Page 16 of Forbidden Wolf

Two short days, and I was on the first transport out to my new life in the military.

Two agonising days until Levi was ripped from me.

The entire summer didn’t seem enough anymore. I wanted so much more. I needed a lifetime to try and get the infection that raged in my blood with his name on it under control. The idea of a life without Levi left me trembling at the injustice of our fates.

Sitting on the edge of the facility waiting for the sun to dip, I wanted to howl. He belonged to me. Every inch of both man and wolf was supposed to walk beside me in my life. The thought of him being forced to kill vampires made bile burn up my throat in indignation.

Levi was the only person I’d been able to be myself around, the only one who made me smile when I was in a sour mood, and the only man who could touch me without me freezing in panic. His wolf made me feel safe in a world filled with predators. He listened to me, watched as I released my gifts, held me when I felt insecure.

Pushing myself to my feet, I headed in search of him with a heavy heart. How would I ever let him go? He’d destroyed me for any other man, because I was sure that the only one I would ever want was the sexy wolf who bit me a few months ago.

I was so engulfed in my thoughts, I didn’t notice him stalking me in the trees until he flung himself at me, bringing us tumbling down, my legs wrapped around his waist as I buried my head in his shoulder. Grief threatened to choke me at the thought of our limited time together.

“Sorry I’m late, but I had to take Kimber to release the monkey. She’s not speaking to me now.” I snaked my arms around his neck and kissed him until I was struggling to breathe.

Levi smoothed my hair back, a sad smile playing on his face. “We only have two days left.”

My fingers covered his mouth. “Please, Levi. If you say the words, you’ll break me. Let’s pretend we still have the whole summer. Promise me that no matter what happens, you’ll meet me in Paris twenty years from now. We’ll just be two lovers meeting under the Eiffel Tower.”

“I promise,” he muttered against my fingers, pressing a kiss to them. His eyes glowed amber in the dim light of the new moon and my stomach muscles tightened.

Neither of us had the power to stop what our separate species had put in motion. This summer had taught me that lycans weren’t mindless killing machines. They were people just like the vampires. Everything I believed had been based on a lie.

Our fingertips found each other as if they couldn’t bear to be apart. I forced a smile onto my lips to try and pretend my heart wasn’t slowly breaking. A lump formed in my throat and I tried to take small breaths.

“If this was the last night of the world, what would you want to do?” Levi asked.

I pouted my lips. “I’d like to walk naked under the moon and swim under a waterfall with you.”

He tugged me beside him and wrapped his arms around my waist, kissing the tip of my nose. “You’re a simple date.”

I stared up at him.

“I don’t want much except to be with you,” I replied. My future had seemed bleak before Levi crashed into it.

I bit into my bottom lip to stop it trembling, ducking my head to rest against his arm so he didn’t see how much he meant to me.

He was aware of more about me than any other person alive, and our discussions had revealed more about him than I even knew about my family. This summer had turned my life upside down and left me wondering about this war we were fighting.

I kissed his arm, needing contact with Levi. We might not be able to see each other tomorrow night, so every moment tonight was precious.

There was a waterfall about a two-mile journey from here, so I grabbed his hand and started our moonlight walk. When we were far enough away that I was sure no one would see us, we stopped to undress, hanging our clothes high in a tree.

I took a moment to study Levi’s body in the moonlight. His skin was tanned from walking in the daylight. There were times I swore I could taste the sun in his blood. My skin was pale, and I watched his long, tanned fingers skimming over my breasts and stomach. Butterflies erupted in my chest when his fingers intertwined with mine and he dragged me against him.

Firm muscles lined his body, covered in soft skin and hair that tickled me when we were rolling around on the forest floor together. Every so often, we stopped walking to kiss, our fingers caressing each other. I tried to imprint every aspect of Levi on myself, the sensation of his skin, the feel of his hair, the taste of his kisses.

The loud crashing of water guided us to the waterfall, the massive cliff imposing as the water cascaded down it into the pool below.

“Swim with me,” I pleaded, grasping his hands, and standing on tiptoe to look into his eyes. The gold flecks in his iris glowed bright the way they did when he was aroused.

The water was freezing, but that didn’t stop us. Every moment with him was a memory I was going to have to cling to when I left.

There was a cave behind the waterfall that reminded me of the ancient temples that people used to worship their gods in. Tonight, it formed a place to revere Levi, my mouth and hands creating a mental map of every inch of his flesh in my head. Time opposed us, constantly ticking away as the minutes became hours.

“I don’t want to go, Levi,” I whispered into his neck. His arm tightened around me until I swore my ribs would crack.

The lump in my throat threatened to choke me. The butterflies in my stomach turned to dread, their wings drumming a death beat instead of their usual joyous tune. Maybe there was somewhere in the human world where we could hide and create new lives for ourselves?

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