Page 79 of Taming of a Wolf

Jamie sighs, then smiles a little as he kicks my foot under the table. “All right, if it would make you happy.”

The things I would do to see him smile like that again… I want him happy. Need him to know how deeply I cherish him. His happiness is my happiness, and when he’s sad, the world is a darker place. I quickly look down at my plate, alarmed by the intensity of my feelings. During this celebration, I want to finally ask him to let me claim him.

Jace says, “Speaking of birthdays, my friend Natalie is having a slumber party at her house tonight. Can I go? Please? A lot of my friends will be there.” He gives Jamie big, pleading eyes.

“What time is the party?”

“It starts at five.”

“Okay, that works. While you’re at your party, Anders and I can have ours.” Jamie teases my foot beneath the table, brushing his toes along my sole. “Come on, we need to shower, then get to work.” He springs to his feet and carries his empty plate to the sink. “Jace, hurry up, bud. Brush your teeth and grab your backpack! We’ve got a big day ahead of us!”

Once we’re all ready, we leave the apartment and get in the car. I rest my hand on Jamie’s thigh as he drives. He isn’t gripping the wheel like he’ll drown if he lets go, and his scent and posture are relaxed. I hated seeing him so distraught last night. I’ve never felt like an Alpha before, not until my mate opened up his wounded heart and gave me the privilege of caring for him. That’s what an Alpha is. It’s what they do; they care for the ones they love. They don’t use power and authority to control them.

Wulfric has made a far better Alpha than I ever would have.

I wish I could tell him that, that I could let him know how truly sorry I am for dividing our pack.

We drop Jace off for his classes, then drive to the bookshop.

“Morning, everyone!” Jamie says as we enter the shop.

Bailey waves. “Hey! Feeling better?”

“Much,” Jamie says.

“Hey, Anders, give me a hand!” Jess calls out.

I follow her voice to the back of the store, where she is assembling a new shelf that just arrived.

She’s sitting on the floor, examining two pieces of the shelf in front of her. “Okay. I think these parts go here. Can you hand me a nail?”

Sitting beside her, I hand her the supplies she asks for. “Have you celebrated a birthday before?”

She arches a pierced brow, a teasing smile hooking the corner of her mouth. “Uh, yeah?”

“I want to do something special for Jamie tonight.” I already know I’ll ask to claim him, but as for everything else… “No one else is as special to me as he is. I want things to be perfect tonight. Since you and Bailey are together, I thought you’d have some advice.”

Jess’s smile morphs into a grin. “That’s so sweet. It’s great Jamie’s finally found someone who values him. I’ll tell you what. Bailey and I were planning to buy this special-edition book by his favorite author.”

“That L. A. Richardson person?”

“Yeah. He’s having a signing today. It conflicts with Jamie’s schedule, but what if you go during your lunch break?”

Thatisa good idea. “I’ll do it. Where is the signing?” Jess pulls a pen and notepad from her apron’s pocket. She scribbles briefly, then hands it to me. “It’s a big bookstore across the street from Union Square.” She shows me a picture of the place on her phone. “You can’t miss it. But it’s in Manhattan, so you’d have to take the train around the corner.”

I lift my shoulder. “Easy enough.”

When I return to Jamie, he’s grinning. “Look what Bailey gave me!” He holds up a card of some kind.

“A scrap of paper?”

Jamie giggles. “No, puppy dog. It’s a gift card for my favorite restaurant. I’ve gotta take you sometime!”

“How about tonight after work?” I run my hand down his side to squeeze his waist. “We can celebrate your birthday there.”

Happiness curls Jamie’s mouth. “That sounds great. I’d love that.”

Touching my forehead to his, I inhale his sweet scent.

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