Page 67 of Wolf's Prize

“Oh, Anne. Ever the meddler.” Erin patted her hand. “Don’t worry. She pushed me, too.”

“But…perhaps it is only a moment of pleasure for Aimon. He would not be the first man, or werewolf, to want only that. How do I know if he wants more? How did you know with Gaharet?”

Erin shrugged her shoulders. “I didn’t. Not at first. I thought he just wanted sex, and once he got it, things would be over between us. When he told Lothair of our betrothal, I thought he’d only done it to protect me. And I was still determined to get home.”

“Even when I met you at Langeais Keep?”

Erin nodded. “Even then.”

“What changed?”

Erin shrugged. “Well, I became a werewolf for one, and Gaharet risked his life, his pack, everything, to save me. They’re different to normal men, Kathryn, apart from the obvious. That’s one thing I’ve learned. I wish Gaharet had told me right from the start. It would have saved me a lot of sleepless nights.”

Bewildered, Kathryn stared at Erin. “I do not understand. Told you what?”

Erin dipped her feet into the water and swished them about. “Let me try to explain. Aimon can thank me later. It’s like this. Werewolves don’t come by their mates easily because what they look for in a mate, the way they view marriage, is different from your regular tenth century chevalier. Money or titles, reputation or even beauty aren’t what they’re looking for. It’s all about finding their mate.”

“Their mate?”

“Their one true love. A unique bond. You can’t force it or manipulate it. It just is. It’s special. Gaharet is my mate, and he knew almost from the first moment we met. He chose me.”

Kathryn glanced across at Aimon. He met her gaze and smiled. “How do I know if I am Aimon’s mate, or if he is mine?”

“Well, for starters, Gaharet seems to think so.”

“Really?”

“And I think he’s right. Heclaimedyou. To Gaharet. Hisalpha.”

Kathryn shook her head. “But he has not said…” Her voice trailed off.

Erin nudged her with her shoulder. “Do you love him?”

Kathryn stared at her hands and picked at her fingernails. “Maybe. I think so.”

“Do you think you can trust him?”

Kathryn peeked at Aimon through the strands of her hair. He had held her through that traumatic transition in the library, her first in over a decade. Slept outside her door that first night in case she needed him. Coaxed her through her training, steadfast and sure. And he had tried his hardest to protect her modesty. Everything he had done had been to protect her. Yes, she trusted him. “With my life.”

“Then maybe you should also trust him with your heart.”

Chapter Thirty-One

After a few hours spent by the pool, and a simple meal at the cottage, Aimon untethered the horses for their return journey to the keep. His gaze, as it had all day, strayed to Kathryn.Could Gaharet be right? Is she truly my mate?There was a rightness to it, a soul deep knowing and a smugness in his wolf’s silence. A wondrous thing he had given no thought to until now. But…did she feel it too? Would she want to bond with him? Or was he merely the first wolf to have found her? How would she react when she met the other stronger, more experienced wolves of the pack?

Unease tugged at his chest. “In three days, I must meet with the others.”

Gaharet nodded.

“They are going to know about Kathryn the moment they catch my scent.”

He did not want to risk exposing her. Not when they were no closer to finding the traitor amongst them. Not knowing if she felt as he did about her.

“Let them meet, discuss what they have found while you remain hidden downwind. Your absence will unnerve them. They may assume Renaud has got to you, too.”

Aimon pursed his lips. “Picking off the weakest of us again.”

Gaharet frowned. “Whatever makes you think that?”

---