Page 30 of Protected By Her Mate

I squeeze her. “I’ve got you, Charlie.”

I sense the relief in her at having me by her side during this ordeal and I silently vow that she will never again have to deal with anything traumatic without me. Even if we can’t fulfill our mating destiny, I will forever protect this woman.

Chapter 12

To protect and serve

LENNOX

It takes the police several hours to process the parking garage scene so we decide to leave Charlie’s truck and return to pick it up when they’re finished.

“I should go to the office,” Charlie says dully as we walk outside to catch a cab. “I have a mountain of paperwork that’s been piling up since we began investigating the Boulder-Wolf murder.”

My protective wolf surges to the surface.She is absolutely not going to work.

I agree with my wolf, but I promised Charlie I would stop interfering with her job. “I’ll come with you.”

She nods, then frowns and shakes her head. “You don’t have to do that. I’m fine, just a little rattled. Nothing a hot tea can’t fix.”

I feel the indecision in her, hear the desperate attempt at normalcy in her tone. She doesn’t want to be alone.

“Finding a dead body isn’t normal, Charlie,” I tell her, softening my tone. “It’s okay to be rattled.”

Her brows lower and I hear her pulling together an argument in her thoughts.I’ve seen some bad shit in my time as a firefighter. I can pull myself together and act like the professional I am and do my job. I absolutely do not need some handsome man or wolf or whatever to take care of me. Not happening. I take care of myself in this world.

My wolf growls at the resolve in her brain and I prepare a counterargument, but it’s not needed.

Despite her thoughts, she says out loud, “Yeah, I don’t want to be alone and I don’t want to go back to work. The last thing I want is to investigate a murder when another just fell in my lap.” Tears shine in her desperate gaze.

“We’ll go to my place,” I say, instinctively wanting her in my sphere where I can take care of her, soothe the shock she’s had.

“Okay, yeah, sure.” She shakes her head like she’s trying to clear the cobwebs. “I mean no, I can’t. Luke will be home in…” She checks her phone and gasps. “He’s on his way home now. I can’t believe I lost track of time like that.”Jesus, I’m a terrible mother. I didn’t think about my kid once during this entire ordeal.

Her thoughts are spiralling in a direction I don’t like but I can’t respond to her without making her aware I can hear everything she thinks. Instead, I grip her shoulders, massaging as I say, “He has a key, right? He can get in the apartment?” She nods. “Good. He’ll be fine until we get there. Let’s go.”

Taking her hand, I wave down a cab and open the door so Charlie can slide in. My wolf is elated when she settles in the middle seat rather than moving to the far one.

I climb awkwardly in doing my best not to nudge her while packing my 6’5” frame in next to her. She leans her head back and closes her eyes, exhaustion taking her. As I pull her seatbelt around her, she mumbles, “Thanks,” then allows her head to loll to my shoulder.

My heart hammers at her proximity and my wolf howls his elation, which causes me to accidentally give the driver Charlie’s address in a shout.

She winces but doesn’t move her head away from me.

I hush my wolf and do my best to sit as still as possible during the drive while my mate naps against my shoulder. I watch the top of her head, contemplating my new reality. It’s been such an intense week; I’ve not spent a lot of time pondering what it means to have a mate.

Of course, I’m thrilled. It’s hard not to be when my inner wolf is throwing a never-ending party at our good fortune, but it’s becoming obvious just how much Charlie affects me.

While her presence is a boon to my soul, she is the ultimate distraction for a man who has spent centuries priding himself on being calm, cool and collected. A difficult thing to achieve for someone born to a species known for aggression.

Is that what I’m feeling? Aggressive?

Giving into the urge, I touch Charlie’s head, smoothing a lock of hair from her brow. Her breaths continue to puff out in long, slow sweeps.

Yes, aggression, but not for the sake of it. I’m feeling new things around Charlie. Possessive, jealous, humble, grateful… loving. My wolf is as unfamiliar with these emotions as I am and is reacting forcefully whenever he perceives something is threatening our mate.

Who am I kidding? I feel the same things as him. I can’t blame my instincts for the loss of control I feel around Charlie. It’s happening because I want it to. Because I’m becoming the predator I was always meant to be.

Still, I have a reputation as a protector. I must never lose sight of who I am, of the man, or shifter, I want to be.

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