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“Marriage is a yoke around a woman’s neck,” I state. “A shackle to keep her trapped beneath a man’s control. Her wants and needs no longer matter. She is now just a wife. No longer a woman deserving of her own name or own life. Her entire existence should orbit his. Then, after she births his children, they join their father in the center of her world. There’s no choice in it. It’s an expectation. No, a demand. Serve me. Yield to me. Take nothing for yourself.”

The words land between us like a boulder.

“But your happiness matters a great deal to me. What you want matters. Your smile, your joy… those are all I want,” Conall murmurs. “Is that not the way human males treat their mates?”

I huff out a laugh. “Maybe before the wedding. But after the trap is sprung? All they care about is what they want. What they need. What makes them happy.”

“Your happiness is mine, Scarlett. I am not a human man. I am a wolf wearing a human skin. We live and die for our mates. Literally. If you feel misery, so do I. I cannot inflict pain upon you without feeling it twofold. But that is not why I would never harm you.”

Curiosity has me turning toward him.

But he still doesn’t answer. Instead, he asks, “Will you lie with me while we talk?”

The way he asks, so sincerely and almost sweetly, I can’t say no.

“Yes.”

Moving slowly, he puts his arm around my shoulders and lies back. I turn into him, my cheek on his chest. My body curls into his, my breasts pressed to his side and my arm over his belly. My cloak spreads over us like a blanket, and the warmth of his body chases away the chill of the ground beneath us.

It’s as if my body was made to fit against his like this. Like it’s a space created just for me.

When he speaks, I can feel the rumble of his words against my cheek as I hear them. “I would never harm you. Not because it would hurt me in return, but because it would hurt you. A mate is a treasure many wolves don’t find. They are made for us by fate. Destiny knew exactly who I needed in my life when you were born. To try and change you or force you to fulfill my expectations is to spit in the eye of the goddess. Your fire, your independence, your wit. They are all parts of you I value. They make you perfect for me.”

With each word he speaks, my chest grows tighter and tighter until I can barely breathe. He’s not lying to me. I can sense the truth in his heart. When I can finally take a breath, it’s shaky.

“I’ve never been able to trust a man before, Conall. Ever.”

“I’m not just a man, remember?” he replies. “I am Lycan. The wolf and man began to merge fully the moment I saw you.”

I can’t help but settle deeper against him. I can’t explain it, but his words comfort me. “I’ll remember.”

“I’ve also known Hunter since he was in swaddling clothes. He is the most honest, patient, and strategic male I’ve ever met. That is why my wolf respects him. I’ve never known him to lie about anything. Not even as a child. He would get a thrashing because of something naughty he did. He would admit to it, accept his punishment, and then go about doing whatever he wanted to do all over again.”

I laugh again. “Somehow, I can see Hunter behaving exactly like that as a child.”

“You can trust him, sweet mate,” Conall continues. “I would never let anyone hurt you. Not even someone I consider pack.”

“What does pack mean?”

“I’m sorry?”

“Pack,” I say. “What does it mean to a Lycan?”

He pulls me closer. “It’s family. Whether we are related by blood or not. We would fight and die for each other. We also take care of each other.”

Without thought, my fingers trace over his chest where his shirt has fallen open. “So, even though he’s your family, you wouldn’t let him make me sad?”

“Yes.”

I shouldn’t, but I can’t stop myself. I press a kiss to his chest. I’m getting sleepy. Too sleepy to lift my head, much less get up and walk back to the cottage. But, somehow, I’m up and in Conall’s arms, cradling against his chest.

“Where are we going?” I ask.

“Back to bed.”

I want to tell him no. To stay. I don’t want to sleep alone. But it’s late, and the exhaustion I should have felt earlier crashes into me. My eyes won’t stay open. I curl into his heat and close my eyes.

Maybe if I fall asleep before we reach the cottage, I won’t feel lonely when he leaves me to my solitary bed.