Page 18 of The Wolf Guard's Mate

“What are you doing?” I mumbled.

“Taking you to our bedroom.” His voice was gravelly. It made goosebumps break out on my arms.

“I don’t remember agreeing to share a room.”

“You bit me. Agreement was implied.”

“I don’t think it was.”

“My wolf won’t sleep without you, and I made you food. We’re sharing a room,” he growled.

“Fine.”

I closed my eyes and stopped trying to stay awake, dozing until Hunter eased me onto a mattress.

His scent was so thick there, I couldn’t stop myself from rolling over and pressing my nose to the sheets, inhaling deeply and groaning at the smell.

It took me a minute to regain control and roll back over. When I did, I found him staring at me. His gaze was so intense, I could almost call it feral.

It took a moment after I met his eyes before he finally stepped back. He grabbed a bowl off the nightstand. I hadn’t noticed it sitting there, but I wasn’t going to complain when he handed it over. It was a mixture of rice, beans, vegetables, and chicken—and smelled absolutely incredible.

“Fajita bowls?” I asked, as I lifted a bite to my mouth.

He grunted, but didn’t move.

His attention was so laser-focused on me, I wondered if hecouldmove.

“Wow, you can cook,” I said around a mouthful of delicious food.

The tension in his shoulders seemed to ease slightly.

He stayed where he was until I was scraping my bowl clean, then plucked the dish from my hand and disappeared. I’d seen a luxurious kitchen during my self-guided tour, but he definitely hadn’t been working or cleaning up in it, so there must’ve been two kitchens.

Weird.

Who needed two kitchens?

Then again, who needed an indoor pool and a bowling alley, either?

Whatever.

I curled up on the bed, rolling to my side again. Hunter’s scent flooded my senses, and I sighed.

It shouldn’t have been legal to smell that good.

I was half asleep when Hunter came back. I didn’t hear his feet on the tile, but I was too attuned to him not to notice his presence. Guess the mate bond was to blame for that.

He settled on the bed beside me, though he left plenty of space between us.

When I was nearly out, he rolled over. The noise was impossible to miss.

The next time I almost fell asleep, he moved in bed again. The blankets were quiet, but the motion woke me.

The same thing happened a few more times before I finally mumbled, “Just go to sleep.”

“I’m trying.”

“You said your wolf wouldn’t sleep without me here. I’m here. Sleep.”

---