"I'm not interested in your clothes, Adolpha."
"Please don't call me that."
"Would you preferhoney? Sweetheart?"Didn't matter to me as long as she was going to be my wife.
"Addie is fine. I don't like being reminded of him."
My fingers grazed the silk of her blouse, feeling the frantic heat of her skin underneath. Her breath caught, a jagged hitch that sent a jolt of predatory satisfaction through my chest. The gold started to bleed into her emerald eyes.
"I'm not interested in your clothes, sweet Addie. I'm only interested in your loyalty." I tugged gently at the fabric of her shirt. "Take it off."
She balked, her eyes widening. "You said you'd only fuck me when I'm fertile."
"I’m not going to ravish you in the dirt. We're going for a run. Our animals should get to know each other before the vows."
"I'm not hungry after that three-course meal. I don't want to hunt."
"We aren't hunting. We're running. Let the wolf out, Addie. She’s screaming to breathe."
She hesitated, her gaze darting toward the tree line and then back to me. There were flickering shadows in her eyes that made my wolf tilt its head in suspicion.
I stepped into her space, looming. "Is there something wrong with your wolf?"
"My wolf is perfect," she hissed, the defiance returning in a flash.
"Then let her out. She should meet her mate before we make it official."
The ache in her was palpable now, a physical pressure radiating off her skin. She needed the shift. I sensed the bone-deep itch of it in my own marrow. Why was she denying herself? Would I need to take this decision from her as well?
I was seconds away from using my Alpha voice—from commanding her to submit to the change—when she finally gave a sharp, jerky nod.
"Turn your back."
I found the request absurdly cute. I doubted I'd make it to her fertile time before sticking my nose into that sweet smelling cunt of hers. But I did as she asked. I turned, staring out at the dark silhouette of the oaks.
There was a rustle of cloth falling onto the grass. Then came the wet, heavy grunt of a shift. The pop of bones bending. The wet slide of muscle reforming. It was a violent, beautifulsymphony. When the sounds faded into the rhythmic panting of an animal, I turned back.
My heart didn't just skip; it stopped.
Standing on the manicured grass was a red-furred wolf, her coat the color of a dying sun and polished copper. She was lean, powerful, and the most stunning creature I had ever seen on four legs or two. Her eyes were still emerald, glowing with a fierce, intelligent, golden light.
I dropped to all fours as a man, my palms flat against the cool earth, and approached her with cautious reverence. I wanted to scent her, to memorize the curve of her spine, before I let my own beast out to greet her.
She didn't stay still. As I crawled forward, the red wolf stepped back, her paws silent on the damp moss. Her ears flattened back in a sharp V of suspicion. She was looking at me not as a partner, but as a threat.
I stopped, my chest vibrating. I let out a growl—not a bark of command, but a deep, resonant warning that rippled through the garden air.
She froze. Then, slowly, she dipped her head, her gaze dropping to my human hands.
The sight of it irritated me. I wanted to remind her of what my father had said only an hour ago—that no daughter of his lowered her head. My family had opened the gates. They had accepted the fire she brought into the house. But she was still standing on the threshold, refusing to walk through. She needed to get on with it.
I knew, even if she didn't, that their acceptance came with a price. The ultimate responsibility for her loyalty didn't lie with my father or my brothers. It lay with me. If she ever betrayed this pack—if that Vane blood in her veins proved more potent than the Blackwood name—I would be the one to take her out.
I had seen what betrayal did to my father years ago, how it had gutted him from the inside out. I would never let it go that far again. Not even for my wife.
I lunged forward, my movements a blur of human limbs and predatory intent. I caught her by the scruff of her neck, my fingers burying deep into that thick, copper fur.
She let out a startled yip.
