Page 101 of His to Claim

“I. Love. You,”he managed a few seconds later.

The strangled words in my mind brought a wave of despair, tears trickling down my face. I wiped them away furiously, no longer certain what to do. As I stood in the darkness, I realized just how improved my vision truly was. I could see clearly every creature scuttling through the trees. Every bat flying above. Every sound was magnified, filling my ears with sweet songs of the night.

And none of it mattered.

Not without Stone.

As the door opened, I was fearful that Stone was on his last breath. Max moved by my side, inhaling. “I’ve always loved the night. It’s my favorite time.”

I had no idea what to say.

“He loves you. He was willing to die for you,” he continued.

“Yes, but I’m responsible for his death.”

He chuckled softly. “I don’t think he’s going to die.”

“You have faith that I don’t.”

“Your mother is a remarkable woman, even though she was blinded by both her love and hatred.”

Now I was the one to laugh. “She’s a monster.”

“No, she’s not. She simply had no one to talk to and no understanding of what she’d gone through. Why don’t you go back inside?” he said gently.

“I can’t watch him die.”

“Then watch him recover. Your mother is trying.”

I snapped my head in his direction, gasping for air. “Is it possible?”

“I think he needs you.”

A slight whimper left my mouth before I raced back inside. While I couldn’t understand what they were doing, my mother was indeed working with Dr. Riker. I could only hope that whatever they were attempting might work. For the first time that I could remember, I prayed.

And in those moments, I could see my father’s smiling face.

CHAPTER17

Stone

The growl left my lungs, the husky tone riddled with lust instead of anger. I stood on the knoll, studying the water below in a different way than I had before. Everything had changed in the last four days, including my perspective on life. I was no longer just a man in search of a reason to continue. I was a Wolfen who needed to accept my leadership of a pack who’d risked their lives in order to save not only me, but the woman I loved.

I felt her presence behind me, the richness of her scent reminding me of what had almost been lost. The moment she placed her hands on my shoulders, pressing her face against my back, I savored the shiver skating down my spine. The simple touch was more enjoyable than almost anything on earth.

Almost.

I dragged my tongue across my gums, the hint of my canines hungry to explode strong. Vanessa brought out the wolf in me. I snickered at the thought as I heard her soft purrs, the sound reverberating in my very soul. She’d snagged a part of me in her tough little hand that no one else had.

My humanity.

I’d almost forgotten what it meant to be human, my longing for brutal contact, savagery in order to protect her remaining in my mind. I could have killed the wolf called Beast without question. As it was, he’d come close to dying, only saved by Vanessa’s insistence. She was a much stronger and more amazing woman than I’d even realized.

As she slid her hands down the length of my back, kneading the skin under my shirt, I took another deep breath. The scents of the forest were nothing in comparison to the wafting fragrance of her delicious feminine wiles.

She was famished.

So was I.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com