Page 30 of Rock Pucking Bottom

His hands stopped caressing my back and froze in place. "No!"

It was so sharp and harsh. It surprised me since it didn't seem like such a bad idea. We were both from the area.

His voice went soft as his hands drifted up further. "I can't dare lose you, and the fellas gossip like a bunch of teenage girls."

Oh…

It was the family secret. He was afraid that they would find out that I saw him shift, since there was some sort of death penalty in place.

There was no way around it. I knew his secret.

Hell, there was a huge part of me that wanted to believe that I hallucinated the fact that he transformed into a werewolf in front of my eyes. But I was completely lucid. Not tired or anything, we even talked about it after he shifted back.

It would be easier if I thought I was crazy. But it wasn't the truth, and we both knew that.

"What if you don't have to lose me? Didn't you say there was something that we could do to prevent it all from happening?"

He jerked my body back, forcing me to look at his face. His brow was furrowed, but I couldn't figure out what's going on in his mind.

"Are you serious?"

I glanced around and shrugged. "I don't know what we're even talking about right now. You need to explain. Remember, I'm a newbie at this stuff."

His hands drifted back down to my waist, but his hold was still strong and yet soft. He licked his bottom lip as he nodded. He was still searching for the words that he needed, and I stayed quiet, just waiting for him to find those words.

"'Kay, but it's just as hard for me. If not harder. I've lived with the pack basically my whole life, so I'm still trying to get my footing in the human world. But… mates and hell, couples who have a serious partner, are exempt from the no shifting rules. I'm pretty sure you're my mate." One hand brushed against my face. "But we haven't sealed anything yet."

I wasn't sure what he was talking about.

"What do you mean exactly by mates? Is it like soulmates?"

He nodded and closed his eyes.

"Yeah. I think so. Although according to one of my friends who grew up in the human world, it's a little bit more intense. Once a mating seal happens, it will bond us together for the rest of our lives. Faithful until the end. Plus, there's some other things involved."

It actually sounded so ideal after seeing the devastation cheating had on relationships.

"That doesn't sound too bad. How do you seal a mating and how would we know?"

Eoghan's lips turned up and his right hand went back to my side. "Well. Mainly it's sex, but there is something that comes from the wolf's thoughts and feelings, but no one really understands mating. From what I understand, we'll know by the connection between us. You'll be able to understand me and contact me no matter what. Plus, you'll be able to calm my wolf down when I get worked up, and just like you always feel comfortable with me. Only downsides: a jealousy streak and we can't be too far apart that first month or else we will can get so sick that we could die. You will remain human as long as I don't bite you. That won't ever happen unless you want to become a werewolf too."

The whole thing seemed so easy. I wanted to know what he was like in bed, but until now, he wasn't interested in anything but kissing and heavy petting. Anytime we got close to taking it up to the next level, he would shut it down. Until tonight, I never understood why.

He didn't want to trap me in a relationship until I was ready. There was something so romantic about him wanting to stay in Vancouver for me this summer. He wasn’t doing it to force me into this mating. Instead, he was doing it for me.

I trusted and loved him. Even when I saw his other self, he kept me safe. The idea of being bonded to him for the rest of my life wasn’t scary. If anything, it was oddly appealing to know that he could be my forever.

With weeks of pent-up sexual tension, I decided to take the plunge.

"Okay. If you're okay spending most of that first month here and doing only a weekend or two in Minneapolis, let's do it right now."

Chapter 26

Eoghan

Icouldn'tbelieveshegavethe okay for sex and sealing the mating bond.

Granted, outside of sex, I still had no clue what sealing the mating bond fully entailed. The pack was full of different tales. You would think with there being at least seven mated pairs I knew well, there would be more understanding to the whole mating process.

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