“Remember where it said mates fall in love and have families? You’re my mate.”
Part of me wanted to tell him that wasn’t how it worked, that he couldn’t just decide I was his mate and have it be fact. But I couldn’t, because I felt it too, and that feeling grew each time I spent time with him and, oddly, the times I spent away from him. There were times it felt like a piece of myself was missing. I’d dismissed it as being too attached, but now it made sense.
“I am. Now please show me your wolf. I want to know everything about you.
We got out of the vehicle, and I stood with my back against a tree, watching as he stripped down to nothing. Gods, he was gorgeous, and I wanted to lick him from head to toe. That time wasn’t now, and before I could act on my impulse, the sexy man before me was gone. In his place stood a gorgeous wolf.
I squatted down. “I don’t know the protocol here. Am I supposed to run after you and play? Am I supposed to pet you? Are you gonna lick my nose?”
He stepped closer, and I reached out, running my hands along his fur.
“What? No nose kisses?”
He shook his head, but then gave me my kiss and sat down beside me, where we quietly shared space together. His human half was probably telling me an angel passed as we sat there. I almost said it, but something told me this was a quiet time. We’d probably have stayed there for hours if a boom of lightning in the distance hadn’t had me asking to go home.
He shifted back, leaning against the car, and my questions replaced our quiet togetherness. Raff answered each one without hesitation, as we both listened for more signs of an impending storm but weren’t ready to leave just yet. Thankfully there were none, because there was a lot to say.
We talked about what this meant going forward—for us, for Rupert, for our families. I asked him straight out if Rupert was a wolf. He said we wouldn’t know, not yet. The book was one his aunt had made for them when they were little, the original on art paper and done by hand, and this one custom printed just for them. Unlike for Rupert and me, it hadn’t been meant as an introduction to the shifter world; it was just a family story she had created for them.
“We should do something like this,” I said, tapping the book. “Make a story that’s just for him. I don’t want it to remind him of the hard parts of the past, but I also don’t want him to forget where he came from. Does that make sense?” We’d have to startthe story after his fathers both died, probably? There was a lot to consider, but he loved books, and I wanted this kind of treasure for him to share with his own kids one day.
“Yeah, it does.” He squeezed my hand. “And when we’re ready for that, I’ll help you get together with my aunt. I bet she’d hook us up with some illustrations.”
Another boom. That made three, and sticking around here was asking to be trapped in a storm.
“Let’s go home.”
I read the book again as he drove back to my place.
