratitude.

“Thank you,” he rasped. “I can finally breathe again. Thank you . I thought my wolf was going to go the same way as Clay’s.”

He was talking about the insanity.

And that made me wonder what had made Clay’s wolf insane, even if I wasn’t about to ask him or anyone else that question.

I didn’t tell Hunter he was welcome.

I didn’t have many welcome feelings toward him, to be honest. He had caused me so much pain, and the fact that he would rather go insane than mate with me definitely wasn’t a compliment.

A minute of silence passed.

The relief on his face was still palpable when he lifted his head. “If you’re comfortable with it, I can put together a list of men strong enough to protect you. And laid-back enough to handle the pressure of being mated to a born-female wolf.”

I guess I hadn’t considered either of those factors. My plan had been shaky from the beginning.

I nodded. “That would be great. Thanks. I guess I’ll just text them all or something.”

“I can find out who would be interested, explain the situation, and schedule first dates. We can call them meetings, if it’s easier for you. Unless you’d rather do it the old-fashioned way.”

A relieved breath escaped me. “I’d appreciate that, actually. I’m not very old-fashioned.”

“I’ve noticed.”

I wasn’t sure whether that was an insult or a compliment.

But if he was going to set up meetings so I could pick a suitor like some chick out of Bridgerton, he could insult me all he wanted. The alternative was me trying to explain or convince people that Hunter was going to relinquish his claim on me, which was unlikely to succeed. The pack loved their Savages.

Plus, the awkwardness of dating.

Yikes.

“If you don’t want me involved, I get it,” he said.

“If you handle all the difficult stuff and I just have to meet with them, it will make the whole thing a lot easier. I can handle talking to a bunch of guys until I find one I’ll enjoy life with. I’m decent with men, usually.”

Hunter was the exception.

Not that I’d ever actually tried to make things work with him.

He dipped his head in a nod. “I’ll head out now to talk to a few men I know would fit the criteria, and schedule the first few meetings today. The sooner it’s handled, the easier it will be for us to both move on. My wolf is still going to have a hard time walking away from you when you go through heat.”

Which meant ideally, I’d find a mate before the next time I went through heat.

But the next full moon was only two weeks away, and a mate bond could only be sealed under a full moon. So…

That probably wasn’t going to happen.

Two weeks wasn’t enough for me to make a life-long decision. Not even close.

It would be about six until the full moon after that. I’d plan on finding someone ASAP and sealing a bond then.

I told Hunter as much, and he agreed readily.

Considering how excited he was to be free of me, I was pretty sure he would’ve agreed even if I told him he needed to shave his head and walk around on his hands for the next six weeks.

“I do have one request,” he said, still sitting on the floor. His expression was slightly more serious, and slightly more tense too.

“Alright.”

“You don’t have to go along with it, but?—”

“Spit it out, Hunter.”

He let out a tense breath. “My wolf is still on edge from smelling Clay on you. If you mate with him and your bond doesn’t break the wolf’s obsession, I could lose my brother.”

Oh.

Shit.

Wow.

“I wasn’t planning on asking Clay to consider mating with me. It’s not like that between us,” I said, blatantly ignoring the way my pulse grew faster with the thought of the gorgeous male I’d been in bed with twelve hours earlier. “Even if I was, with his wolf the way he is, I don’t think he would ever agree.”

“I don’t think so either,” Hunter agreed.

Ouch.

Between the two of them, those men seemed determined to grind whatever small amount of self-confidence I had left into dust.

“I just wanted to ask if you were considering it.”

“I wasn’t, so we’re cool. If he asks for a meeting—which is highly unlikely—just tell him I’m fully booked. I’ll friendzone him even harder than we already are if I have to. I want a clean break from this.” I gestured between me and Hunter. “If you know of an Alpha of another pack who’s strong enough to meet the criteria so I can get out of here, I’d like to meet them.”

Hunter’s forehead creased. “Silas could manage, but he’s really the only one.”

I made a face. “I’ll talk to him. Maybe he can be my backup if I don’t get along with anyone. At least I know we get along well, and the sex would be fine.”

Hunter’s wolf snarled, and I surged to my feet. Hunter did too.

He stepped back around the desk quickly. Putting the furniture between us wouldn’t make much of a difference, but I hoped it would make a little.

“I’ll get to work,” he said.

He was dismissing me, but I wasn’t offended.

I wanted an out anyway.

“The first meetings will be tonight, so watch your phone for the invitation to the schedule. When you find someone you’re interested in a second meeting with, just let me know. Consider me your personal assistant for the next six to ten weeks.”

“Hopefully, I won’t need you that long.” If I found the right guy, everything would happen naturally.

In theory.

My confidence was so far in the pits at the moment, I wasn’t even sure there would be a right guy.

“I’ll be here if you do. This is a big decision, so if you need more time, it’s yours. No pressure.”

Sure.

No pressure.

Except that there was pressure. A shitload of pressure. Because if I didn’t find a mate soon, the truce I’d made with his wolf was probably going to fall apart. Wolves weren’t exactly known for having long memories.

I slipped out of Hunter’s office and glanced down the hall.

No Clay, luckily.

I headed straight for the stairs, not willing to risk bumping into the Beta on the elevator, and sent a quick text.

Me

Shit happened. You ladies busy?

Syd

My plants are patient. I can meet at the Lodge in five, unless you want to hide out in the garden while we chat

Me

The garden is too open

Too many ears

Aspen

I’m in the throne room. Meet down here instead?

Me

Will Enzo leave?

Aspen

Yeah, he’s going to start on dinner. We just finished the last appointment for the day

Me

I love you

Aspen

Shh, my mate’s getting jealous

Syd

Lol

I’m on my way

Me

Same

See you in a few

Just before I put my phone in my pocket, it buzzed, and I looked down to see a text from Hunter.

Hunter

You’ve been invited to view the Six Week Meeting Schedule

My throat swelled.

He wasn’t messing around. Which meant I was really going to have to go to a meeting or two that night.

With men I could mate with.

Crap .