Her sweet voice snapped him away from his lustful thoughts, and his gaze held a smile as he looked down at her. He tilted his head to the side for a moment as he continued walking back to the pack house. He wasn’t sure what she was thanking him for, but it looked like it was something she didn’t plan to elaborate on either.
“You don’t have to thank me for anything, Freja. You’re an extension of myself. What I do for you I’m doing for me.” Hunter lowered his nose to her hair and placed his lips on her head. She had filled a void and brought light to the darkness inside of him. The moment he sank his fangs into her, he was whole again. She filled him in a way nothing else had, renewing him withlife. He knew she felt reluctant about their relationship. She was afraid of disappointing him, or afraid she was going to get hurt. He wanted to show her that she was all he wanted. At least he had the mate bond on his side, helping pull her toward him. He just needed her heart to accept him, and that was what he was waiting for.
Freja leaned into his bare chest, very much aware of her own hormones while she was this close to him. She felt like a completely different person than she was just a couple days ago. She had always tried to appear cold and unfeeling. She enjoyed killing demons—really enjoyed it—even smiled while they died. She wasn’t that person anymore. In just a short time, she’d changed … transforming into the person she really was. It wasn’t like she was changing for anyone. It was just that she’d forced herself to be someone else before, a person who had no one to rely on, no one to lose. But that wasn’t what she wanted.
She breathed in Hunter’s scent and rested her head on him. She wanted him. She wanted a life with him. Maybe Jin was right … maybe she was the same person after all.
Hunter walked them up to the pack house and brought her inside, slowly lowering her down, making sure his shirt didn’t ride up on her. Sam, Renee, Jin and Chasen were back at the pack house waiting for them.
Chasen smirked slightly, noticing his brother’s shirt on Freja. “Someone hasn’t had their dose of troll nail clippings, have they?”
Hunter chuckled. “No, she hasn’t. That was a mistake I’m not about to let happen again. I barely managed to get her back here in one piece.” Hunter gave Freja a crooked grin before walking away to retrieve the clipping. No more worrying about having to carry an extra set of clothes with you, or worrying about carrying his half-naked mate without touching her. That was one for the books for him.
“So how does that fire over your body work? It obviously didn’t burn Hunter,” Renee asked, intrigued.
“I guess it’s like a type of shield, but I can choose who it hurts and who it doesn’t hurt.” Freja didn’t know a lot about it either, just what Ember had told her.
“Well, I’m glad that you didn’t choose to hurt me with it. I wasn’t sure, after the way you growled at me.” Hunter chuckled, handing her a glass of water and an odd-looking object. “Swallow it.”
Freja curled her lip up in disgust. She has seen trolls and knew exactly how they lived. They were disgusting. They liked to sleep in a pile of dung for their bed. This magical nail clipping definitely had feces on it. She held her hand up to her mouth and turned her head slightly, feeling a bit squeamish.
Hunter chuckled softly. “Don’t think about it and just down it.”
“Have you ever seen a troll?” Freja asked him pointedly.
“No.”
Freja smiled and nodded. “That’s why you were able to take it without a problem.”
“No, actually my grandparents didn’t tell me what it was until after I swallowed it. They’re sneaky like that.” Hunter chuckled again.
“Have you all taken one?” Freja looked up to see them all nodding except for Renee and Jin.
“We don’t have enough for the whole pack. So just a small group of us who shift frequently have taken it.” Chasen spoke up and looked over at Renee. “She isn’t big on fighting and prefers to use her fairy powers instead of shifting. Her mother is a selkie.”
“Well, you’ll be glad you didn’t take one after what I’m about to tell you.” Freja looked at the clipping still in Hunter’s hand. “Trolls are very disgusting creatures. They choose their sidesbut are not actually loyal to any side. They also have no idea what hygiene is. They pick their noses. Never wash their hands. Scratch their bottoms. Eat rotten flesh. And they sleep on a pile of crap—literally. That fingernail is laced with traces of goodness knows what, and you want me to ingest that? I think I would prefer walking around naked.”
Sam held his hand up over his mouth. “Your grandparents are sick and twisted. We should have at least boiled the clippings first.”
Hunter’s eyes met Freja’s. He took a small step into her and lowered his head to her ear. In a breath only she could hear, he whispered, “I won’t have ANYONE else seeing my Queen naked. Plus, my self-control is limited, my dear.” He pulled back to see her arching her brow up at him.
Freja scoffed and let out an airy laugh. “Do you think I’m afraid of you, ‘Alpha’?” She emphasized his title in a mocking voice. “When you’ve lived as I’ve lived and seen what I’ve seen, you find that fear for yourself doesn’t exist.”
Hunter smirked and crossed his arms. This was no longer a private conversation. He wouldn’t be mocked as the “Alpha” … HER Alpha, at that. “Well ‘mate’, I wasn’t talking about harming you. I was talking about claiming what is mine. Do you really wish to keep testing my patience?”
Ember whined in Freja’s mind. She was tucking her tail and looking away in submission. She couldn’t go against her mate and Alpha. Well, Ember couldn’t, but Freja could. “Do you really wish to tell me I don’t have a say in this matter?” Freja’s arms laid at her side, her posture straight and confident. Nothing about her looked submissive. Hunter began emitting his aura, causing Sam and Renee to hunch back. Their alpha was getting angry, and they couldn’t fight their instincts. They both lowered their gazes and took a few retreating steps away. Freja noticed this and frowned, her eyes flicking up to Hunter angrily. Shewalked between him and the two werewolves, taking a protective stance. “Look what you’re doing. Quit being such a bully,” she hissed out.
Hunter’s eyes danced in amusement, and a soft chuckle escaped his throat.And she didn’t think she was fit to be my luna. Look at her, standing there, already protecting her pack.Blaze nodded in his head in agreement. A feeling of pride washed over them right there. Even though it was him she was standing up to, it didn't matter. She was protecting members of the pack. “Okay Freja. If you really don’t want to take it, you don’t have to. It’s way more convenient, but you can choose.”
Chasen and Sam’s jaws dropped. Hunter had just conceded. The two men gave each other a side glance, and a knowing smile spread over their faces. They both had mates, too, and knew exactly how this worked. Even as the alpha, he would put his mate first. It showed that he cared more about her than his position.
Freja blinked and stared at him. She was expecting a fight for sure. Now she was being given a choice.Well hell. Now I’m the asshole, huh?She stared at the clipping in his hand. It would be more convenient. And it was her choice now, too.UGH.
“Fine. Give me the stupid thing.” Freja reached out and quickly downed the disgusting clipping, forcing herself not to think about it.You’re just drinking water.It didn’t quite work because she felt queasy and had to force the water down. But it was done now. She tried not to think about trolls and what they looked like, what they did, and what that clipping had probably touched. Yeah, it didn’t work.
She felt warm, strong arms wrap around her, and she could feel his heated breath as his lips brushed against her mark. “Thank you,” she heard him whisper. The thoughts about what she’d just consumed were gone. Now all she could think about was how good it felt to have his arms around her. Sparks coveredher body as he wrapped her in his scent. The mate bond had calmed her insides and filled her head with thoughts of him. It had only been one full day of her being awake as his mate. One day, and she was already not sure how much longer she would be able to hold off. The truth was, she wanted him and what being with him meant. She leaned into him, into the intoxicating feeling he was igniting inside her.
Hunter could feel her barriers starting to break down. With every touch, she was accepting him more and more. He felt her lean into him. His thoughts drifted to her lips and tasting them for the first time. He wanted more than just to taste her, though. He wanted to devour her.
