Page 108 of Hawke

No, because my compulsion required it. A greater power had declared it to be right.

And if my touch was unwanted, I would damn well stop because I wasn’t a fucking monster.

She liked it when I held her, touched her, rutted her.

My mate was a pure gift from the heavens. She was the most capable and talented human to have ever graced the realm. With her generous and caring heart, she always put others first. Despite feeling welcomed, she still feared she was an intrusion and a nuisance. She wanted to do the right thing and not seek help from anyone. She felt like this was her fight, that she needed to go it alone.

But she damn well wouldn’t. Because she had a whole family at home ready to go on a mission and kick some New York mafia ass when it was time.

Once we returned to the Iron Fang, where she would be safe, our family would kill the bastard brother. She would never have to worry again. I had hoped we would be able to leave by now. But my wolf, who had now been given a proper name, a more masculine name, Tyr, said Delilah’s wolf was far too close to the surface now.

It would be dangerous for her to travel. Delilah’s fevers were becoming more frequent. Her claws, patches of fur were sporadically coming and going, and her heat liked to appear at the drop of a hat.

However, I had no problem with taking care of her heats. I smiled.

It all would have been one hell of a problem traveling on a bike trying to get home, though.

I sighed, my claws raking the kitchen table as my mate shoveled in her tenth sausage patty. Bram stared in astonishment as she devoured the bacon with relish. I smiled as I felt the texture of her hair between my fingers.

Soon my little mate would shift. It would be painful. But with all the things she had been through in her life, she would have the strength to do it so gracefully. I’m sure she would have no problem accepting her wolf.

I believe I was more worried than her. She was far more prepared than I ever was.

I was not prepared to see my mate suffer a shift. Pups were just becoming adults when they went through their shift. They could bounce back after a shift fairly fast. But for my mate, being just slightly older and her body still more human than wolf, it would be difficult.

I sighed, rubbing both hands down my face, watching her wash the dishes I told her I would take care of.

She was a stubborn female.

I would be there for her every step of the way. But I couldn’t promise my heart wouldn’t break into pieces. To watch her scream in agony as her body learns to rearrange her bones and innards for the first time.

To worry now when I had no control over the future was fruitless. Especially while my mate laughed and joked with Bram as he handed her a bundle of clothes.

It was time for our game. Originally, it was to give Delilah some fun, to keep her mind fresh and at ease, but now I believed it was more for me.

I licked my lips, watching her run to the bedroom with a squeal of excitement to change. An interesting game it certainly would be.

The winter brown leaves crunched under our feet as we moved through the forest. The ferns rustled and brushed against our furry legs as we hiked the perimeter of the veil.

Delilah had become familiar with the perimeter of our safe zone in the days we lingered here. We had become accustomed to the same monotonous pattern each day. We took walks and enjoyed being surrounded by the tall trees, the soft rustle of the needles above us providing a comforting blanket of protection.

I inhaled the sweet, fragrant aroma of the forest with deep, heavy breaths. After what seemed like ages, I closed my eyes and reveled in the sensation of the wet soil and the dampness on my fur. How long had it been since I had cleared my head from the nonsense of the world around me?

“Too damn long,” Tyr rolled his eyes so far I could see him looking at me.“I swore your inner monologue might never stop. I thought about rolling in the mud to shake you from your worries, but that would deter our mate from the pets.”

“Yeah, we wouldn’t want to deprive you of those, now would we?” I laughed, watching him scan the area.

He squinted into the distance, but Delilah had vanished, leaving only a faint trace of her sunshine scent vanishing in the air. His heart thudded in his chest, and the panic built in his throat.

“What is this game again? I am not familiar with it.” Tyr’s eyes scanned a full three-sixty. “This,Little Red Riding Hoodsounds like a child’s game, but our mate’s smile was much more mischievous for something so innocent,” Tyr mumbled.

“It isn’t necessarily a game. It’s a children’s story. About a little girl that goes to her grandmother’s home in the woods to deliver cookies. A great gigantic wolf wants to eat her and decides to meet her at her grandmother’s cabin and pretend to be the grandmother so he can eat her.”

At least, that was my interpretation when Delilah told me all those fables one stormy night.

Tyr cocked his head to the side.“That sounds ridiculous. Why would one want to eat a child? Why not take the cookies?”

If I could slap myself in the forehead I would, but—

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