AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I wanted her to fight for me. Leaving her would be leaving a part of myself behind.
She raised an eyebrow, but I couldn’t miss the way her body shook. The way her eyes shone with unshed tears. “Can we have another sleepover?”
“Absolutely.”
“I love it when you purr.”
Bibi cleared her throat, and the noise startled Hannah.
“We should go soon, so we can get to Green Mountain Village by midnight. That will give Lars time to get back here before the sun comes up,” she suggested, and then turned to me.“I’m glad you found her, and that things went well here.”
But she didn’t want me to keep her.
I could fight it, but bringing Hannah back to civilization was for the best. I took one of the pelts from the pile near the tub and wrapped it around Hannah.
Bibi and Hugo trotted ahead of us.
“This all feels like a dream,” Hannah wrapped the fur tightly around herself. She didn’t follow the wolves up the stairs. “At first I thought it was a good dream, but now I’m not so sure. What if I wake up and can never come back here again? See you like this. Never be able to touch you again.”
“You will.”
She exhaled a shaky breath. “The whole reason I’m here is because ofThe Mating Game. I’m contracted to be a contestant. They’re paying for my room at the chalet. If it wasn’t for the show, I would’ve never met you.”
Which meant she still planned on going on the show. Damn. I wanted to tell her to leave it, but I couldn’t. Instead I nodded, and we walked upstairs in silence.
“You’ve done really amazing things here. I love how authentic you’ve kept your home. And this view.”Bibi looked out at the valley below us and then turned back to me as Hannah dressed.“I can’t thank you enough for rescuing her. I can’t tell you what was going through my mind when the police said they found her car without her in it.”
Say it.Tell her you want to keep Hannah with you.
“There’s already been some speculation on the forums,”she continued. I couldn’t wrap my head around the forums or what it meant that something was online, no matter how many times Hugo explained it to me.“We’ll have to make a statement that she’s alive and well as soon as possible. Hannah is friends with some of the regular posters in there, and they were concerned when they couldn’t get in touch with her. There were some accusations that something went wrong with one of our shifter contestants. They’ve contacted our headquarters, and we couldn’t give them a definitive response—"
I didn’t need to hear the rest of what Bibi said. I couldn’t keep her. Those friends, and whatever the forum was, would never accept me.
Hannah gave me a wobbly smile once she was back in her clothes. Zipped into her jacket.
“Ready?” I asked.
She shook her head. “This is the last thing I want to do. But it will make it that much better next time we see each other.”
I scooped her into my arms, equal parts loving and hating the little sigh she let out as she snuggled against my chest.
“Your fur is so soft,” she murmured.
The descent down the mountain was steep—I’d kept it that way on purpose, to keep those who couldn’t handle the journey out.
Someday, I’d bring Hannah back here. I’d make her mine. Forever.
I followed Bibi and Hugo down the mountain. The snow was thick and only stars lit the way.
“Are you warm enough?” I murmured to Hannah.
“Yeah. I just keep thinking about you walking home by yourself, in the dark.” She curled her hand into the fur on my shoulder. “I hate thinking about you there alone.”
“I’m never alone. I have nature and the other animals to keep me company.”
She chuckled sadly. “The whole reason I went on that drive was because I was bored. And now I realize, I don’t need more to do. I just needed a new perspective. Thank you, Lars. The world could use more men like you.”
“I’m not a man, I’m a beast.” And there was no stopping the growl that rolled through my body like thunder, knowing soon my beautiful Hannah would be on stage with beasts that weren’t that different than me, vying to claim her forever.
