Page 75 of Prisoner of the Lycan Prince

A short distance away, Adina stood with Arlo. The bog witch nudged Arlo, a smug look on her face. “Told you they were fated mates.”

Arlo sighed, reached into his back pocket, and handed her money.

Einar touched my cheek, drawing my gaze back to him.

“What happened?” I croaked.

Einar smiled. “You tamed the beast.”

Joy and disbelief soared through me, threatening to lift me from his arms and toss me into the sky. And I could have done it. I felt…good. Better than good, actually, my body free from pain. I lifted my right hand—and my happiness faded at the sight of my severed pinky. The skin was healed, but the end of my finger was gone.

“It’s okay,” Einar said, wrapping his fingers around mine and holding my hand against his heart. “If it bothers you, we’ll find a way to fix it. But I promise you with all my heart, it doesn’t bother me.” His heart thumped against my hand as if it wanted to echo his vow.

I drew a deep breath, Adina’s talk of fated mates ringing in my mind. “Are we…mated?”

“We are,” Einar murmured. He kissed my knuckles. “You’re a lycan now. We’re bound until our stories end.”

Tears burned my throat as my mother’s words overlapped with Einar’s. A little voice in my head told me to kiss him now and ask questions later, but I couldn’t muffle the spark of curiosity that flared to life inside me. “How did you make this happen?”

“You remember the book you saw on my desk?”

I nodded. “The one that shows you whatever knowledge your heart desires.”

“That’s right. I’ve read it often over the years, searching for a way to gain control of my beast. But I was looking for the wrong thing. And something tells me I’ll never find a way to fix what’s broken inside me. You tamed my beast, but I’m still a rogue. That’s okay, though. I finally found what I was looking for.”

Now, the tears trickled from my eyes and slid into my hair. And my nose ran, which was probably unsexy, but who cared?

I sniffed, smiling through my tears. “What did you find?”

Einar drew a fingertip over the bridge of my nose, his silver eyes shining with love. “You’re a reporter, Harper. Haven’t you figured it out by now?” He bent, his mouth aiming for mine. Just before he kissed me, he whispered against my lips.

“You.”

Epilogue

HARPER

Alycan was chasing me. But I wanted to be caught.

Happiness burst inside me as I flew through the forest on four feet. The wind whistled in my ears and whipped through my fur. Snow flew under my paws.

Tree branches snapped behind me. I laughed, and the sound emerged as a short, high-pitched bark. Einar wasn’t even trying to be quiet.

I glanced back, and awe shivered through me at the sight of his golden eyes and powerful form. He was magnificent, every inch of his body rippling with muscle. After four months together, his shifts from man to lycan were smooth and nearly effortless.

But as he’d predicted, the fire hadn’t left him. Einar was still a rogue. But our mate bond was an anchor that banked the fire. When the flames threatened, I pulled him into our bedroom and reminded him that he was loved. That it was okay to be less than perfect. I wasn’t perfect, either. My anxiety disorder had returned with me from the edge of death. Apparently, some things just couldn’t be fixed.

But that didn’t mean they weren’t beautiful.

The wind shifted. Einar’s panting breaths grew closer. Anticipation buzzed in my veins as I burst into a clearing. A second later, Einar pounced.

We tumbled to the ground together, rolling over and over through the snow. My laughter started out as a series of barks and then slid into a human giggle as we shifted from two legs to four. And then Einar was on top of me, his thigh sliding between my legs and his smile curving against my neck.

“You lost that race on purpose,” he murmured, reaching down and stroking the place between my legs that made me see stars.

“Are you complaining?” I asked, letting my eyes flutter shut as I arched against him. Moisture flooded me. My clit burned with need.

Einar continued working his magic, his fingers sending waves of pleasure through me. “No, not complaining,” he whispered, trailing hot kisses along my jawline. “But now that I caught you, I get to claim my prize.” He drew back, grasped my hips, and flipped me onto my stomach. Before I could get my bearings, he pulled me onto all fours and plunged inside me.

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