AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“If we want it to be,” I whispered.
Dannika dropped the rock, turning around in my arms to face me, her arms caged between us, palms flat on my chest. “What else would ‘we’ want?” Her words were breathy, her heart audibly thundering.
So much.
The sound of a wounded animal screaming tore through the air, shredding the moment between us. Nova caught a rabbit on the edge of the clearing, shaking her head violently to silence its cries and end its suffering.
Dannika stumbled back, breaking free of the embrace. Disappointment and longing filled me instantly. We stared at each other, unable to find words, no clear direction for what needed to come next.
Clearing her throat, she shoved her hands in her pockets and started walking at the water’s edge as she kept her eyes focused on the falls.
“Um, there’s something else I need to tell you,” she started, continuing to walk farther away from me. “It’s made slightly more awkward considering the context of, uh—our earlier conversation.”
I crossed my arms, walking slowly along the shoreline. “I’m intrigued.”
“It involves Markus.”
“I’m less intrigued.”
She glared at me from the side, then continued. “Once shifters have found their mates . . . females go into heat.”
I stopped walking. I didn’t like where she was going with this. “Do you have to be bonded for that to occur?”
She huffed a humorless laugh. “Nope.”
“What is it that you want from me in this scenario? If it’s for me to allow anything to happen between you and Markus, the answer is no.”
I would kill him first. I didn’t care that she kept saving him.
Her nose wrinkled in disgust. “Ew, no. Beyond the ick factor, it would be a reversal of my rejection if I had sex with him, even if being in heat is what causes it. But the whole thing is out of my control. I need to be locked away. If Markus hasn’t rejected me, he needs to be locked far away from me. He won’t be able to stop himself. And . . .” She paused, closing her eyes and inhaling deeply. “And I won’t be able to resist it.”
I sighed. Blood and Beryl had shifters too. If a female went into heat, we knew all about it. But never once had I been witness to one that was rejecting her mate. This wasn’t my first experience with she-wolves in heat, but it was the first one I cared about. “Can you feel how far off yours is yet?”
“I’m not sure, but I know it’s supposed to happen soon. A few days, maybe. A week at most.” Looking down at her boot, she kicked at the rocks. “I can’t believe it’s gotten this far, but I don’t know what else to do or who to ask for help. It helps we both want Markus to go away and for our mate bond to be perceived as real. You’re the only one I can talk to about this. The only one I can trust. I just want you to make sure I’m okay. Stay with me.”
“Of course,” I started, but she cut me off.
“There’s more.” She winced, clenching her teeth. “I might be, um . . . needy. I’m not sure how far it goes outside of the mate bond. It might make me say things or ask for things I wouldn’t otherwise.” She turned, facing me as I came to stand by her side.
“Oh,” I whispered, nodding in understanding. Reaching down, I took her hand in mine, twining my fingers through hers. I brought our hands to my mouth, pressing a soft kiss on top of hers. “I’ll keep you safe, if that’s all that you want from me.”
“I believe you,” she said, echoing the same words I’d said to her many times.
There we were again, face-to-face, a moment suspended between us. The orange hues of the setting sun filtered through the high treetops, settling on her skin and giving her a warm glow.
Nova trotted by, huffing as she headed toward the trail, stopping at the tree line. Dannika smiled, preparing to follow her wolf.
“I can drive you back,” I offered, keeping stride beside her and jutting my thumb toward the truck. It didn’t escape me that she hadn’t let go of my hand, and that there was no one here to show off to. “Ysa and I switched vehicles so Nova can fit anytime we want to go somewhere.”
“That’s thoughtful, but I prefer the walk, actually,” she responded, shaking her head lightly. “Nature feels like home to me. I figured out long ago when things become too much, if I just find my place outside, I can clear my head. Now that I’m here, it helps me find what’s real again.”
As we came to the trail where Nova waited, Dannika turned but didn’t say anything. I didn’t say anything.
Instead, I listened to her breathing change. The flutter of the pulse in her neck. I felt the slickness of her palm against mine. The moment was frozen in time.
I shouldn’t . . .
The moment her eyes flicked down to my lips and her heartbeat picked up, I came undone. There was no stopping me.
