“Lore says that during a full moon, once the Alpha is deep inside her, those ridges flare out, forming what’s essentially a knot. It locks them in place when they climax, thus giving him the best chance of getting her pregnant.”
To be honest, it sounded kind of hot. Damn. I didn’t have a breeding kink now too, did I?
“Since I’ve been on the island, hasn’t there been a full moon or two?” Being mated to a werewolf, I really needed to pay better attention to the moon cycles. “Or were we not fated at that point?” I didn’t understand how any of this worked, but I vowed to do better.
“My trips to Vancouver? Those were timed so I wasn’t around you then.”
“Let me see if I have this straight—you’re worried that no amount of birth control is enough to stop that potent Alpha seed of yours, so you had to leave the country?” I poked him playfully in the ribs, trying not to laugh at how ridiculous that sounded.
Instantly, he was on me, pushing me back on the blanket with a hand to my throat. Not enough to hurt, but enough that I gasped in surprise. Lips slightly parted, he gave a low, masculine growl, letting me know he did not find any of this remotely funny.
Okay, message received. A thrill chased through me at this unexpected show of dominance. “Fine. Sorry. I’m listening.”
He loosened his hold a little, but his eyes were dark, and he still looked mad as hell. “According to the lore, it can be painful for the female but impossible for the male to pull out. Even if he wants to.”
“Painful?”
“Extremely.”
My mind raced with what that meant. Like going through childbirth once a month? Losing your virginity every full moon?Yeah, good times.
I blew my breath out slowly. My man was deeply concerned about how this fated mates thing might affect me, that he would be the cause of my pain but would have no way to stop it. And here I was, making a joke of it. With the White Wolf Moon right around the corner, he couldn’t just leave like he had before to keep me safe from him. It would be impossible for us to be apart.Thiswas what had been bothering him these past few weeks.
He caged me between his muscular forearms and kissed me. Long and slow and deep. His tongue delving into my mouth, claiming me, as an aching heat pooled between my legs. I rolled my hips against the steel length of him pressed to my thigh, cursing the layers of clothing that separated us.
He drew back slightly, his breath hot against my skin. “And all of this is assuming the Alpha’s fated mate is a wolf. Who knows what it will be like for a human.”
My heart swelled as if it might burst from my chest. I loved his version of masculinity with every fiber of my being. The feral protectiveness. The intense desire to place my safety and comfort above all else.
I unbuckled his belt as he stripped off my jeans. Then he made love to me under the stars.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
Daphne
The weeks before Monsterval passed like a fever dream.
Not only was Travis busy withSecret Shadowsbusiness, mostly video-conferencing with an occasional trip to Vancouver, but he was also helping out around the ranch. Imagine the surprise when guests discovered Drake Valentino was the one taking them on a trail ride through the backcountry. One even fell off her horse. Thankfully, there were no broken bones this time.
As for me, my raw materials order was very late in arriving, so I had to work like a madwoman to get all my lotions and elixirs made and packaged in time.
Cassie introduced me to Kaori, a middle-aged member of her coven who sold the best local herbs at the farmer’s market. I was able to source a lot of my ingredients from her. Rumor had it she’d poisoned her cruel husband years ago then moved to the island to escape the authorities. I liked her immediately.
Somehow, Jada was able to find the time to redesign a reallycute logo for me in between the huge influx of guests and everything she had to do to prepare for the White Wolf Moon.
But I couldn’t have done any of it without Sarah’s help.
I stood in the center of the Daphne’s Apothecary and Botanicals vendor booth and looked around. Artfully arranged displays of my lotions and elixirs sat on several tables with beautiful hand-lettered signs in soothing earth-tones explaining the benefits of each one. From the tablecloths to the crystals and colorful stones scattered about, to the little mason jars of fresh flowers, no detail had been overlooked. Same with my pop-up shop at Unholy Grounds.
Tears threatened to overflow. I tried to sniff them away but wasn’t having much luck. “Sarah, this looks absolutely amazing.” I gave her the biggest hug I knew how to give, which made her laugh.
She looked around, eyes sparkling with a real sense of accomplishment. “It really does, doesn’t it?”
“I still feel like crap that I won’t be able to help run the booth with you.” She was also going to monitor my stock at my Unholy Grounds pop-up shop.
She waved me off. “This was my idea, remember? You were just going to have the pop-up shop, which doesn’t require you to be there. I knew you’d be too busy. As the mate of the new pack Alpha, you’ll be meeting people and attending events. I’m just grateful to be sharing in the profits. It’ll help me get on my feet.”
Turned out that Sarah’s rockhounding trip had been a vision quest of sorts. She came back a changed woman with a clear plan for her future. She wanted to live her life the way she wanted and not what her parents expected from her. I was there for moral support when she called them and told them she was going to follow her dreams with a goal of starting her own adventure travel business. Needless to say, they weren’t pleased and promptly disowned her. But she’d already securedemployment with the rockhounding company, rented a small apartment in town, and had a wonderful group of new, supportive friends (cough, cough).
