Page 58 of Protected By Her Mate

“Do you want to come to the zoo with us?” Her wide brown velvety eyes have me in their thrall as she stares hopefully at me.

Someone has to be the voice of reason. “I shouldn’t.” It’s the best I can manage and we both know it’s far from a denial.

She steps closer, pushing her soft breasts against me. “Please.”

A shudder goes through me as her lips shape the word.

“Just for today, let’s pretend our problems don’t exist. We’re just two people with insane chemistry taking a kid out for a fun day. Tomorrow we’ll let reality intrude.”

Helpless against her spell, I nod. “I’m in.”

She flashes me a smile and quickly steps away, evading my seeking hands. “Great! I’ll go get dressed.” She stops and eyes me. “As much as I’m enjoying those tight sweatpants on you, I think we should stop by your place so you can change.”

An hour later, the three of us are tucking into plates full of waffles piled high with strawberries and whipped cream. A plate of bacon and sausages sits in the middle of the table for sharing.

“These are amazing,” I say, looking around the restaurant. “I’ve never been here before.”

Both Charlie and Luke stare at me from across the table like I’ve lost all reason. “I’m sorry, but did you just tell me that a 700-hundred-year-old man has never eaten at the International House of Pancakes?”

“Is that bad?” I ask, wolfing another huge forkful into my mouth. “This is heaven.”

Not as heavenly as last night. Her thought interrupts my fork halfway to my mouth and our eyes meet, sparks flying between us. She giggles and breaks eye contact first.

I shift in my seat, reminding myself that her son is present. She will pay for that later.

Will I? How? I’ve always wanted to try a spanking. Her quick grin tells me she’s playing with me again.

My mouth goes dry and I snatch up my water, gulping it.

“You can sure eat a lot,” Luke says, eyeing my leftover waffles.

I stab one with my knife and transfer it to his empty plate. “A growing human child needs sustenance,” I say, smiling my pride at caring for the small human as he digs in.

BLAM!Charlie’s voice echoes in my mind and I look at her. She laughs and silently says,My ovaries just exploded.Keep being sweet to my kid and you’ll have a sex slave for life.

I want nothing more than to fling Charlie over my shoulder and run with her to the nearest private location where I can explore this exploding ovaries situation, but we have her child in tow.

Now you understand how these creatures are the ultimate cock-blockers. Don’t have kids if you like having sex. She snickers as she thinks it, shoving a bite of waffle into her mouth.

I realize I’m smiling. Just smiling. Not at anything in particular, but at everything. Spending time with Charlie and Luke is one of the most enjoyable things I’ve ever done. Before this, I don’t think I’ve spent more than five minutes in the presence of a child. Of any species. But Luke is different. Like his mother, he fascinates me. I admire his strength and determination, despite his fragility.

The zoo is another new experience for me. Not a pleasant one at first, as all the smells hit me at once. I wrinkle my nose and Charlie looks at me sympathetically as we pass the main gates where we purchased our tickets.

“My sense of smell is a lot closer to a wolf’s, even in human form,” I explain. “I’ll get used to it.” I hope.

It’s not just the smell, but the signals those smells are sending to my brain. Some of the scents are warning me that predators are near while the rest are setting off my prey drive, which I have to ruthlessly suppress lest I shock the zoo patrons by leaping into the gazelle exhibit and chowing down.

“Look, the wolves!” Luke races toward a large, fenced exhibit filled with trees.

Curious, I follow him while Charlie calls out, telling him to stop running. Without looking back, he slows to a trot.

Luke stares up at me as we approach. “What do you think?” There’s curiosity and pride in his voice. He genuinely wants me to meet the wolves and I’m touched by his eagerness.

I look down at the only visible timber wolf; a grey-coated female. The breeze carries my scent to her and she swiftly seeks me out with her gaze. She stands stiffly, and shuffles toward the trees, letting out a huff of fear. A large, black-coated male swiftly steps out from the trees, placing himself in front of her.

He stares at me but doesn’t bare his teeth. Instead, he takes my measure, sizing me up as a potential threat. He huffs and turns to the female, nudging her into the safety of the trees where they disappear together. I don’t blame them, better to be safe than sorry when a superior predator is in the area.

“Are you superior?” Charlie asks, her eyes scanning the enclosure.

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