“Poor, poor Atlas. You’re really scraping the bottom of the barrel here. I came back to offer to spend the full moon with you. Don’t you think that would work things out between us? A good fuck under the light of the moon?” Jade clutched my tank top and stared up at me through her lashes, batting her deep green eyes at me.
I was frozen in place and a whine slipped out of me before I could control it. Within seconds, Tegan had positioned herself between Jade and me.
“Listen—I don’t care what happens to wolven during the full moon, and I don’t know what rut is. But what I do know is that Atlas is my partner now, and if you ever show your face in this gym, hell, even in this town ever again, we’re going to have a real problem.” Tegan’s face was flushed red, her fists clenching and unclenching at her sides.
I’d never seen her like this before, all alpha and protective. It made me adore her even more.
Jade looked as if Tegan had slapped her, her mouth gaping open, not uttering a single word. With ahmph, she turned on her heel and stormed down the staircase.
“I’ll follow her and make sure she leaves,” Fallon said before trailing off behind her.
I squeezed Tegan’s hand and pulled her into a tight hug, planting kisses all over the top of her head. “Thank you for that, baby,” I mumbled into her hair between kisses.
“I meant what I said, Atlas. You deserve better.” Her voice was strangled, as if she was fighting back tears.
“And I found that in you, sweet thing.” I tilted her head up, forcing her to look at me.
Her bright green eyes were rimmed red and her lower lip quivered. It reminded me of the day I found her scooping cake off the sidewalk. Things were moving fast, but I was so enthralled with this woman. Her ferocity. Her kindness. Her loving heart. There was no way I would ever let her go.
But it was time.
Time I told her everything.
Thirty-Four
Tegan
“Sit down right here, baby,”Atlas said. He supported my arm as I lowered my shaking body into the chair across from his desk.
I wasn’t shaking because I was upset, though. I was shaking from adrenaline and anger.
I didn’t know what rut was, and yeah, the whole ex-fiancée thing was a bit of a surprise—but those details were something that Atlas should have been able to tell me in his own time. Not another thing for Jade to weaponize.
Atlas sat down behind his desk and handed me a box of tissues. “Tegan, I—I’m sorry. I should have told you Jade and I were engaged before I ended things, and I should have told you more about wolven. About what we’re like when—”
I cut him off. “Atlas. Stop. You would have told me when you were ready, but Jade had to show up and put you in this position.” I blew my nose loudly, and it made the corner of Atlas’s muzzle turn up ever so slightly. “I saw how you reacted to being around her. You were terrified.”
His ears drooped and he let out a low whine. “I, uh. Yeah. I am terrified of her. She made me miserable, Tegan.” His voice was softer and meeker than I had ever heard it before. That bitch had really done a number on him.
“Well, she’s never going to bother you again. I can promise you that.” I smiled and dabbed at the corner of my eyes with another tissue.
His expression brightened and I heard the telltalethump, thump, thumpof his tail smacking against the wall behind his chair. The next thing I knew, he was leaning forward, pressing his lips to mine as his claws dug into the wood of the desk to steady his burly body.
“I’m so lucky to have you in my life, sweet thing,” Atlas mumbled between kisses. He nipped my lip playfully before pulling away, and I let out a small moan.
“Shit, Tegan. Don’t do that,” he groaned, adjusting himself. “We can’t right now.”
I bit my lip and eyed him hungrily. I didn’t even know how I had a sex drive after last night. “I know we can’t, but a girl can dream.”
Atlas chuckled and sat back down in his chair. This time, he leaned over the desk, resting his head in his palms as he gazed into my eyes.
“I should probably explain a few more things about the full moon.” His tone was somber, and again his ears drooped on either side of his head.
“You don’t have to share anything with me if you’re not ready.”
“No. I want to share this with you. I want you to know this part of me.” He took a deep breath, and his muscular pecs strained against his tank top. “When there’s a full moon, wolven get”—he paused, trying hard to find the right word—“feral. We revert to some of our base instincts. We hunt for prey, chase each otherthrough the woods, and, well, fuck under the light of the moon. Male wolven fall into something called rut. The sex is primal, uncontrolled, rough, and, uh, it can last for hours. It’s how our kind connect with nature and with our partners. And if we’re lucky”—another pause and Atlas looked at me thoughtfully—“that’s how we connect with our mates.”
Confusion must have passed over my face.
