Vessa leans over me and cups the back of my head, as if to tilt me. Though she’s in a thick sweater, the contact of her breasts stokes a feverish ache in my muscles. The sultry smell of her hits me full force, along with the rest of my senses. Half delirious, my inner beast propels me straight into a seated position, gripping her narrow hips and leaving our mouths an inch apart.
Her hands come to my shoulders, her shallow exhale cool against my chin. “Would you like to stay with me the rest of the night?”
The resounding rumble in my chest is enough to convince me that it’s a terrible idea. Obsession has infected my wolf like a greedy parasite, feeding off my weakening restraint.
Vessa shudders. “Axe?”
Claws rake beneath my sternum. My eyes—they must’ve changed. I didn’t realize the beast had gained so much ground. I glance down at her waist. My claws have sprouted.Damn it.
Frantically, I roll out from underneath her. “I can’t.” I bolt back into my bedroom, snatching the bottle of whiskey on my desk with a swear. I down the rest of it before it’s too late to reverse the transformation.
Chapter 28
VESSA
My cellphone buzzes to life, ripping me away from a delicious dream. Anticipation courses through me as I sit up to read the screen.
Axe Skornokovy
After you finish breakfast, I'd like to take you somewhere.
Sure. Where to?
Axe Skornokovy
Up in the mountains. Be sure to bundle up.
After a rocky off-road ascent,we reach the mid-level peak of Malabaht. Axe parks the truck and wraps around to my side to open the door. Thanking him, I plop onto the ground and shiver. He snickers, teasing that I haven’t dressed warmly enough.
The sarcasm isn’t wrongfully placed. I look completely ridiculous in my current ensemble—gloves, a thick wool scarf,a blue fleece hat, two layers of pants, and a chunky turtleneck sweater under my insulated parka. I can’t walk without waddling. Meanwhile, Axe is at ease in his usual jeans and a weathered shearling jacket.
“Just a second,” he says.
The Alpha trots back to his pickup, reaching behind the driver’s seat, and plops the brown cattleman hat atop his head. My heart proceeds to squeal every curse known to man.
Axe brings me to a higher elevated spot just up ahead. There are several large stones, fragments of what was once a boulder, lying just six or seven feet from the overhanging cliff. He takes a seat next to me and together we finally take in the most breathtaking panoramic view I’ve ever seen. The hazy sun casts its streams of light over the snowy mountain range, revealing a new world.
“All this here is the handiwork of a single glacier, carved out about ten thousand years ago.”
Pine trees of every shade of green sweep across the entire valley below. In the distance, I spot Lupine Manor and the smaller dwellings that surround it. Trees and rocks extend for miles, peppering the landscape. Only now do I begin to realize just how expansive the wilderness of Aurora’s Belt truly is. I do not fear the animals that roam beyond the pines because I know that the most dangerous one is at my side. He protects every square inch of what we are gazing upon.
Words evade me. Despite the remarkable beauty of the terrain, what strikes me is the stillness. The tranquility of a cathedral. It’s so quiet that it feels as if we are the only two people on this earth, paying our respects to the gods’ craftmanship.
“This lookout . . . is very special to me. Whenever I’m frustrated with my duties or if I have . . . difficult memories, Icome here to shift and recenter myself. It’s my wolf’s favorite place to wander off to.”
“It’s magnificent,” I say, pausing for a moment. “Is it alright if I ask about last night?”
Seeing him so vulnerable terrified me as much as it tore my heart in half.
Facing the gargantuan sloping mountains, I feel him stiffen. His nod is subtle but affirming.
“Was that the first time you’ve had a paralysis episode?”
Swallowing tightly, he considers his answer. The extended silence is answer enough.
His voice is raspy. I wonder if it’s still raw from the nightmare’s torment. “They come and go. Few times a month.”
Gods help him.
