Page 49 of Their Rejected Queen

He turns away from me, leaving me speechless as he removes the rest of his clothes.

His back is lined with scars, and tattoos wrap down his middle and stretch over his behind. I hadn’t noticed the patterns before, but now I trace every single line and memorize the curves of his muscles.

Then his bones crack and he shifts. Disappointment racks me again as I realize he was merely stripping so he could shift and not tear any of his clothes.

The powerful wolf turns and we lock gazes. He noses my arm, as if checking on my wounds, then he licks the bandages.

I don’t move. While I know this is Godric, fear skitters up my spine at the memory of a wolf being the one to have nearly snapped my arm in two.

Satisfied, he snorts, then carefully avoids my piles of furs before he paces to the tent’s entrance. He circles a few times before bedding down.

I stare at the wolf.

It’ll be only a few hours until morning. But I lie down on the pad of furs I’ve organized and stare up at the fluttering ceiling.

Moonlight illuminates everything. Last night the moon must have been hidden behind the clouds, but tonight it’s in its full glory.

I can’t help but wonder if that’s why Godric called me “little moon.”

Sometimes I’m quiet and dark.

But other times, like with him, I say exactly what I think. My emotions are a beacon for him to see.

I roll those thoughts over in my head as the hours pass.

I don’t dare allow myself to fall asleep.

Sometime in the morning, Godric eases out of the tent. I’m guessing he knows that I couldn’t fall asleep, but he doesn’t shift back into human form to talk to me.

He does for whoever is outside, though. I glance at the changing silhouette as he rises onto two feet and the sound of cracking bones accompanies his shift.

His deep voice rumbles through the air, but I can’t make out the words.

I stare at his shadow, knowing he’s naked out in front of the tent, then I mentally chide myself and intentionally stare at the ceiling again.

What’s wrong with me? I’m like a wolf in heat.

Maybe it’s some sort of side effect of the evaluation, or maybe almost dying for a second time is making my inhibitions fly out the window.

Whatever’s going on with me, I need to get a grip.

Wait. I’m finally alone in this tent.

I throw the furs off my body and then start to rummage through them.

“They’ve got to be here somewhere,” I whisper to myself.

Triumph jolts through my chest when I close my fingers around the texture of a familiar belt. I don’t have time to change clothes. I’m still wearing a dress, but I strap the belt around my thigh and clasp it just before Godric returns.

I catch a glimpse of his powerful body before he slides into a pair of pants. He flashes me a toothy grin.

“Good morning,” he says.

I want to curl into a ball and die.

“Morning,” I murmur back.

I adjust my legs so that my dress doesn’t pull up on the tonics. They might be invisible, but a giant bulge under the fabric would definitely give my secret away.