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“What do you mean you don’t know? You’re the white wolf. Shouldn’t you know about this stuff?”
He grabbed her hands, which had been flailing about, punctuating every word. “There’s something you need to know. Two things, actually.”
She squeezed his fingers and swallowed heavily. “Tell me.”
“You bear the mark of the white wolf.” She stared at him, not comprehending. Rather than repeat it, he eased her top up and over her head while she sat there like a lump, unable to help or hinder. He caught her chin in his hand. “Take a deep breath and look.”
With a jerky nod, she sucked in a lungful of air and looked down. Sure enough, the gray crescent blade and handle was right over her heart. “How—” She brought her fingers up and touched the tattoo, rubbing it to make sure it wouldn’t scrub off. “I don’t understand.”
“Neither do I. It has to tie in to the blood link we share.” He placed his hand over the mark and her heart. The thin fabric of her bra was the only thing between them. “The white wolf asked if I’d die to save you.” He stared into her eyes. “I said yes.”
The enormity of it overwhelmed her. “No.”
He nodded. “Yes.”
“You gave up your immortality for me.”
“I don’t know.”
“Are you still marked or not?” Without waiting for an answer, she yanked his shirt up and off and breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s still there.” His enormous shoulders slumped slightly. “Didn’t you know?”
“I hadn’t checked.” A muscle pulsed in his jaw and the cords of his neck tightened. “I haven’t sensed my wolf since you woke.”
Oh, God, no. Hands trembling, she cupped his face. “This is all my fault. I’m so sorry.”
“I’m not.” Turning his head, he pressed a kiss to her palm. “Whatever price I have to pay is worth it. Ah, that leads me to the second thing.”
“What else could be more important than this?” He brushed his fingers over her shoulder near the base of her throat. A blast of sensual heat shot to her core, and a low moan escaped her. “What the hell?”
“It’s the mating mark. Wolves mate for life. I knew I’d follow you. I worried I might not be able to find you, so I marked you.”
Speechless, all she could do was stare. He’d bitten her. She wasn’t sure if she wished she could remember it or was glad she couldn’t. “But I’m not a wolf,” she whispered, pointing out the obvious.
“It didn’t matter. It was wrong of me to do it without permission.” Pure anguish filled his eyes.
“Did you…” She swallowed and tried again. “Did you do it because you thought it might save me?” It would break her heart if that was the reason. Not that she faulted him for it. He’d done everything in his power to save her—maybe even given up his wolf. That spoke of a deep commitment, but she wanted more. She wanted his love. If he couldn’t give her that—mated or not—she couldn’t stay with him. If she did, they’d both grow resentful over time.
He shook his head. “I did it because you’re mine, because I can’t imagine the world without you in it.” He brushed his lips over hers. “Lone wolves don’t have mates, but you’re mine. If you’ll have me, I’ll cherish you forever. And whether my wolf is gone or not, I’ll protect you until my last breath.” He took a deep breath. “I love you, Zoe.”
She threw herself into his arms. As declarations went, it didn’t get any bigger. The weight on her heart lifted, leaving nothing but joy in its wake. “I love you.”
The muscles in his arms trembled as he held her close. “Thank God. I didn’t understand how alone I was before I found you.”
“That makes two of us. We’re quite the pair. Do you think your wolf is gone for good?” Being a wolf, being the white wolf, wasn’t a title. It was who he was. To think of him losing that hurt her to her core. He’d risked everything to save her.
He shrugged his massive shoulders. “Time will tell.” His matter-of-fact tone was belied by the worry reflected in his eyes.
She bit her bottom lip, unsure what to say. “I’m sorry” seemed like too little.Don’t borrow trouble.Like everything else they’d faced, they’d deal with it—together. That brought up another concern. “Do you care we were manipulated? I do carry your blood.” It was only a single drop, but it was potent enough to give her white eyes, a white streak in her hair, and attract him into her life.
He rubbed his hand over his jaw. “Yeah, about that.”
The tone and the look all screamed guilt. Her gaze narrowed. “What did you do?”
“My blood is healing. Because you already carried a drop of mine, I’d hoped it might heal you, so I cut myself and tried to get you to drink.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Damn it, Devlin, you’re a werewolf, not a vampire.” When he didn’t smile, she sighed, truly humbled by the lengths he’d gone to. “You can’t honestly believe I’d be mad at anything you did to try to save me.” She thought about it a second and shook her head. “Come to think of it, I am. You should never have put yourself at risk.” She thumped him on the chest.
He raised his eyebrows. “You mean the way you risked your eternal soul to save me?” Damn it, he had her there. “And to answer your original question, I don’t care how we were brought together.”
