Page 74 of Cold Moon

I stared up at him. Sure, I wasn’t the hero of the day—that was my incredible mate—but nonetheless, Linden had just offered me a solution, something I could research and understand, and maybe, just maybe, use to make the world better for our pack and our people.

“I can’t wait to see what you found.”

42

Skye

Both Brook and Aspen kept shooting us glances in the rearview mirror. Brook amused and maybe charmed, and Aspen, in standard Grove style, concerned.

The funny thing was, I understood both.

Dante had found me. With no indication of where I was, no address to run to, and no rational reason to have been able to do that, Dante had shifted and run andfound me. Romantic maybe wasn’t a strong enough word to cover how amazing that was.

On the other hand, I’d almost died. Archer had almost died. I’d turned someone into a werewolf to save his life, and... and we’d been right. Our very worst thoughts on the Sterling problem had been right. The Sterling Corporation had, in fact, been trying to kill all werewolves.

That horrible old man had been responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths. He was responsible for Claudia’s near-miss with the Condition because of her pregnancy. We’d almost lost our second because of him. He was responsible for almost every single struggle I dealt with daily. For the way I was living a shadow of a life, a holding pattern, as I waited for the relapse that would kill me.

And from the way the police had looked utterly shocked the entire time they’d been taking Archer’s and my statements, he was on his way to prison. The monster was being dragged from under the bed, kicking and screaming, and he wasn’t going to be allowed to haunt my bedroom any longer.

I was already wrapped around the only man I wanted haunting my bedroom. And oh, how I wanted that.

But why not? I loved him. He loved me. He’d found me.

“You want someone to stay with you?” Aspen asked, and I realized we were all the way home, the Mustang sitting in the driveway of the duplex Aspen and Brook shared with Dante.

Brook gave a little snort, reaching out to squeeze Aspen’s arm. The way he bit his lip seemed like he was trying not to laugh. “I think maybe they could use some alone time, Asp,” he whispered to his mate, giving him a knowing look.

And Brook was right. Both that Dante and I needed to be alone, and for every reason in that amused, knowing look.

I grabbed Dante’s arm and slid over, popping the back door open and climbing out of the car. “Thanks, but we’ll be fine. We’re going to go—go. See you later.”

Dante didn’t struggle at all, just let me drag him all the way to the front door, and when we got there, searched his pockets till he found the key and opened up, holding the door for me. He followed me in, watching me with the same intense expression he’d been wearing since he’d found us with Sterling, but also... also a little confused. A little uncertain. Like maybe he wasn’t sure why I’d come into his place instead of just going back to my apartment.

So I turned my hips to face him, reaching up and putting my hands on his cheeks. “I love you.”

A low rumble bubbled up from his chest, like a growl, but pleased and somehow proprietary. Well, proprietary because of the intense look in his eyes. How close to the surface his wolf was. As ever, though, he had perfect control of his wolf, his teeth flat and even, as he whispered, “I love you too.”

I nodded, suddenly breathless. “You came for me. You—you make me feel safe.”

“I’ll make sure youaresafe,” he assured, a little more wildness in his eyes, voice rumbling in a not-quite-human way.

“I know you will,” I agreed. “And I’ll protect you too. I’ll bash a thousand evil old men over the head if it means they won’t shoot at you when you come to rescue me.”

He leaned down, pressing his forehead against mine, and huffed out a breath that was somewhere between panting and amusement. “You did that.”

“Dante.”

He leaned back a few inches to properly meet my eyes, biting his lip.

“Mate me, Dante. Mark me. I want it to be forever. I told you I’m in it to stay. I want it for good.” His eyes softened, something vulnerable and sweet shining through, but I rushed on, not wanting to give him a chance to denigrate himself. “You found me. And... and we could die tomorrow, because of some awful old monster who hates all werewolves. I don’t want to waste any more time. I want this. I want it now, and I want it tomorrow, and I don’t want to have to dance around it anymore.I want you.”

He sucked in a harsh breath, his gaze darting back and forth from my eyes to my neck and back again, like he couldn’t quite believe it. Like he didn’t trust himself. So I dropped my hands to his and started walking backward, pulling him down the short hall, toward the bedroom. He didn’t hesitate to follow.

He never did, my perfect mate.

I didn’t stop moving until the backs of my knees hit the bed, and I used the momentum to pull him right into me, both of us tumbling onto the bed together, breathless. “This is what I want,” I whispered to him, rolling us over until I could straddle his hips.

I pulled him up into a sitting position so I could tug his shirt off, and he took that as his cue, tossing it across the room and then stripping off my clothes, hands moving so nimbly it looked like he was playing a musical instrument.

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