The wolves’ spirits lifted as they saw her approach--and she wasn’t alone. A small human army followed her single-file.
“You came,” Eric said in disbelief. “I thought you said--”
“Forget what I said,” the Madame said. “My guilty conscience was eating me alive. I couldn’t go on knowing I’d abandoned Matheson after all he’d done for me.”
A small wave of relief washed over the wolves.
“Thank you,” Eric said.
“Thank me when this is over,” she replied, but she gave him a friendly nod. “Now tell your wolves to make some space in that cavern for us.”
Ramsay hurried over to introduce the two groups and boost morale.
“See?” Colton said to Eric with a small smile. “I told you it’d be enough.”
Eric returned his smile, feeling lighter in spirit for the first time in a long while.
Chapter 13
I woke from a restless sleep to the sound of the door creaking. I squinted at the dim light filtering in, then realized the figure standing there was too tall and broad to be Bastian. I sat upright, wondering with a strange feeling in my gut if Blaze had come for me.
But as he approached, my heart clenched.
“Noro,” I said.
He came to me in his human form, his expression slightly guarded. I was still wary after his behavior earlier.
“Matheson,” he said gently. “Can I speak with you?”
I hesitated a little. “Yes.”
I sat in bed, waiting for him to come to me. His eyes travelled up and down my body, which was covered in a light silk robe that Bastian laid out for me after my bath.
“I apologize for storming out earlier,” he began.
Not knowing what to say, I nodded.
“Are you upset with me?” he asked.
The question took me off guard. I’d been a bit irritated because I didn’t know why he was acting the way he was, but I wasn’t angry. “No.”
He gestured to the bed. “May I?”
I nodded again and he took a seat on the edge, keeping some space between us. It was a far cry from the closeness we shared the night before. My cock twitched beneath my robe at the thought. It craved his touch, and I tried to ignore it as we spoke.
“I have to tell you something, but I’m afraid of how you’ll respond,” Noro said carefully.
That surprised me. “Why?”
Noro’s golden eyes flickered down, then back to me. “I think Blaze is using magic on you, Matheson.”
“What? No, he’s not.”
I felt a jolt of irritation--then found myself wonderingwhy.Noro had asked me not to get upset, yet my body reacted on its own. I mean, it was just a comment. Why was I so upset…?
Noro waited patiently for my annoyance to pass, then continued. “How do you know?” he asked gently.
“I--”
