Page 66 of Protecting The Gray Wolf
Stumbling over to her desk, she sat down hard on the chair and pulled her notebook toward her to document everything that had happened. Mistakes were rare, but when she made them, she learned from them.
Chapter Twenty-One
Luna was wide awake. She had no idea what time it was or how long she’d slept, but it was dark outside. Her body was not on any kind of schedule. After showering earlier, Kade had been insistent on checking her injuries. It had been strange to watch him remove splints from both her hand and leg and find herself healed, considering the extent of her injuries.
His blood had supercharged her recovery.
After they’d eaten, he’d changed the sheets on the bed, and they’d fallen asleep, both of them physically and mentally exhausted. She’d honestly expected to have trouble closing her eyes after what had happened, but she’d dropped off quickly and without incident.
He hadn’t left her side the entire time. Even now, he was lying behind her with his chest pressed against her back and his arm locked around her, as if to ensure no one or nothing could take her from him.
He loved her. It was something she’d always wanted, even if she’d never truly admitted it to herself. With any other man, she might doubt his sincerity. Not Kade. Maybe the wolf in him made it easier for her to trust him, but it was the man who held her heart.
Part of her wanted to sing and dance. Another part demanded she think this through and understand the implications. Kade was immortal. She had no idea what permanent changes her body had undergone. In a matter of days, she’d completely healed from having a freaking building crush her. And he wasn’t lying when he’d said he’d always have enemies.
He wanted to mate with her. Not marry. Mate. And wolves mated for life.
“I can hear you thinking.” Warm breath skated over her ear, the deep whisper making her toes curl. His cock stirred and announced its presence, pressing against her back. They were both naked, neither of them bothering with clothes when they’d fallen into bed. The heat radiating from him was more than enough to keep away any chill.
“I didn’t mean to wake you.”
His hand was splayed across her stomach, making small circles. Her breath caught in her throat, and her nipples puckered into hard buds. A small moan slipped past her lips when he pressed a kiss against the sensitive spot at the back of her neck. “Have you had enough sleep?” His hoarse whisper curled her toes.
“I think so.” She took a mental inventory, finding no lingering weakness, no aches or pains. Nothing but a deep sense of contentment unlike anything she’d ever experienced. She brought her fingers up to her chest and traced the edges of the tattoo. It was strange to see it etched on her skin. Like everything else that had to do with Kade and the gray wolf, it felt right.
His hand slipped up her torso until it covered hers, flattening it over the marking. Maybe it was her imagination, but it seemed to heat beneath their touch. “How do you feel about being tattooed?” Worry threaded through his voice.
Wiggling, she turned until she was facing him. The glow from the streetlights was almost blocked out by his massive shoulders, but there was enough for her to be able to see the concern on his face, the frown lines between his brows.
She tunneled her fingers through his gorgeous hair, loving the thickness of it as well as the unique color. It was something else they shared. “It’s strange. It doesn’t hurt, but I’m… I guess the best word is aware. I’m aware it’s there.” There was no other way to explain it. “Is it that way for you?”
He shook his head. “For me, it’s more than awareness. It’s my link to the lone wolf.”
“What does it mean for me? I’m still human, I guess.” There was no way to know for sure without extensive tests, something that wasn’t happening. “I’m not a wolf.”
“No, you’re not a wolf.” He fingered a lock of her gray hair. “But you’re no longer fully human. The tattoo connects us, as well as blood. Our lives are linked.” He hesitated and brushed his fingers down the side of her face. “I honestly think you’ll live as long as I do. I’m not sure what will happen to the other if one of us dies.”
She squeezed her eyes shut and concentrated on breathing deeply. The same thought had occurred to her, but hearing Kade say it somehow solidified what, up until now, was merely a possibility. If something happened to her, he’d likely be fine. He was still a werewolf, a lone wolf, and had been before they’d met. She, on the other hand, would likely not survive if he was killed. “Are you sure?”
“Look at me.” Unable to ignore the command, she complied. “I can’t explain why, but I truly believe it.” He ran his thumb over her bottom lip, sending tingles racing over her skin. Her core clenched. She barely swallowed a moan. It wasn’t easy to pay attention when he was touching her this way. “It’s a lot for you to take in. You didn’t ask for any of this, never had a choice, but I’m with you. I don’t want to pressure you into decisions you’re not ready to make.”
The muscles in his chest bunched and flexed beneath her hand. His erection pressed against her stomach, a sign of how much he wanted her. Tension practically hummed in the air. They might have met only days ago, but she knew her wolf well. He was holding back, pushing aside his own wants and needs in favor of hers.
Because he loves me.
His selflessness made her heart swell. They’d battled a mage and fought death itself…together. She could no longer imagine her life without her wolf. “Tell me what you want.”
Communication was the key going forward. She couldn’t let her association with the gray wolf trick her into believing she understood everything about Kade. He was so much more than his wolf, and she was enamored by every complicated facet of his personality. What was unquestionable were his loyalty and his love. Everything else, they’d work out like a regular couple…where one, but likely both of them, happened to be immortal.
“You.” Gray eyes glowing in the ambient light, he caught her face between his strong hands. “I want to learn everything about you. I want us to build a life, a home, together. Given who and what I am, it won’t be anything resembling normal. I’ll have to continue doing my job as a lone wolf. I may have to be away for days or weeks at a time, but I’ll always come home to you. I want to sleep with you in my arms at night and wake with you there in the morning.” His lips brushed over hers. “I want to make love to you.” As if to punctuate his statement, his cock nudged her stomach. “I want to laugh and cry and fight and live. I want to mate you in the way of my people, the way of the wolves.”
Everything inside her was soft and gooey, even though a tiny kernel of worry remained. He was right. It wouldn’t be an easy life or an ordinary one, but it would be extraordinary. Better, they would be together. The tattoo fluttered, as if in agreement.
“I’ve never been normal,” she reminded him. “My childhood was different in so many ways. My obsession with wolves. My unusual upbringing. But you know all about that.” It was a sore point, even though she understood why he’d had someone look into her past.
He huffed out a breath. “I’d say I’m sorry, but under the same circumstances, I’d do it again.”
“I see.” She swallowed heavily and waited for a sense of betrayal, but it never came. Given what Kade was and the attacks on the white wolf, it made sense to protect himself.
