Page 22 of Auditing the Alpha

He chuckled. “Why do you think old man Peterson called you yesterday? Martha cornered him at the diner.”

I shook my head, amused but grateful. “Small town life is… different.”

“Good different?” Klaus asked, a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

I turned to face him, straddling his lap to look directly into his eyes. “Very good different,” I assured him, and kissed him to emphasize my point.

The kiss quickly escalated, as our physical interactions tended to do. Klaus’s hands slid under my sweater, warm against my skin, and I ground down against him, feeling his immediate response.

“Bed?” he suggested, voice already roughening with desire.

I shook my head, fingers working on the buttons of his flannel. “Here. Now.”

His eyes darkened, pupils dilating. “Demanding,” he growled approvingly.

“You like it,” I retorted, successfully opening his shirt to reveal the chest I still couldn’t get enough of.

“I like everything about you,” he said, suddenly serious despite our position. “I love you, Jordan.”

The declaration caught me off guard, though it shouldn’t have. We’d been dancing around the words for weeks, expressing the sentiment in every way except verbally.

“I love you too,” I said, the truth of it settling in my chest like a physical weight. “God help me, I love a werewolf.”

Klaus laughed, joy brightening his features. “And the werewolf loves you back.” His hands moved to the button of my jeans. “Now, I believe you were being demanding?”

Later, sated and drowsy in front of the dying fire, Klaus traced patterns on my bare shoulder. “The next full moon is in three days,” he said casually.

I hummed acknowledgment, too comfortable to form words.

“I was thinking,” he continued, voice carefully neutral, “that it might be time. If you’re ready.”

I propped myself up on one elbow to look at him. “Time for what?”

His eyes met mine, vulnerability clear in their amber depths. “The claiming bite. The bond.”

My heart stuttered in my chest. “You mean… werewolf marriage?”

He smiled slightly at my terminology. “Something like that. More permanent, less paperwork.”

I sat up fully, pulling the throw blanket around me. “Are you serious? It’s only been—”

“I know how long it’s been,” he interrupted gently. “I’m not suggesting we do it this full moon. Just… starting the conversation. Seeing where your head is at.”

I considered his words, the implications. “What exactly would it mean? For me, for us?”

Klaus sat up as well, his expression earnest. “The bond would make what we already have more… concrete. I’d be able to sense your emotions more clearly, your general wellbeing. You’d likely develop some sensitivity to mine as well, though you wouldn’t gain wolf abilities.”

“And it’s permanent?” I clarified. “No werewolf divorce?”

He shook his head. “Wolves mate for life, Jordan. It’s not something we enter into lightly.”

I thought about the whirlwind of the past month—meeting Klaus, discovering his nature, moving across states to be with him. By any rational standard, we were moving too fast. And yet, nothing about our connection had ever felt rushed or wrong.

“I need to think about it,” I said finally. “Not because I don’t love you, but because… it’s a big step.”

Klaus nodded, relief evident in his expression. “That’s fair. All I ask is that you consider it.” He took my hand, pressing a kiss to my palm. “When you’re ready—whether that’s next month or next year—I’ll be here.”

Three days later, I stood on the observation platform once again, watching as the pack shifted under the full moon. Thistime, the spectacle was less shocking, more familiar—I knew what to expect, knew the individuals behind the wolf forms.