Page 31 of Hawke

As I stepped away from the window, I could feel the worry radiating from Delilah. She wasn’t sleeping, she wasn’t eating right, and delaying this much longer was going to be the death of the both of us.

Stop being a dumb shit,my wolf snarled.Go in and claim her. You stand out here like a pup with his tail between his legs.

That was the other annoying part of my day. My wolf had resurfaced and had become chatty on the way down here. I worried he would go rabid, but he assured me he was very much in control of his actions. He had mentioned several times he would take control to claim what was rightfully ours.

I was still not convinced.A second chance, mate? Really?

“Mine,” my wolf snarled.

“Yeah, I get it, buddy.” I sighed, pulling out the empty flask. No more alcohol to numb the pain, no more wrong decisions. I was going to do this right and by doing the right thing, I was going to woo the shit out of her.

Be the man she deserved and then some.

And give her the knot.My wolf snorted.Knot her real good, breed her so she will never leave.

Knotting was done with mates only. It brought souls closer together before using a biting mark to complete the bond. But Delilah couldn’t be.

“She is!”my wolf argued. “You are just too dumb to see. I feel her, I smell her, her soul is ours. Second chances are here, now.”

I wanted to believe it, but luck had never been on our side.

“Just hurry up and piss on her doorstep so no other shifter will come near. At least stay true to your roots.”

I rolled my eyes, undoing my zipper to sate the fucker. If I didn’t do it, he’d hound me all night long that I wasn’t a wolf anymore and had become too much of a human.

Once I’d finished, I took one last look in the window. She’d settled now. She did that when I was close. I’d managed to get a room beside hers today, and we had both slept better. I could feel her, which was the strangest thing. The strength of her emotions were so profound that it almost frightened me.

Delilah may never forgive me, but I wouldn’t ever give up. It was already proven I was feeling better; my wolf felt better. It was best we explore what we had, especially now. When she left, my heart broke, and I couldn’t imagine how she felt after I spat out nonsense to her.

I laid my hand on the glass, watching her still body breathe. “Tomorrow,” I muttered to myself. “We are taking her back tomorrow.”

My wolf’s joyful yips were in stark contrast to my own nerves and apprehension.

I was taking her, like it or not, and I didn’t know how she would react to that.

I followed her to work like I had the last few days. I watched her get on the bus today rather than walk to the other side of town. The richer side of town had flowers growing in large planters beside each door of the stores. There were name brand stores filled with useless bags and shoes. Women and men dressed in linens, dresses, and slacks.

With a roll of my eyes, I chose to take the back alley way instead of the main path. I took out the chair I had stuffed behind the dumpster. I already had the restaurant rigged with plenty of cameras. I could see inside the kitchen, the restaurant—no corner was spared to make sure my Sunshine was safe.

I cracked my knuckles, opening up the app on my phone, and watched her help prepare the tables for the early morning. I fucking hated that she was doing this, getting up at the crack ass of dawn to work.

But she was used to it, and I had no say in what she did or didn’t do. She’d told me that many times, but she thought her early morning diner jobs were secret from me.

They weren’t. What kind of protector would I be if I didn’t know where she was at all times?

“You don’t do that for the rest of the females.”

“Shut up,” I muttered.

He snorted, the heat of his nose running down my spine. “You don’t place trackers in anyone else’s shoes.”I narrowed my eyes, my fingers ticking. “You don’t watch the other females sleep; you don’t cuddle them in bed; you don’t take them to the fair; you don’t—”

“Shut the fuck up,” I growled.

“See, she is ours. Even if you do not want to admit she is our mate. We will claim her.”

“If she forgives us.”

“You mean, if she forgives you. She will love me. I’m a damned dog to her. She will give me all the pets,” he said proudly.

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