Page 163 of The Ashpaw: Part One

The push-pull was driving her crazy, and with the heat still upon her, her feelings were all over the place.

She didn’t want him, but she didn’t want him to leave, either.

“I wish I could delay it, I really do. But I will come check on you once it’s over, and then return to you—”

Fern stood, then swayed dramatically, her legs shaky and vision blurry. Darion reached out to hold her, but she recoiled.

He tried again, and this time, she screamed.

“You can’t keep doing this to me!”

Darion’s face fell, his arms returning to his side. “What do you mean?”

“I’m not… I can’t… I don’t want to be the afterthought!”

His gaze fell to the floor.

“I could share you if I felt Kyntha and I were equal, but she will always be your priority. You told me this, and you showed me this. You will always believe her over me, and I just have to hope and pray to the gods I don’t make her jealous enough that her next lie will get me killed.”

“Fern, I don’t think she lied about you…”

“So what did she say to make you think I did this to myself, hm?”

She almost expected Darion to get defensive, but he actually appeared regretful.

For once.

“I’m sorry. I don’t… I don’t want you to be an afterthought, either. It’s not fair to you or me.”

Fern was feeling dizzy, her knees barely able to hold her, so she sat back down in her blankets. She breathed heavily from the exertion just that little effort took. “Fair to you?”

Darion came closer, crouching down. “I don’t ever want to deny myself the pleasure of you again, Fern. You are mine, and you deserve just as much of me as she does.”

Then he kissed along her jaw. Slow, soft kisses, that trailed down her neck and stopped right in the crook. His teeth scraped the skin there, and her whole body shivered, an involuntary moan slipping through her lips.

“Here,” he said, his breath warm. “I will claim you as my mate.”

Her chest tightened. “Mate?”

She felt her wolf for the first time in days. Fern had thought such an offer would excite her, but her wolf was cautious.

Isn’t this what you wanted? Fern asked.

We should not make a pack with an alpha who cannot provide and a she-wolf who would kill us in our sleep.

Pack?

Her wolf rolled her eyes like she didn’t know why she even bothered with her.

“Mate,” he confirmed. “Not Naravekh. You mean more to me than that. You mean more to the clan than that.”

Fern tried to picture it, but it wouldn’t form properly in her mind, as though a painter had deliberately made each face in this family portrait blurry except for hers. And she… wasn’t smiling.

He placed his hand on her lower belly. “There will be pups, soon, if I am so fortunate. If the gods can forgive me for my mistakes.”

Fern inhaled a shuddering breath, and Darion gently pushed her down. “I have time for one more, little Fern. Give me one more.”

Her legs spread for him as he nestled between them, and she closed her eyes, giving him everything.