Page 13 of Love Bites Hard

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “But the magic it releases is so intense, you’re supposed to enjoy it.”

“That seems unlikely. But I don’t know if Porter is even planning on doing that—so maybe I won’t have to worry about it. When we sealed the bond, he made it clear he didn’t want sex.”

Her eyebrows shot upward. “If you don’t go through with the public claiming, the pack won’t recognize you as his mate. You’ll be in a lot more danger. And considering you’re a siren…”

“I don’t need any help putting myself in danger. I’m aware.”

Someone’s thoughts were particularly loud as they chased someone else through the forest, and I rubbed my temple.

“Is the pack bond causing you problems?” Kim checked.

“It’s just loud.”

“Eating more would probably help.”

I forced myself to grab another few crackers. “What are mated wolves like? Possessive, I assume?”

“Very. And despite what Porter said, I can’t imagine a wolf not wanting to screw his mate. We’re very physical. Wolves need to be touched, frequently. And not just sexually—though that’s fun. We just hug a lot and lean on each other a lot.”

“Sirens are a little like that too. One of my sisters always says that sirens require snuggles.”

Her lips curved upward. “You’ll fit right in, then.”

“Do you guys have a pool here?”

Kim shook her head. “There’s a lake out in the forest, though. It’s about a mile away.”

Ooh, a lake?

That was new.

I was officially itching to claim it for myself. Publicly.

It was totally too soon for that joke, but whatever.

“Perfect,” I said. “How long until the bonfire?”

She went quiet for a minute, her gaze growing distant before she refocused on me. “About an hour.”

“Is Porter planning on coming back to talk to me first?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know for sure, but I don’t think so. He killed one of Curtis’s closest guys about an hour ago, and he’s been interrogating a few more with Evan. You should be able to talk to him mentally now, though. The alpha can’t block out his mate, and vice versa.”

“How would I do that?”

“Just focus on him. The magic of the pack bond should connect you to him easily.”

I focused my mind on my asshole of a mate, and sure enough, immediately felt his consciousness brush up against mine.

I flinched when I saw his fist collide with someone’s face, and withdrew quickly.

“They’re still interrogating,” Kim said quickly.

A heartbeat later, I felt Porter’s mind meet mine.“Don’t look through my eyes without warning,”he growled at me.

“Fuck off,”I snapped back.“You haven’t told me a damn thing, and I just found out we’re supposed to have sex in front of your whole pack. If you didn’t want me to invade your mind, you should’ve told me.”

“The pack won’t be sitting and watching—they’ll be running around.”

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