My brow furrowed, and I stood straight up. “Fated mates? It’s a myth.”
“Aren’t we all, though?”
“You’re not serious.”Fated mates. Something about it hit me in the chest, but it couldn’t be. Mates, sure.A lot of supernatural beings used the term in place of marriage, not wanting to follow the confines of human society. Committed lifelong partners, for some whose lives wereverylong. These unions were formed for many reasons, love only being one of them. But fated…
“Think about it, Rudy.”
“I don’t… I don’t know.” I slid down the wall until I was sitting on the floor.
Kieran lowered his voice, “Fated mates, Wolfie. It’s a powerful bond. One that can strengthen you from within. And once it’s formed, it can’t be broken. Just… let that sink in for a minute.”“I… gotta go.” I ended the call and let the phone fall from my hand.
A part of me wanted to deny the possibility. It was too far-fetched. Why wouldI, of all beings, get a fated mate? Growing up, I straddled two worlds and never fit into either. With my lack of control, I couldn’t live among humans, but I was never wolf enough to live among communities of werewolves. As for my parents… well, I never lived up to their expectations.
I’d finally found a home where I belonged, where I was loved and supported as I was. How was it, then, that I should be lucky enough to not only find a home and a family, but a fated mate?
Except…gods! Bowen. A sigh left me. The connection I felt to him was tangible. I felt a pull toward him, and my wolf did, too. With him, I was stronger, and I had a glimpse of who I was meant to be. Maybe itwas because of who he was as a person, and the way he accepted me fully without hesitation, or maybe… maybe there was something more to it.
Picking myself up, I did what I always did when there were too many thoughts in my head: I worked. It wasn’t long before I had the new door in place. After switching the knob and lock to the new door, I tested it to ensure it opened and closed smoothly, and used my master key to make sure it could lock properly.
“Rudy!” I swung my head around, expecting to see nothing again, my mind tormenting me; only this time, he was there. The sight of him at the end of the hallway had my heart leaping in my chest. Something settled within me, clicking into place like the latch bolt in the door sliding smoothly past the strike plate with a perfect fit.
He ran toward me, and when he was close enough, he leapt, making me drop my tools to catch him. The fresh scent of him filling my nose, filling every part of me, was a hundred times better in person. Bowen let out a laugh as he clung to me.“I have so much to tell you, but first, I’ve been dying to do this.” Bowen pulled back enough to look up at me and then pressed his lips to mine. His feet were still off the ground as I clutched him to me, melting into the kiss. Every sense I had exploded, electricity running through my veins, sparking inside of me. His taste, his scent, his touch, the sound of him. How had I gone my whole life without this?Without him?
A snarl rumbled up through me as need heated my body. A need to touch and taste him everywhere, to be so filled with the scent of his arousal that I could drown in it. I huffed his name between our lips. “Bowen.”
His hands went to my hair in that way that was equally soothing and exciting. “Yes. Whatever you want, yes.”
I turned him toward the wall and pinned him against it, pressing my leg between his. My vision was blurring as the wolf peeked through, and Bowen’s arousal only seemed to bloom. I leaned my head into the crook of his neck, trying to catch my breath before I got too carried away.
“Rudy, tell me what you need,” Bowen whispered into my ear, his hand still stroking lightly through my hair.
“Need you,” I growled out.
Bowen’s tongue flicked over the rim of my ear, making my body feel like it would catch fire. “Then have me. We can talk later.”
It took all my strength to keep from stripping him down right there in the hallway. There was no way I would make it to the basement, not now. “Can’t make it.”
“Can’t make it where?” He asked.
“Basement,” I huffed out.
Bowen chuckled. “It’s a good thing I have a room right here, and look at that… it has a door.”
Islid my glance at the door I’d just repaired. Tempting, so tempting, but I didn’t know how much I’d be able to control or what would happen. I’d never allowed myself to get this close to what I hoped might be happening.
Shaking my head, I bit out, “No. Might break.”
“The bed?” Bowen barked out a laugh. “Sounds like a challenge. Besides, if it breaks, I have an in with the handyman.”
He pushed against my chest, and I allowed him to move me back so he could open the door to his room. The room that already smelled like him. Fuck, this was going to kill me. When I didn’t follow him in, Bowen grabbed the front of my loose shirt and pulled me inside, shutting the door behind us.
My hands were clenched into fists, preparing for my claws to break through, except… I didn’t feel them pushing beneath my skin as I expected. Nor did I feel the stretch of my jaw or the elongation of my teeth. I could feel the want from within, the need, the hunger my wolf had for this man, but there was a strange sense of surrender.
It wasn’t that he was giving up, but assessing the situation. We both wanted the same thing, and in this instance…Iwas the best fit, not my wolf. The day before, I had known without any doubt that my shifted form was the best chance to protect Bowen, and now, I could feel him giving me thismoment. He wasn’t going to fight me on it. Another piece mending together.
“Ha!” I laughed, drawing Bowen’s questioning gaze. “Sorry, I’m sort of having a… what’s the opposite of a crisis?”
Bowen stepped in front of me and lifted his head to meet my gaze. His brown eyes searched mine as if he were reading me. Could he see the way my eyes blurred at the edges but remained fully mine? Could he feel the wolf’s strength and resolve within me, while allowing me to stay in control? Could he sense that I felt whole, glued and mended, one cohesive unit?
