“And you don’t think this is too sudden?”
“How else can I court you?”
She cocked her head as she studied him, the sadness on her beautiful face fading away.Now she looked curious.Or maybe assessing.Probably both.Tavish met her gaze, determined for her to understand this wasn’t a joke to him.He wasn’t after a one-night stand.He may have been in serious doubt about finding a moon-fated mate, but all those thoughts were now dead and buried.
“Courting me, huh?”
“As soon as I get the divorce papers signed.”
Immediately, the smirk dropped and her body grew tense.The protective shell she’d woven around her body hardening once again.
What the hell did I do?Or say?
“Goodbye, Tavish,” she said softly.Then she stepped aside and continued on.Not once did she look back, and all he wanted to do was give chase.
You let her go!
“Right now, she isn’t ours to keep.Not until I’m a free man.”
Moments later, she turned and disappeared into the dark.Then it dawned on him that she’d said his name.He thought they had agreed to no names, so ...did he fuck up and tell her?Because he had no memory of that happening.
So,howdid she know his name?
Chapter Three
Tavish had this urgeto let his wolf out and run under the waning moon.Heneverhad that urge before and it was quite jarring to experience.Shifting had always been a biological chore.Something forced upon him month after month, with pain and lost time the only guarantee.
“How do I do this?”he asked.“I mean, I’ve never consciously shifted, so what do I do?”
Relax.Clear your mind.Let me take over.
Stepping from the lodge, he stared at the darkened forest and undressed.Once he was bare, his wolf took control.In seconds, he stared down at his paws.Actual fucking paws!Night noise had his ears rotating, trying to track the sounds.Alluring scents drifted on the cool breeze.With a shake of his auburn fur, he darted forward, running hell-for-leather to places unknown.
The world was suddenly magical.Illuminated.He’d never before had his human thoughts when he shifted.The wolf completely took over and he blanked out for a night, which was why he was always afraid of not waking up on his own property.What if he was seen and a hunter trapped him?Killed him?
Now, though, there was a direct conversation between him and his wolf.An understanding as they explored and ran.A freedom he never had before.His wolf wanted their mate, and he howled at the moon, waiting for her to answer.Silence came back.He did it again and again, but she never replied.She never showed up.His wolf was crushed and tried to track her.He was persistent to a fault.
