Page 45 of The Wolf's Kidnapped Mate

Oh goddess, itwasa big deal. Because seeing him look at me this way made me want to do it again.

I cupped his face. I bent toward him.

Ah, what a soothing feeling for his fur to be pressed against my human face. Soft breaths coasted my left hand that cradled the front of his snout. His ears relaxed away from his face. His eyes closed.

Symphonic bliss washed over me. Never in my life had anyone ever made me feel this way. It was like I could do anything, overcome any obstacle, face any enemy head-on without a wink of fear. He made me feel like my whole life was ahead of me.

And I never wanted that feeling to stop.

I must have sat that way for several minutes when my legs started to ache. I drifted back from him, noticing that he was asleep now. The bleeding had stopped. His muscles weren’t spasming anymore. He was completely serene.

Good. He needed the rest. And while he did that, I would build a fire and avoid the desire to kiss his furry forehead. Night was descending upon us. We had to get moving again as soon as Fred recovered.

Our lives depended on it.

Chapter 15 - Fred

I woke to the sound of flickering flames next to my legs. Warmth radiated through my paws and invited me to stretch them, a comforting heat that ran through my body and encouraged me to roll to my belly. I splayed my limbs out and yawned wide, feeling the tug of a bandage behind my ear.

Irritated, I started to paw at it.

Kylie caught my paw. “Would you cut that out? You’re going to make it bleed.”

With a disappointed huff, I dropped my paw and slumped my snout on top of it. Kylie scrabbed my cheek, causing my back right leg to kick as she got one of those super good spots—wow, did that really feel good with her nails digging into my fur.

Several seconds later, I rolled to my left side and allowed my body to slowly shift. Injuries were such a bitch to deal with in human form, so I hadn’t bothered changing until I was sure that most of my fractures had healed. My head was throbbing with a headache, but my vision was alright.

In human form, I sat up. I cradled my forehead and pulled the leftover bandage from behind my ear, cringing at the tape that attempted to rip the hair from my flesh.

“You couldn’t have used thenicetape?” I jabbed while tossing the bandage into the fire. It caused the flames to burst briefly, igniting the cave in which we sat.

Kylie sighed as she unbuckled the bag from my back. Crap, I’d forgotten about that. No wonder I felt so weird.

“Let’s get you dressed,” she advised as she opened the bag. “You need to keep warm.”

“I’ll be fine. I’ve got you.”

She looked at me with a flirtatious grin as her cheeks burst with heat. A lot like the fire had seconds ago.

I turned away. “We should go out and hunt.”

“I’m worried about getting spotted.”

“Then we’ll hunt while we move.”

She plucked some clothes from the bag and handed them over. When I was sufficiently dressed, she grabbed my chin and forced me to look at her while she flashed a light in my eyes. I winced and shoved her hand away.

“Come on, Kylie,” I groaned. “If you’re going to flash me, at least let it be your tits or something. You’re fuckingblindingme with that shit.”

“Nope. Not concussed.” She turned off the small light and dropped it back into the bag. “Just an ass.”

I growled. “Do you have to be rude? Ijustwoke up.”

“Sorry I don’t have any coffee for you.”

The teasing edge in her voice grabbed my focus, and I looked directly into the eyes lit up with flames, the ones swirling with a hazel-brown and touches of gold. Like precious treasure. Like drops of sunlight. Like wondrous honey.

I cupped her cheek, noticing how the earthy brown was enriched by my touch. “Thanks.”

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