Page 15 of Wedding for My Werewolf

He spent the rest of the day fighting the urge to go back and argue his case again. By the time the setting sun cast long shadows through the window of his office, he was reduced topacing back and forth on the worn floorboards. He was fighting the urge to shift and run until his thoughts cleared when he heard a soft knock on the door.

Robin’s sweet scent drifted through the crack beneath the door—vanilla and fear and something else he couldn’t place.

“Come in.”

She slipped inside, closing the door behind her. Her shoulders were set, chin raised despite the tremor in her hands.

“I’ve been thinking about your offer.”

His wolf growled hopefully, but he forced himself to lean against his desk, aiming for casual. “And?”

“I might consider it.” She took a deep breath. “But first I need to know exactly what pretending to be your… m-mate… would entail. What would you expect?”

The way she stumbled over the word ‘mate’ shouldn’t have affected him. He crossed his arms.

“Nothing too complicated. Being seen together. Attending some Pack functions.”

She nodded, twisting her fingers together. “I have a few conditions.”

CHAPTER 6

“What are your conditions?” Eric asked calmly, his face impassive, but those golden eyes fixed on her with an intensity that made her shiver.

Robin pulled her list out of her pocket, hands trembling slightly. She’d spent the last hour writing and rewriting these terms. At one point they had taken up a whole page, but she’d finally cut it down to the three most important things.

“First, no unnecessary touching.” She kept her eyes fixed on the paper. “If we need contact for show, we discuss it beforehand.”

He made an odd growling sound but he didn’t speak and she kept going.

“Second, no questions about my past or why I’m here,” she said firmly. “What you see is what you get.”

The paper crinkled in her grip. “And we need an end date. Three months should be enough time for both our situations to… resolve.”

She gave him a quick glance, but his shoulders had relaxed, his golden eyes dancing with amusement.

“Those are your conditions?” he asked, his voice warm.

“Yes.”

He nodded and leaned back against his desk, big arms crossed. “Fair enough, but I have some conditions too.”

Her throat tightened. Of course he did. There was always a catch.

“If we do this, we need to be convincing,” he said. “The Pack will know if we’re faking it. That means spending time together in public, attending some Pack functions. And you’ll need to let me scent mark you.”

She frowned at him.

“Scent mark?”

“Nothing inappropriate. Just… physical contact. My scent will ward off others and make it clear you’re under my protection. It’s important,” he added gently.

She wrapped her arms around herself, considering his condition. She’d realized that some contact between them would be necessary, but this sounded more… intimate than she’d expected. But she needed his protection and she could admit to herself that the thought of him touching her was not… unpleasant.

“Okay.” The word came out barely above a whisper.

“We should probably begin immediately. The Pack’s already curious about you.”

They were? Her cheeks heated as she remembered Flora’s comments. Did everyone in town already think there was something between them?

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