“Not if I can never shift.”
He stopped and faced her, her pretty face dappled by the sunlight through the trees.“You’re still you.It doesn’t matter if you can shift or not.You’re not alone, Mira.I’ve got your back.”
She stared up at him, her mismatched eyes dark with emotion.“You don’t know me, though.”
“I feel like I do, at least an echo of that in my heart.And I know it’ll only get stronger as we get to know each other better.”
She hooked her hands behind his neck and went onto her toes.“You’re really something special yourself, Leo.Sexy.Strong.Good at catching females when they pass out.”
He grinned.“It was my first time.”
“You aced the test.”
He lowered his head and brushed his lips over hers, his skin electrifying as she parted her lips and the kiss deepened.His wolf howled in his head, a satisfied, happy howl at finding their mate.She might be struggling with coming to terms with her newly revealed past, but he wasn’t going to let her go through it alone.
Clutching her sides, he pulled her a little closer, groaning softly in his throat as her body pressed to his and everything in him ignited.
Giving her bottom lip a gentle bite, he eased from the kiss and smiled at her dazed expression.
“I fucking love your eyes,” he said.“So beautiful.”
They continued their walk around the territory, sharing tidbits about their lives.By the time they reached his home, he was fully smitten with her.She was enchanting and funny, and so sweet.She was torn up about the history she’d never known about herself, but hopeful to build a new life with him.
And he was looking forward to that too.
When he opened the door to his home—theirhome now—they walked inside and he closed the door, wanting so much to simply throw her over his shoulder and haul her off to bed to find out what she sounded like when she fell apart.But he knew she was in a fragile state after what she’d learned.
And they’d just met a few hours ago.
They had the rest of their lives, and there was no need to rush.
So he told his wolf tocalm downand gave her the nickel tour of the house.
“I want to say welcome home, Mira.But you and I haven’t talked about the future like that yet.So I just want to saywelcome.”
Her face softened.“Thanks, Leo.I’m so glad we met.”
* * *
Could he cook?Sort of.Sort of?
Yes.But only a few things.
Like eggs and toast.And boxed mac and cheese.
But he could grill like a beast, and he was thankful he’d just gotten a grocery delivery and had plenty of things on hand.
He wanted to cook for Mira, to show her that he was the sort of mate who would take care ofallher needs.
And since he couldn’t show her his talented tongue right now, he was going to dazzle her with his grilling skills.
She followed him to the kitchen, where he pulled two thick rib eyes from the fridge.
“Are you sure I can’t help?”she asked.
“Positive.”
After putting a container of mashed potatoes in the microwave to heat, he put the steaks on a tray and walked out to the tiny back patio where the grill was.While he worked, he told her about the town and the pack, sharing how he’d been low-ranked for quite a long while but decided he didn’t want to get left behind while his friends were kicking ass and climbing the ranks.
