“I do, Fable, so much.” My resolve wavered, and I bit down on my cheek. “Tomorrow,” I said again on my way out the door, holding my breath just so I could escape his scent.
Être fort, my beaver said, encouraging me to be strong, even as the mating pull tried to drag me back.
I was out the door and down those steps before I dared take another breath. I barely noticed the cold air against my chest, still bare thanks to Fable’s deft fingers on my shirt buttons. I fled deeper into the woods, my mate’s sobs echoing in my ears. Fuck, he thought I was rejecting him. Didn’t he know this was the best for both of us?
When I reached the river, it was a relief. I shed the rest of my clothes and let my beaver take over. Quickly, my bare feet in the snow became leathery paws, fur replacing skin, and I retreated to the back of my mind where my decisions didn’t haunt me. My beaver slipped into the water with barely a ripple, his wide tail steering us through the strong current, webbed back feet paddling. He dove beneath the surface, and the forest’s nighttime sounds were muffled, offering temporary relief from the chaos of the world around us.
This was an important ritual, not just for my beast to stretch his legs, but also for me to organize my thoughts and feelings. As difficult as it had been to do, I knew that I’d made the right decision. I only hoped that Fable would see that. He no doubt felt a strong connection between us, but without fully understanding our fated relationship, he’d been understandably confused. I would find a way to explain… without scaring the shit out of him.
By the time my beaver waddled out of the water and gave me back my skin, the moon was already on its descent. The stars above twinkled like fairy lights, the only Christmas decorations I needed.
Rather than attempting to get dressed while still wet, I pulled on my boxer briefs and then picked the rest of my clothes up in a bundle and padded through the snow barefoot, back to the cabin. The night was still, though I passed by a pair of wolf shifters out for an evening run and nodded in greeting.
The cabin’s lights were off when I got back, and I slipped through the door as quietly as I could. The air still scented of my mate’s arousal, but it was bearable now that it had faded. Fable was curled up in the fetal position on top of the covers, dressed in his pajamas, and I swore I saw dried tears on his cheeks. My heart just about broke, and I rubbed the ache in my chest. I needed to make this right.
I walked softly across the cabin and paused by the bedside. “Fable?” I whispered, but he didn’t stir. Gritting my teeth, I grabbed the quilt from the end of the bed and pulled it up, tucking Fable into bed. “I’m so sorry,mon coeur. Please forgive me.”
After lighting a fire in case he got cold, I slipped into bed beside him, leaving space since he probably didn’t want me to touch him, even though my fingers itched with the need to reach for him. The gap between us felt like kilometers instead of mere inches.
Fable was my mate, I knew this as fact, but I had to wonder. What kind of future did we have? We lived in different countries, not to mention that we were entirely different species. There were so many barriers standing between us. Maybe fate got it wrong this time…
Non, imbécile. My beaver rolled his eyes so hard, I could feel it inside my brain.
I deserved my beast’s attitude, because he was right. Fate didn’t make mistakes, but that didn’t mean Fable had to play by the same rules as I did. He could go back to his life, if he so chose. He could walk away and never look back, never eventhink of that rough Canadian he’d met on holiday ever again. But as a shifter, he was my one and only. My soul would only ever want his.
I reached out and brushed a single fingertip across his cheek, and he murmured in his sleep, leaning toward me. Even if we never stood a snowball’s chance in hell, I had to try. He was worth it—wewere worth it. He didn’t know it yet, but together, we would be magic.
9
Fable
Itwasofficial,Iwas no longer human. The surface of my tongue had grown fur.
I quickly clocked my current situation. Headache? Check. Sour stomach? Check. Severe mortification and regret? Double check. Unfortunately, even with all the booze I’d consumed, my memory of last night was crystal clear. I really had begged for Guy to fuck me. What the hell was wrong with me?! I’d never acted so brazen in my life! Was the punch spiked or something?
Grimacing, I tried to roll over but found that my legs were tangled with Guy’s. Oh! I cracked my eyes open, squinting in the first rays of dawn’s amber light peeping through the frost-covered windows. Just like yesterday morning, I found myself fully on Guy’s side of the bed, as if I’d searched him out in my sleep. I was curled up against him, his arm weighing me down, his chest bare, but he wasn’t sleeping this time. He was propped up on one elbow, watching me. I could get no sense of what he was feeling based on his even gaze.
“You came back,” I whispered, scared he might take off again. And I couldn’t even blame him.
“Of course I came back.” He traced his fingertips idly up my arm, but I could tell he had a lot on his mind. “I’m sorry I didn’t explain that I wasn’t leaving for good. I just needed a little bit of fresh air.”
“Because of me,” I grumbled, ducking my chin. “I’m really sorry about how I acted. I think I was a bit drunker than I’d thought. I know I was super rude to you, but I just want you to know that I really do appreciate your chivalry. Nearly every alpha I’ve ever met would’ve taken total advantage of the kind of offer I made you, but you… you said no.” I tried not to sound hurt, not tofeelhurt, but I couldn’t stop my brain from snagging onwhyhe’d said no.
I was honestly still a bit confused byeverythingthat happened last night. Why did I push so hard after he’d said no the first time? I was all about consent, and that went both ways. But last night, it was like I was out of my mind! It couldn’t have just been the alcohol. The timing was all wrong, but it was almost like I’d been in a kind of… mini heat or something. But that simply wasn’t possible, because I was meticulous about tracking my schedule. My body was like clockwork.
“Trust me, it wasn’t easy to walk away,” he said, chuckling a little.
“It wasn’t?” I asked hopefully. “So… it was just because I was drunk?”
His hand traced up my shoulder, goosebumps crawling up my neck, until he captured my jaw, tilting my head back. “I had such a great time last night. I would’ve loved to take things further, but I really wanted you to remember our first time…”
He leaned closer, and it took me a hot minute to realize he was about to kiss me. My eyes fluttered closed, ready to let it happen, when I suddenly remembered my furry tongue. My eyes snapped open. “Wait!” Gods, that was not the impression I wanted to make—especially after my behavior last night.
Guy, upstanding gentleman that he was, stopped immediately. “What’s wrong?”
I scuttled back across the mattress, not breaking eye contact. “Do. Not. Leave. I just want to brush my teeth first.”
There was no playing it cool. He already knew how eager I was for this, so I leaped out of the bed and sprinted to the bathroom. I brushed my teeth as quickly as humanly possible, but then my eyes fell on my bathroom bag on the counter. My razor was peeking out of the top. Oh shit, when was the last time I did any manscaping? It’d been a while since I had any reason to.
