Although I went to sleep with a wolf, there’s an arm around my waist, a veryhumanarm—muscular, lightly dusted with dark blond hair, and crisscrossed with scars.
Eighteen
Blake
Wrappedinwarmthandcomfort, I let out a soft, sleepy hum, and nuzzle into the delicious smell ofhomeandsafeandmate. The loud voices from somewhere not here are jarring, but I manage to block them out, pressingcloser closer closerto the sleep-warm body next to me, and curling around his back, one arm around his waist as I push my nose against his neck.
Thoughts niggle at the back of my mind, telling me there’s something I’m forgetting, something I’m missing, something I need to pay attention to.
But I don’t care. I can’t remember the last time I was this content, and I’m not letting anything ruin it.
The man in my arms goes stiff, an uncomfortable tension thrumming through his body. He doesn’t smell like fear, though, more like surprise and shock. Those are acceptable. If there was even a hint of fear there, I’d let him go.
Probably. Maybe?
I run my nose up the back of his neck, then rub my cheek against his hair, sending silent comfort and trying to soothe away the tension.
It’s okay. You’re safe.
He relaxes into my hold, body going soft and pliant as he lets out a tiny sound, almost like a whimper, and tilts his head to give me better access to his neck.
Submission.
Yes… that’s good.
I lick a stripe over the site on his neck that will soon display the shape of my teeth, marking him as mine. My mate.Mine.
He lets out a low gasp and arches his back, pressing his ass against my erection and drawing a groan from deep in my chest as desire rushes through me. I trace my hand down his side and—
“Neil!” a groggy female voice yells as something soft—a pillow?—drops onto my face. “What did I tell you? No funny business within my hearing. I don’t want to listen to you get off.”
Confusion washes over me with anger following quickly on its heels, a flare of heat in my chest building into an inferno. There’s no conscious thought involved, and the next thing I know, I’m looming over a frightened human, my face only inches from hers, blunt human teeth bared in a snarl. Her breaths come in quick pants and there’s no color in her face as a tremble takes over her whole body.
“Wolfie!” A voice from the other bed. The man.He has a name… My mate. “Stop!”
Half involuntarily, my head turns to face him. Tousled brown hair and tired brown eyes wide with shock and… fear.
Of me.
A mixture of guilt and shame cascades over me, and I hunch my shoulders, making myself as small as possible. This is wrong. Not right. He shouldn’t be afraid of me. Not ever.
I’m… I’m… I’m…
I give my head a brisk shake, trying to clear the cobwebs from my thoughts. Realization crashes into me, and I jerk away, scrambling backward off the bed until my ass hits the ground. I wrap my arms around my knees and rock, the sounds and scents andmemoriesoverwhelming the little control I managed to gather.
Every thought and instinct seems to misfire, sending conflicting messages through my body and mind, becoming a wall of noise and sensation that I don’t remember how to process.
Too much… too loud…
My hands move to cover my ears, and I rock faster, trying to shut out everything around me and make it all make sense again. My throat goes tight and my breathing becomes strained, the harsh wheezes and gasps only adding to the cacophony of sound trying to drown me. Black spots dance at the corners of my vision, and my chest feels too tight, like I’m slowly being crushed.
Two hands land on my shoulder, startling me. I almost snap at them, bite and claw to escape the hold, but both my teeth and fingers are blunt and useless, no longer weapons in this form. The scent of my mate washes over me along with the murmur of his voice, hushing and soothing as he runs his hands down my arms, his touch soft and kind and gentle.
“Shh,” he says, brushing his fingertips over my upper arm. “It’s okay. I know this is probably kind of overwhelming, and I’m not exactly sure how to help you, but I’m not going to let anything bad happen to you. You’re safe here.”
“He’ssafe?” snaps the female in a sleep-roughened voice. “What about me? That’s, like, the second time he’s tried to attack me.”
My mate sighs. “Raquel…”
