Just the loss of my head as the scent of her heat tore through me.
Before I could stop it, the monster took over again.
I couldn’t… I couldn’t hurt her… couldn’t take her — not like this.
In a desperate bid to regain control, I did the only thing that had worked when the date of the new moon wedding was barreling down on me.
I took my still human length in my still human hand and ferociously jacked it, praying to the three gods for a release that would return me to human. I couldn’t hurt her…I couldn’t… I couldn’t…
… get more than a dribble of seed to fall from my cock.
A desperate animal sound formed in my throat when I saw the pitiful result of all that effort.
“Sea?”
My head snapped up at the sound of her voice. She was awake now, sitting up in the bed, staring at me with wide-eyed shock.
Oh, shite. Oh, shite.Shame and lust battled inside my chest.
“Go!”I snarled at her.“Run from me. Go find Wild or Dublin!”
But, of course, she didn’t understand me. Like nearly everyone outside the Wild Wolves in Ireland, she didn’t speak the languageof the beasts we were supposed to keep buried inside. Especially when your mate was in heat.
“Sea, is that you?” To my horror, instead of running, she raised up on her knees and moved toward me. Her voice confused, her cunt dripping.
My wolf surged, and I gripped the bedpost with both hands, fighting to keep myself from lunging at her.
“Go! Run!”I snarled again.“Me danger. Me not know how long me can control me!”
But she didn't run. In fact, she got closer, her gaze sharp and curious. “So it really is you hiding inside of there…”
She tilted her head, eyes running over my furred face like someone solving a puzzle. “Okay, well you didn’t mention this in any of your lengthy letters.”
Was she seriously taking the piss at a time like this? My mate-starved wolf thrashed inside of me. Demanding to dominate her.
“You no understand!”I tried to explain to her.“No stay. I hurt you if. You must —”
“How long?” she asked suddenly, cupping my wolf face in her hands. “How long have you been hiding this?”
To my great relief, I didn't completely wolf out at her touch. But my beast didn’t back down either. I let out a low chuff and nuzzled my black nose against her soft skin, almost involuntarily.
“Since boy king,”I admitted, the words coming out in a whimper.
She studied me, her expression softening. "So, I'm guessing a long time?”
Humiliation washed over me, and I closed my eyes for a moment, then nodded.
“I’ve been hiding, too,” she confessed, her voice quiet. “When I was sixteen, the bookstore owner next door gave me an old laptop and her WiFi password. I’ve been pretending ever since. I love my parents, but I’m…”
She lowered her eyes. “I’m not a good Wölfennite. I was planning to go to university, to leave my family and my best friend behind forever when you and Wild kidnapped me. They had no idea. I felt like such a fraud.”
Her gaze came back up to meet mine. “Is that how you felt, hiding this? Is that why you didn’t talk about it in any of your letters?”
I nodded again. Anotherchuff.
Her eyes softened further, reflecting my own sadness. “That must have been so hard for you.”
The heart still beating in my human chest quivered. I’d feared showing her this side of me, terrified she’d turn away. But instead, I felt something I hadn’t expected.
