Page 29 of Unbreakable Bond
Chapter 13
It feltlike fire was burning through her blood. Somewhere deep inside of her, it felt as if something was being ripped apart. Her soul maybe, but that didn’t make sense. The claiming was supposed to bind the two mates together not rip one of them to pieces. It felt like claws digging into her heart, shredding it until nothing was left but thepain.
It hurt. Oh God it hurt. She felt tears well in her eyes and she tried to scream but there wasn’t any air in her lungs. No air. Just fire and heat, scraping at her throat until she was sure flames would erupt from hermouth.
“Rafe!” She squeaked out, panting and convulsing, her vision blurry with tears. She was dying. She knew it. She was dying just when she’d found her other half, her reason for being. She had to tell him, had to, couldn’t leave him like this. He’d blame himself just like he had for the others. “I… I…don’t…”
“Shh. I’m here.” He cut her off with a soothing tone that did nothing to stem her panic because he was holding her down. Her arms were pinned above her. Her legs trapped underneath him. She was trapped and burning alive in her own skin. “I’m here. Hold onto me, Zo. It’s almostover.”
Over? What was almost over? Her life? Had they been wrong? A werewolf bite killed one in ten humans. If she wasn’t truly Rafe’s mate it would kill her. It had killedher.
She was crying. Screaming. Writhing beneath him but he wasn’t panicking at all. Her mind tripped over that fact. Why wasn’t he panicking? Couldn’t he feel her fear through the bond? Couldn’t he sense that she was weakening? That she was dying? It was almostover.
“I... I…” She tried to tell him… But then ithappened.
It was as if an explosion had gone off. She was sucked out of the bubble she’d been trapped in. The one full of heat and fire and pain and death. She was dropped back into full consciousness, back into her body, and as she sucked in a gasp of sweet, glorious air for the first time in far too long, shegasped.
She wasn’t alone anymore in her body. She could feel it. Sense it. Her wolf. She had a wolf inside of her. She was there, pacing just beneath the surface. Shaky on her newborn legs butstrong.
“Oh, God…” Zoey choked out on a sob ofhysteria.
“Shh, it’s okay. You’re okay.” Rafe came back into focus and at the sound of his voice her wolf rubbed up against her skin, wanting to get to him, to touch him, and she practically purred when he stroked her hair, softly petting her, “You’re okay now. You’re more than okay. You’re perfect. Both ofyou.”
Her wolf rubbed at her insides again and Zoey tried to remember to breathe. All of the times she’d thought about bonding about mating and she’d never, not once, given a thought to what it would feel like to share her body with an animal. A wolf that lived inside of her. That was part of her but also separate. A wolf with her own wants and needs and desires. Her wolf wanted closer to Rafe and since Zoey couldn’t really blame her she snuggled in closer to him and let him pull her againsthim.
She had no idea how much time had passed. How long did it take to birth a new wolf into existence? She and Rafe were both still naked, still locked together on the bed. Both breathing hard and trying to get their bearings. But she could feel his pride simmering through the current between them and it made her wolf preen with hisapproval.
“She’s beautiful.” Rafe murmured against her hair, “Just likeyou.”
Zoey rolled to face him, eyes wide, “Can you read my mindnow?”
He chuckled and she stared at him in awe. He’d laughed. Rafe Hudson had just laughed for the first time in God only knew how long and it was because of her. She’d put that look of pleasure and contentedness on his handsome face. She’d made that rusty, ill-used sound come from hischest.
And her heart slipped a little further out of her grasp when he smirked at her with that mischievous, dimpled smile, “Kinda.”
“What do you mean,kinda?”
He chuckled again, “I mean, the bond is even stronger now so I can sense your mood and emotions. I can tell just from the vibes you’re sending out if you’re happy or sador…”
“Angry that you’re reading my mind?” She sniffed but he surprised her by laughing again and then rolling her over until he had her pinned again. “Hey!”
“I’ll know when you want to fight and I’ll know when you’re just looking for a way to provoke me.” He nipped her lips and settled between her legs again, “I’ll know exactly what my little wolf needs and when she needsit.”
Zoey moaned and her new wolf all but purred, Wh… What does sheneed?”
“What she needs…” Rafe nipped at her lips before kissing her softly, “Is to rest. She’s strong. I can feel how strong she is. But she’s still a newborn and you both need time to rest and recover from thechange.”
“That’s not what she needs.” Zoey argued when her wolf lunged forhim.
“It’s exactly what she needs.” Rafe argued with another kiss, “Even if what she wants is to meet her mate. It’s not happening. Nottonight.”
“But…”
“Not tonight, Zo. You’ve already talked me into too much. The mating and the bite and the bond.” He rolled off of her but pulled her into his arms, “I told you I would always give you what you need and right now, what you need is torest.”
She chewed her bottom lip and contemplated what he was saying. Her wolf didn’t like it. Didn’t like being told what she needed. Especially when it conflicted with what she wanted. But a yawn caught up to her and she supposed that Rafe wasright.
It had been a long night. So much had happened. So much had changed. She’d thought she was dying just minutes ago. She had an animal living inside of her now. She waswerewolf.
