Page 15 of Arrested By My Mate

Fur starts to cover me, replacing my skin. My teeth and nails elongate, and in seconds, I’m landing on all fours in front of her.

When I look at Nori, she’s staring at me in shock, her blue eyes wide, her mouth open. I pad towards her, and my wolf sticks his nose through the bars and into her cell.

“Holy shit,” she gasps, jumping back.

I can smell her fear, can hear how fast her heart is racing, so I sit down, giving her a minute to adjust and get used to seeing my wolf. It takes a few minutes, but then her breathing evens out, and she takes a tentative step towards me.

She reaches a hand out, and I smile as her fingers sink into my fur.

“It’s so soft,” she whispers, and I tilt my head, offering her better access.

She pets me for a few moments and then steps back and I move back to my clothes and shift back to my human form.

“So?” I ask as I pull my clothes on. “Do you believe me now?”

“Yeah.”

I finish getting dressed and turn to face her.

“What happens now?” She asks me.

She still looks kind of shell-shocked and I take a deep, steadying breath as I think of how to answer her. I don’t want to throw too much at her. She needs to get used to the fact that I’m a shifter and that we’re fated mates. We don’t have much time, though.

“That’s kind of up to you. You already know what I want. We’re fated mates and I know that we’re meant to be, but it’s different for you, being human. I’ll follow your lead from here on out.”

She nods, looking deep in thought.

“But I should warn you, the full moon is coming up, and you’ll need to make a decision before then.”

“Why?”

“Because we’ll both…react on the full moon.”

“React how?” She asks.

“We’ll both want each other. Desperately.”

“Like…” she starts, trailing off.

“Like badly, Nori. I already want you, and maybe you’re attracted to me too, but it will be nothing compared to the night of the full moon. We won’t be able to resist each other.”

“So, what happens if I say no?”

“Then I let you go and try to stay away from you. It will kill me, but I would do anything for you.”

“Except let me go,” she says, and I wince.

“I’m sorry for locking you up. I just, I don’t think that you understand how mates work. You are the only one for me. Shifters only love one person, and it’s not a normal kind of love. It’s intense and all consuming. You became the center ofmy world the second that I scented you. You’ll remain the most important thing to me for the rest of our lives.”

“That…actually sounds kind of nice,” she says, catching me off guard.

I nod, my hopes rising.

“If you want to be with me, then I’ll mark you on the night of the full moon and make you mine. Officially.”

She seems to be mulling over my words, and I leave her to digest what we’ve discussed as I head back to my desk and finish up some work.

Are we really going to let her go if she doesn’t choose us? My wolf asks, and I hesitate.

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