“I am choosing you,” he said firmly. “The kingdom will survive without me. But I cannot survive without you and our child.” His hand moved toward my belly but stopped short of touching. “I am here to grovel and beg for as long as it takes. If you want, we can go back to Ravenor together. You would be queen. Our child would be heir. If you do not want that, I will stay here and help you run your bookstore. I will be whatever you need me to be. But I am not leaving your side anymore. I will not make that mistake again.”
I wanted to believe him. Wanted to forgive him. But the pain was still so fresh. So raw.
“You’re all talk,” I said. Wiped my tears away angrily. “Just leave me alone, Mal. Go back to your kingdom. Live your life.”
“I broke the engagement the moment Andreas was dead,” he said. “Amaia is banished from court. I will never marry anyone but you.”
“I don’t care. Just go.”
I lay back down on my blanket and closed my eyes to dismiss him.
I heard him stand and his footsteps walking away. Waited for the sound of him leaving completely. But the footsteps stopped at the treeline and I opened my eyes to look over.
He was shifting with bones cracking and reforming. Within seconds a massive black wolf sat at the edge of the trees, staring directly at me.
Great. Just great.
***
A week passed and I’d earned myself a stalker wolf.
He followed me everywhere. When I went to work, he sat outside the bookstore. When I went home, he slept outside my apartment door. When I went grocery shopping, he followed at a distance but never let me out of his sight.
I had to explain to Emma that the huge wolf was actually a mixed-breed dog. Great Dane mix. Very protective. Totally harmless despite looking terrifying.
She’d bought it but looked skeptical every time she saw him watching the store through the window.
My friends wanted to kick his ass. Krystin had actually tried to chase him off with a broom but he’d just sat there and stared at her until she gave up.
“Just say the word and I’ll call animal control,” Bella offered.
“No,” I said. “Don’t. He’s not hurting anyone.”
“He’s stalking you,” Daphne pointed out. “That’s not healthy.”
“I know what he’s doing,” I said tiredly. “He’s proving a point. He’s showing me he’s not leaving.”
“So what? You’re just going to let him follow you around forever?”
I didn’t have an answer for that.
But by the end of the week I’d had enough. I was exhausted. Stressed. Tired of explaining to customers why there was a giant wolf sitting outside. Tired of stepping over him every time I left my apartment.
I stomped downstairs one evening after closing the shop. All pregnancy hormones and tiredness and frustration. Unlocked the door and gestured for him to come inside.
He trotted in immediately. I locked the door behind us and led him up to my apartment.
Once we were alone, I turned on him. “STOP! JUST STOP!” The words came out as a frustrated grunt. “I get it, okay? You’re not leaving me alone. You’ve made your point. You’ve proven you can be stubborn and annoying and follow me around like a lost puppy. But at least be in human form so you’re USEFUL!”
He shifted immediately. Stood there naked in my living room with a smile on his face. I’d missed seeing his tattoos. “Yes, boss.”
I threw a blanket at him. “Put some clothes on. You’re not charming me with your abs.”
His smile widened. “I am not trying to charm you. I am simply obeying your command to be useful.”
“Clothes. Now.”
He wrapped the blanket around his waist and sat on my couch. Looked at me expectantly. “What would you like me to do?”
